Julie Clark
Posted:
Coconut Lime Chicken
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This coconut lime chicken is tender and bursting with tropical flavor. It’s marinated in creamy coconut milk, fresh lime, and garlic, then grilled to smoky perfection. Serve over coconut lime rice or cauliflower rice.
Creamy coconut lime chicken takes just 10 minutes prep and can marinate up to 8 hours if needed. Cook the marinated chicken outside on the grill, or bring it in doors and cook in a skillet pan for a tropical flair any time of year.
This easy grilled chicken is in our dinner rotation as much as our simple chicken marinade, Mexican chicken marinade and Key West chicken. Serve with our key lime pie!
About this coconut lime chicken recipe:
Lime is one of my favorite flavors. I’m always craving creamy lime pie, key lime sheet cake or key lime cookies, but I sneak in lime flavors into dinner recipes any chance I can get. Lemon lime chicken? Yes. Chili lime flat iron steak? Of course.
This coconut lime chicken has both citrus flavors and creamy coconut milk. Coconut milk is a pantry staple in our home since I use it to thicken soups like wild rice and chicken soup, but also often use it in slow cooker recipes like butter chicken. It’s a great dairy substitute.
Serve this coconut lime grilled chicken with roasted red potatoes, corn with chili lime butter, steamed broccoli or simple green beans, and no knead bread. Try our tropical mango cookies for dessert!
Enjoy! – Julie
Coconut Lime Chicken
This coconut lime chicken is tender and bursting with tropical flavor. It's marinated in creamy coconut milk, fresh lime, and garlic, then grilled to smoky perfection. Serve over coconut lime rice.
Servings 4
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Marinate Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 can full fat coconut milk 13-ounce
- 3 limes zest and ¼ cup juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
- Sliced limes for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the coconut milk, lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until well mixed. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade in a covered bowl for basting after cooking. 1 can full fat coconut milk, 3 limes, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, 1½ teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Place the chicken into the marinade, stir it well to coat the chicken, cover, and put in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 8 hours for maximum flavor. 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- When ready to grill, oil your grill grates well and preheat the grill to a medium-high heat, about 400°F.
- Place the chicken breasts on the grill grates for 6-9 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Once cooked, remove from heat, and brush with the reserved marinade (not the marinade that was on the chicken, but the ¼ cup reserved at the beginning). Serve warm with rice and garnish with cilantro and lime. Chopped fresh cilantro, Sliced limes
Notes
- Looking for even more flavor? Try ½ tsp ground ginger or ¼ teaspoon onion powder.
- Storage Instructions: If you have leftover chicken, allow it to cool completely before storing. Once cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container or resealable bag and refrigerate for up to three days.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
Nutrition
Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 50g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 1138mg | Potassium: 997mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 108IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken. I often use boneless skinless chicken breasts as shown here, but boneless skinless chicken thighs work well, too. Our Hawaiian BBQ chicken and teriyaki chicken recipe both use chicken thighs for an extra tender bite.
- Coconut milk. Using coconut milk not only adds flavor, but makes this recipe dairy-free. And it’s naturally gluten-free!
- Limes. You’ll need lots of zest and ¼ cup lime juice. I found that three limes gave me ¼ cup of juice, so used the zest of all 3 limes.
- Fresh cilantro. Cilantro and lime go together so well. The fresh herbs make all the difference.
- Olive oil and soy sauce both work to tenderize the coconut lime chicken. Avocado oil is another good oil to use.
See the recipe card for full ingredients and amounts.
How to Make Coconut Lime Chicken: Step by Step
- Make the marinade. In a large bowl, combine the coconut milk, lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, soy sauce, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until well mixed.
- Reserve some for basting. Reserve ¼ cup of the marinade in a covered bowl for basting after cooking.
- Marinate the chicken. Place the chicken into the marinade, stir it well to coat the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 8 hours for maximum flavor.
- Prepare your grill. When ready to grill the coconut lime chicken, oil your grill grates well and preheat the grill to a medium-high heat, about 400°F.
- Grill. Place the chicken breasts on the grill grates for 6-9 minutes per side or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.
- Garnish and serve. Once cooked, remove from heat, and brush with the reserved marinade. Serve the coconut lime chicken warm with rice and garnish with cilantro and lime.
How to Serve Coconut Lime Chicken
Serve the chicken with veggies and either pasta or rice. With either, a simple sprinkling of fresh lime juice and cilantro will pair nicely with the chicken.
