Green Coconut Chicken
Ingredients
Meat
8 Chicken Thighs (bone-in and skin on)
Produce
1 Shallot
1 Bunch Cilantro
1 Lemongrass Stalk
4 Garlic Cloves
1 Large Knob of Fresh Ginger
3 Scallions
1 Small Fresno Chili or 1 Small Jalapeño
Zest and Juice of 1 Lime
Pantry
1 Can Unsweetened Coconut Milk
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Avocado Oil (or any neutral oil)
1 Tbsp Coriander Seed (whole seed not ground)
Salt (to season and taste)
Pepper (to season and taste)
Method
Start by preheating your oven to 375°F and placing a large skillet on medium-low heat to allow the temperature to come up slowly and evenly. Rinse and dry the chicken thighs. Season each thigh front and back with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
While the oven and pan are preheating, prep the ingredients for the sauce. Peel and cube the shallot and garlic. Roughly dice the pepper, ginger, scallions, and lemongrass.
Place all the prepped ingredients into a blender (shallot, garlic, pepper, ginger, scallions, lemongrass) with the coconut milk, fish sauce, coriander seed, the whole bunch of cilantro, and the zest and juice of the lime. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Pour the sauce through a fine-meshed strainer and set aside.
Once your sauce is ready and the skillet is preheated, add the avocado oil, place the chicken thighs skin side down in the skillet, and sear on medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes. We want the skin to become nice and crispy and golden brown. Once the skin is crispy, flip and sear on the other side for about 7 minutes reducing the heat to medium.
Transfer the chicken to a pan and place into the preheated oven to allow it to finish cooking. This will take about 15-20 minutes; we are looking for an internal temperature of 170°-175°F.
While the chicken is in the oven, pour the sauce into the skillet that the chicken was seared in. We want the sauce to be mixed with the juice of the chicken to create depth in the dish. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a light simmer allowing the sauce to cook down. Once the sauce reaches a simmer, reduce the heat to low and let it sit until the chicken is done. Stirring occasionally.
Remove the chicken and let it rest for 5 minutes. Add the chicken back into the pan with the sauce and serve hot.
Notes This dish is fairly quick and easy. The sauce is light and flavorful, perfect for spring. I love to severe this dish with a simple side salad with microgreens and snap peas along with coconut rice. Enjoy and as always, we will talk soon!