One Pot Coconut Chicken and Rice

5 from 10 votes

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One Pot Coconut Chicken and Rice  is the best weeknight meal because it is tasty, simple and it’s a cinch to clean up!

Anytime I can make dinner in ONE pan, I am sold. Sometimes you just need a recipe that is easy and delicious. For this recipe, you simply add all of the ingredients and bake. Can it get easier than that? Makes busy nights so much more manageable. 

iron pot of rice with lime wedges and green onions garnished on top

I love Thai food (Green Thai Coconut Curry and Thai Chopped Salad, for example) and this recipe reminds me why. Coconut is one of my favorite ingredients and it is often used in Thai dishes. It has a subtle sweet flavor that I just crave. Coconut milk and shredded coconut is the real MVP of this one pot meal but when you add ginger and cilantro the flavors really come alive. 

For this recipe I like to use chicken thighs. They are usually cheaper than chicken breast and so tender when you cook them. You could use chicken breast but this recipe just goes next level when you use chicken thighs. 

top view of a plate with green beans on the side garnished in chives

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Quick and easy: This recipe uses just one pot so it is easy to clean up and gets you back out of the kitchen quickly.
  • Flavorful: The combination of the coconut milk, spices, lime, and cilantro is amazing.
  • Affordable: The ingredients are simple and inexpensive so you get a great meal without sacrificing taste or your budget.

Ingredients

  • Chicken: using boneless skinless chicken thighs here is amazing, they cook up like a dream and are full of flavor.
  • Rice: you can use any white rice you’d like for this recipe, I like jasmine rice and any long grain rice will work great.
  • Coconut milk and shredded coconut
  • Onion and fresh ginger
  • Green onion, cilantro, and lime juice

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities 

spoonful of rice over a white cast iron pot and a delicious looking green onion and lime with coconut rice dish

How to Make Coconut Chicken and Rice

top view of cast iron pot with seasoned chicken in a coconut sauce and spices
onions and garlic with other spices going into a cast iron pot

Step 1: Brown the chicken on both sides in a hot Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Step 2: Add the onion and ginger to the pan, cooking until tender and translucent.

top view of cast iron pot with a coconut sauce and POV of a hand pouring broth into it with uncooked rice to the side and seasoned and cooked chicken on another plate to the side
iron pot of rice with green onions garnished on top

Step 3: Pour coconut milk and broth into the pan. Stir in the rice. Nestle the chicken thighs into the mixture and sprinkle with coconut.

Step 4: Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Bake at 400°F for 20-25 minutes or until chicken is done and rice is tender.

Recipe FAQs

What rice is your favorite to cook with?

I really like using Jasmine rice when I cook. It is slightly sweet and accompanies many dishes well. Any white rice will work for this recipe, long grain is preferred.

What is meant by one pot meal?

A one pot meal means that everything is cooked in 1 pot or pan. It makes it easy to cook and clean up. We need more one pot meals in our life. 

Can you cook raw chicken and rice together?

Yes and I love it because the cooking chicken releases some moisture and those juices get absorbed by the rice. It’s part of what makes the dish so delicious.

view of a white dutch oven with rice and limes

Expert Tips

  • If cooking with coconut milk is new to you, make sure you are buying a can of coconut milk and not coconut cream. Coconut cream will give you the same flavor but it is thicker so it won’t have the right amount of liquid to cook the rice.
  • If you are sodium sensitive, feel free to use low-sodium chicken broth.
  • Because this recipe comes together so quickly, consider doing all the chopping before you start browning the chicken.

What do I serve with Coconut Chicken and Rice?

This meal can completely stand alone if you want, but I like to add a side of vegetables too. Either a green salad, broccoli or green beans would compliment this dish perfectly. And everything is good with some fresh baguettes, highly recommend that.

pin - text reads "coconut chicken & rice" with a plate of coconut rice with green beans.

