In the quest to regularly bring you easy dinner recipes that are far from boring, let me introduce you to coconut lime chicken. It has a small number of ingredients, but the flavors of them marry perfectly in this one pan dinner. The flavors of this dinner make you vaguely feel like you are on a tropical island without leaving your kitchen, all in just 30 minutes!
Cutting Chicken Into Cutlets
Chicken cutlets are simply chicken breasts that have been cut into thin pieces and have many benefits in recipes. Chicken cutlets cook more quickly and evenly than whole chicken breasts, ensuring that each piece cooks through at the same rate. They are also more tender.
Season the chicken. Once you cut the chicken into cutlets, season both sides with salt and black pepper. Cook the chicken. Cook in a hot skillet with oil for five to six minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Once cooked, remove from the pan and tent with foil. Cook the garlic. Melt butter in the pan and add garlic, onion, and ginger. Sauté for about five minutes. Make the sauce. Add the coconut milk and lime juice, scraping up the browned bits. Bring to a low simmer, then stir in the cilantro. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper to taste. Put it all together and enjoy! Return the chicken to the pan with the drippings from the plate. Serve over rice.
You can also go to the butcher at your grocery store and ask for one pound of chicken cutlets.
To cut your chicken into cutlets, use a sharp knife and hold your hand on top of the chicken breast. Butterfly it open by slicing it horizontally through the thickest part of the breast and then opening it like a book. Continue cutting all the way through until you have two pieces.
Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is liquid that comes from grating the meaty flesh inside of a coconut. Unsweetened coconut adds great flavor to dishes. Be sure that what you buy is labeled coconut milk and not coconut cream. Coconut cream is similar but contains significantly more fat and some cases, quite a bit of added sweetener.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftover chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Store it separately from any rice that you made to go with the dish. Reheat in a small saucepan or the microwave on half power until heated through and serve with fresh or reheated rice. As with all recipes, use your best discretion when it comes to leftovers.
Buy pre-grated ginger: This option offers convenience for busy cooks and is usually the option my family goes with. Pre-grated ginger is readily available in jars or tubes at most grocery stores. It’s already peeled, grated, and ready to use. It is ideal for adding quick bursts of ginger flavor to recipes. Use fresh ginger root: The second option is to buy a piece of ginger root, peel off the outer skin with a spoon or vegetable peeler, then grate the desired amount using a fine grater or microplane into your dish. You can keep ginger in the freezer and grate it into recipes right from the freezer. This option tends to be cheaper.
Other Easy Dinner Recipes
Cajun Chicken Alfredo Hamburger Helper One Pot Pizza Casserole
If you try this one pan coconut lime chicken recipe or any of my other recipes, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!
