Coriander-Coconut Chicken and Rice

To date, most of my poultry recipes, while they could use either chicken or turkey, are all geared for turkey as I am allergic to chicken. However, just before I started having issues and was dipping my toes into creating my own recipes, I created the titled recipe. I figured I would post it as a few friends that tried it said they really liked it. Down the line, I may try it with turkey so I could make the necessary tweaks, but for this recipe, it makes use of chicken thighs, something that isn’t interchangeable with turkey breast.

I remember when I created it it was because for one, I had no idea what to do with chicken thighs as dark meat wasn’t my usual go-to, and I had an overabundance of fresh coriander, aka cilantro. I was also short on time and needing to multitask so the short prep time and pot-one cooking was needed for my sanity.

Back when I was eating chicken with the exception of very crispy chicken wings (and only the wingette not the drumstick!), I only stuck to breast meat. I turned my nose up at dark meat despite never actually trying it. My husband finally urged me to try dark meat and I am so glad that I did. Everything I read about it was true. It was much more flavorful and moist than the breast and it’s also much cheaper to buy. So, sadly, it’s my own fault for not enjoying dark meat for many years before I had to stop it altogether, but on the other hand, it’s not something that I crave as I didn’t have the experience with it.

So while I can no longer enjoy this dish as written, you can! If you give it a try, please let me know how it went!

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Recipe Card

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Servings

4

Author

Corinne Minshall

Prep time

10 Min

Cook time

35 Min

Total time

45 Min

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Coriander Coconut Chicken and Rice

This great 1 pot meal is full of flavor that tastes as though it is slow-cooked for hours but is ready in 40 minutes.

Ingredients

• 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp olive oil, plus extra
• 1large onion, large dice
• 2 oz white wine
• 7 oz/ 200 grams basmati rice
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 5 oz/ 150 ml water
• 13.66 oz/ 400 ml can of coconut milk*
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped fine
• 3.5 oz/ 100 grams kale, chopped*
• 1 lime, zested and juiced, plus extra wedges to serve if desired
• salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Sprinkle the chicken thighs with the cumin and coriander on all sides and set them aside.
2. Heat a cast-iron skillet* with a tight-fitting lid on high heat with a splash of olive oil.
3. Place the thighs, skin side down into the hot skillet to brown, about 1-2 minutes before flipping and browning the other side for another 1-2 minutes. Remove thighs from skillet and set aside,
4. Reduce the heat to medium and add onions and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Saute for 5-6 minutes until the onions are golden.
5. Deglaze the pan with the wine, allowing it to cook down for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add the rice, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the water, stirring to combine. Arrange the thighs on top of the rice in a single level and pour the can of coconut milk over the entire contents. 
7. Bring the mixture to a brief boil and then reduce the heat to low to have a gentle simmer. Cover the skillet and cook for 25 minutes.
8. When the 25 minutes are up, increase the heat to medium and sprinkle the kale and fresh coriander on top of the contents of the pan and replace the lid. Cook for 3-5 minutes so the kale wilts but still retains its bright green color.
9. Remove from heat and add the lime juice and zest. Toss the entire contents of the pan to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Serve with extra lime wedges

* Notes (if you see an * please check here):

• Coconut milk can be either full fat or reduced fat depending on dietary needs.
• You can use any chopped, mild-tasting greens such as spinach
• You can use a heavy-bottomed skillet if you do not have cast iron.
• Make sure the internal temp of the chicken reaches 165℉

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