Coconut Lime Chicken & Pasta

3 Comments

1. yellowjacquet October 15, 2021

   I absolutely love this meal, the sauce is rich without feeling too heavy and the flavors of the coconut, lime, and cilantro just go together so well.

   I like to take a few extra minutes to tenderize my chicken with baking soda for this one. This process results in chicken that is more tender and juicy which goes so well with the delicate sauce. You definitely don’t need to do that to end up with a great meal so feel free to skip that step if you’d like.

   I hope you guys enjoy this one! Can’t wait to hear what you think!

   # Ingredients

   * 1 large chicken breast
   * 8 oz thin spaghetti or similar
   * 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
   * ¼ cup fresh lime juice (juice of 1 large or 2 small limes)
   * 1 can lite coconut milk, unsweetened
   (~1 ½ cup)**
   * 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
   * 1 tsp chicken better than bouillon (or 1 chicken bouillon cube)
   * 2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
   * 1 tbsp cornstarch
   * 1 tsp baking soda, optional
   * Salt & Pepper

   ** Do not sub full fat coconut milk or the sauce will end up a different texture

   # Instructions

   1. Mix together the coconut milk, lime juice, chicken bouillon, corn starch, minced garlic, and ¼ tsp black pepper. Set aside.
   2. Fillet the chicken breast and pound the pieces to an even thickness. Optionally, tenderize the chicken with baking soda- dust the baking soda lightly over both sides of the fillets. Let sit for 15 minutes then rinse off all of the baking soda and pat dry with paper towels. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
   3. Begin boiling a large pot of salted water for the pasta as you prep other ingredients. Boil pasta per package instructions for al dente, then drain a set aside, keep covered. (I typically add the pasta to the water during step 5)
   4. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken until each side has some browning and chicken is cooked through or mostly cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a cutting board.
   5. Carefully wipe the skillet clean of excess oil, then add the coconut milk mixture. Once it’s boiling reduce heat to medium low, add the chicken back to the pan let simmer for ~5 minutes, occasionally spooning the sauce over the chicken. Remove the chicken back to the cutting board and ensure it’s cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest and continue to reduce the sauce until it’s thick enough that a spatula pushed through the sauce briefly leaves streaks in the pan, about 5 minutes.
   6. Once the sauce is ready, remove from heat and reserve about 2 tbsp (for topping the chicken). Toss the pasta in the remainder of the sauce. Plate the pasta and top with the chicken sliced into bite sized pieces. Top the chicken with the remaining sauce and garnish the whole dish with the cilantro.

   If you like my recipes please check out my Instagram [@CraftyCookbook](https://instagram.com/craftycookbook?igshid=et7z4gbq8uva). Support from fellow Redditors is making a huge difference for me there!

   If you make this dish I would love to hear your feedback on how it went in the comments! 🙂

   Reply
2. NotTeri October 15, 2021

   This looks good. You have a new IG follower

   Reply
3. ginnic10 October 15, 2021

   That looks delicious

   Reply