Chicken in Coconut Cream Sauce

This chicken in coconut cream sauce recipe is the perfect weeknight or lazy weekend dinner. This isn’t your ordinary pan chicken. It features tender chicken breast sautéed with fragrant garlic and shallots, simmered in a rich coconut cream sauce with sliced mushrooms and fresh herbs.  It’s a delicious restaurant-quality 30-minute meal made in the comfort of your own home! 

Why you’ll love this recipe

If you’re looking for a hearty, flavorful chicken dish with straightforward ingredients and BIG flavor, this chicken in coconut cream sauce checks off every box. This delicious dish features crisp and tender pan-fried chicken simmered in a creamy coconut sauce with mushrooms, all made in just one pan. My family loves this recipe, and yours will too!

I enjoy making one-pot meals, especially on busy weeknights when there never seems to be enough time for anything extra, especially cleaning extra pots! It’s the perfect weeknight meal for busy households looking to serve a delicious meal but short on time. Who wants the burden of cleaning unnecessary pots after dinner anyway?

If you are looking for more delicious one-pot meals, try my chili mac, lasagna soup, and skillet shrimp pasta recipes.

CHICKEN INGREDIENTS

Jump to the bottom of the recipe card below this post for full ingredient measurements and instructions.

• Chicken  – 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Shallots  – can be substituted with 1/4 cup of minced red onion
• Mushrooms  – button, cremini, portobello… any mushrooms will work
• Coconut milk   – full fat coconut milk
• Garlic – 3 cloves or more if you want!
• Chicken stock – can be substituted with vegetable stock
• Spices & Seasoning – garlic powder, onion powder, and fresh parsley

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

Prep the chicken: Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the flour in a large bowl, then dredge the chicken in the flour. Shake off any excess.

Pan fry the chicken: In a large skillet on medium-high heat, add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Add 2 pieces of the chicken to the pan and cook until brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked chicken to a large plate and set aside.

Sauté the vegetables: Return the pan to medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of butter and 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan. Add the minced shallot, mushrooms, the garlic, and onion powder. Lightly season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 30 seconds.

Add the remaining ingredients: Add the broth, then increase the heat to medium-high again and cook until the broth is slightly reduced. To the pan, add the coconut milk, then the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened. Once the sauce has thickened, swirl in the remaining butter and finish with parsley.

PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE

1. Don’t overcook the chicken. Overcooking the chicken will cause it to become tough, dry, and chewy. To avoid this, chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F before done.
2. Replace the butter. Replace the butter in this recipe with alternatives like Margarine, Plant-based butter, coconut oil, or omit it completely from the recipe. I have made this recipe many times without butter, and it is still absolutely delicious.
3. The mushrooms. Try this recipe with mushroom varieties like White Button, Crimini, Portabella, Shiitake, or Oyster mushrooms.

Chicken in Coconut Cream Sauce

Recipe by Jamie Tryon

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: MainCuisine: American

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

35

minutes

Jazz up your next weeknight meal with this chicken in coconut cream sauce recipe featuring tender chicken breast sautéed with fragrant garlic and shallots, simmered in a rich coconut cream sauce with sliced mushrooms and fresh herbs.

Cook Mode

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Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut in half and pounded thin)

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk

• 3/4 cup chicken broth

• 1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 5 Tbsp olive oil

• 3 Tbsp butter

• 1 shallot, minced

• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• salt and pepper to taste

• 1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Directions

• Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the flour in a large bowl, then dredge the chicken in the flour. Shake off any excess.
• In a large skillet on medium-high heat, add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Add 2 pieces of the chicken to the pan and cook until brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked chicken to a large plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Add the remaining oil to the skillet and cook the remaining chicken. Transfer the remaining chicken to the plate with the foil.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add 1 Tbsp of butter and 1 Tbsp of olive oil to the pan. Add the minced shallot, mushrooms, the garlic, and onion powder. Lightly season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 30 seconds or until you can smell the garlic.
• Add the broth, then increase the heat to medium-high again and cook until the broth is slightly reduced, about 5 to 6 minutes, scraping any browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
• Add the coconut milk to the pan, followed by the chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened.
• Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter to the pan and swirl around in the sauce. Adjust the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle in the chopped parsley to finish.

Notes

• If you do not want to use butter, sub it with Margarine, Plant-based butter, coconut oil, or omit it completely from the recipe.
• Chicken must reach an internal temperature of 165°F before done.

Did you make this recipe?

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While I have you here… may I suggest a few for you to try next:

• Easy Taco Casserole
• The Best Restaurant-Style Homemade Salsa Recipe
• The Best Queso Dip Recipe – How To Make Queso Blanco The Texan Way

Until next time. Keep following and commenting. Join me on Youtube next week where I will be cooking up another recipe and maybe telling a few of my terrible jokes! Yes, that’s right.