More Chicken Recipes to Consider

iron pot of rice with lime wedges and green onions garnished on top
5 from 10 votes

One Pot Coconut Chicken and Rice

This One Pot Coconut Chicken and Rice Recipe is the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal for your family! It's flavorful, delicious, and makes for easy clean up!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients 

  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry
  • 1 medium onion, diced or grated
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 15oz can coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 cups rice, uncooked
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened, finely shredded coconut
  • 2 green onions, diced
  • 2 limes
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil
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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • Heat a drizzle of oil in the Dutch oven to medium to medium-high heat.
  • Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken.
  • When the oil in the pan is hot brown the chicken in the oil for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set on a plate.
  • Add the onion and ginger to the pan. Heat until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
  • Pour coconut milk and broth into the pan and stir to scrape up any browned bits.
  • Add rice and stir to coat.
  • Nestle the chicken into the rice mixture and sprinkle with coconut.
  • Add a tight fitting lit to the pan.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or till rice is tender and chicken is cooked through.
  • Sprinkle green onions and cilantro over all the rice and chicken, and then squeeze lime juice over everything. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Serve right away.

Notes

  • Delicious served with broccoli or green beans.
  • This recipe has minimal prep time, even with chopping the onions and browning the chicken. Perfect for busy nights!
  • One Pot Coconut Chicken and Rice makes for great leftovers! Store it in an air tight container in the refrigerator to eat the next day.
  • If you want to make it a little fancier when you serve it, garnish with chopped peanuts, extra sliced green onions, or even toasted coconut flakes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 4 servings, Calories: 685kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 31g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 26g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 109mg, Sodium: 451mg, Potassium: 739mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 106IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 5mg
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5 from 10 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




26 Comments

  1. Christina says:

    5 stars
    My picky family loves this recipe! Has been in our meal rotation and always look forward to making it.

  2. Alyssa Ruman says:

    If you are using chicken breast, would the cook time change? Thanks!

  3. Andrea says:

    5 stars
    Love this recipe! So easy to put together and very delicious!

  4. Lymphoma Treatment Market says:

    5 stars
    Love this recipe! So easy to put together and very delicious!

  5. stacy says:

    THis looks amazing….have you tried freezing it before or after cooking so it can be ready quickly?

  6. Ally says:

    This reminded me immediately of Mark Bittman’s Chicken and Rice the Easy Way (Google it, it was published in the NY Times) – do you know it? Everyone should learn this basic toolbox recipe! Busy mamas, working singles, college students on their own for the first time, (or even better) older kids just learning to cook – utterly simple almost-one-pot recipe with real ingredients, honestly 30 minutes start to finish, and you can vary it endlessly with spices, herbs, vegetables, sauces etc. It has a lot in common with this recipe but does not bake, you coat your dry rice in hot oil in your pot and pour separately-boiled liquid over it and the chicken, simmer for 20 minutes, and it comes out beautifully. I’m going to use these ingredients with that method and see how it comes out!

  7. Emily Johnson says:

    Um…do you need to put the lid on the pot when you put it in the oven? Dummies like me need this in the directions. Cuz my rice ain’t cooked . . .

    1. Melissa says:

      Oh no!! Yes, it does need a lid. I changed the recipe. Your willingness to try it out has forever corrected the mistake for the world. Thank you for being the guinea pig. I owe you a bag of rice!

  8. Liz says:

    A lovely recipe. Thanks so much.

  9. Kristy says:

    Would brown rice work well with this recipe? What did you use?

    1. Melissa says:

      Here’s Emily’s thoughts on the rice:
      I just used long grain white rice. Brown rice would probably have to be par-cooked (cooked halfway). The time required for the brown rice would be too much for the chicken and you’d either have dry chicken or crunchy rice ๐Ÿ™‚

      Is also stay away from jasmine rice (the flavor would compete here), but long or short grain white rice is your best bet.

    2. Jen says:

      guess I should have scrolled through the comments first! I currently have the dish in the oven with brown rice! Just checked at 20 mins and the rice is no where near done!!

  10. Naomi says:

    This looks delicious, I’m going to make it for my Friday evening meal since I never got that far in my menu planning…haha. Could you make it in a crockpot?

    1. Melissa says:

      Hmmm. I don’t have much experience with rice in a slow cooker. Do you? I’d be nervous about it cooking too long!