Chicken with Coconut Kale

Golden, juicy, thinly sliced pan-fried chicken swims in a creamy coconut-kale gravy-like situation with slips of shallot and a bit of heat. Super easy, minimal ingredients! The post Chicken with Coconut Kale appeared first on Pinch of Yum.

Chicken with Coconut Kale
Chicken in a coconut sauce with kale.

Watch How To Make This Recipe

Can I Have This For Dinner Every Night?

Lindsay Ostrom headshot.

Because I think I really could eat this for dinner every night.

Golden, juicy, thinly sliced pan-fried chicken swims in a creamy coconut-kale gravy-like situation with slips of shallot and a bit of heat. It’s like a cozy curry meets a show-stopping marry me chicken. Except it’s stupidly easy. That coconut kale sauce carries us with, like, 5 ingredients.

This is one of those all-in-one meals; the veg is there, the protein is there, the flavor is there! Make sure to give yourself an extra scoop or three of sauce on top some rice, because you know what? You deserve to feel good. And let all that luscious flavor absorb into the rice, and really just enjoy that moment.

Bowl of chicken with coconut kale and white rice.

I have been working my way through a shipment of Maesri yellow curry which I ordered on Amazon (affiliate link) – it’s premade, flavorful and concentrated, golden in color. It works perfectly here. That said, red curry paste is often easier to find and would be a less-golden but still-delicious substitute. And if you’re feeling the calling to stock your freezer with something great, then you should probably make this yellow curry paste which will make your house smell like the aromatics of heaven. It is an absolute gem to pull out of the freezer through the winter. I make a batch of it at least once every year.

My girls, bless their hearts, are not super into the coconut kale. Something about multiple cups of freshly shredded kale? It’s fine – I just leave out a few pieces of “plain chicken” for them and happily serve up a bit of extra coconut kale for myself in their honor.

I love chicken for this, but lately, I’ve been dreaming of a skillet of gently pan-fried shrimp swirled in this coconut kale sauce. It just feels right. It’s a choose-your-own adventure, and all paths end with you licking the last bits of sauce out of the pan.

Lindsay signature.

How To Make This Recipe

1

Cut Your Chicken.

This is optional, but I really love a thinly sliced piece of chicken. It’s easier to cook and it’s more enjoyable to eat. I thinly slice chicken breasts and season them right on the cutting board.

Sprinkling spice mix on raw chicken on a cutting board.

2

Cook That Chicken.

Pan fry for a few minutes on each side. Yummy.

Cooked spiced chicken in a sauté pan.

3

Make Your Sauce.

Shallots, curry paste, kale, and coconut milk. You’re basically there.

Pouring coconut milk into a pan of sautéed kale.

4

Pop The Chicken Back In.

Once the sauce is golden and thickened, get the chicken back in there.

Placing chicken in a pan with coconut milk and kale.

5

Yum! You’re Done!

Garnish and deliver this to the table to a chorus of oohs and ahhs. It’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

Cooked chicken in a pan with coconut sauce.

Print
Chicken in a coconut sauce in a pan.

Chicken with Coconut Kale


  • Author: Lindsay
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings

Description

Golden, juicy, thinly sliced pan-fried chicken swims in a creamy coconut-kale gravy-like situation with slips of shallot and a bit of heat. Super easy, minimal ingredients!


Ingredients

Units

Chicken

  • 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut or pounded into thin pieces
  • 23 tablespoons all-purpose chicken seasoning (I use the McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil (divided)

Coconut Kale

  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced
  • 23 cups finely shredded curly kale, stems removed (about 3-4 stalks)
  • 1 tablespoon yellow curry paste (see notes for subs)
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar

Optional, for serving:

  • rice
  • chili crisp or cilantro for garnish

Instructions

  1. Cook the Chicken: Coat the chicken with the spices. In a large nonstick pan, heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Set chicken aside.
  2. Start the Coconut Kale: If needed, wipe your pan out (see notes). In the same pan, add 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil if needed. Saute the shallots, kale, and yellow curry paste for 5 minutes until everything is aromatic and tender.
  3. Simmer the Coconut Kale: Add all other sauce ingredients; simmer for 5-10 minutes to thicken. When the sauce has thickened, tuck the chicken back in the sauce. Let it get gently bubbly and spoon the sauce over top.
  4. You’re Done! Yum! Sprinkle the whole thing with cilantro. Serve chicken with scoops of the sauce over rice! Finish with whatever toppings you like – for me it’s chili crisp!

Notes

For the chicken seasoning, you’ll want to use something that uses spices like paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and/or salt. If you’re working without a spice mix, I would recommend the spices in our Air Fryer Chicken! The chicken spices play a big part of both the flavor of the dish and the caramelization / browning of the chicken. For example, if you choose a chicken seasoning that contains sugar, then the overall dish will be sweeter and you’ll notice more browned bits getting stuck to the bottom of the pan. 

For the chicken, you want to cook it to 165 degrees internal temperature – I use this meat thermometer all the time and I love it. This one that’s more affordable is also great. (affiliate links)

I’ve been using a ceramic nonstick for this recipe (Nordic Ware Basalt Skilletaffiliate link) and it has amazing release properties so I rarely need to wipe the pan out! That said, if you’re using an older nonstick or a different type of pan that’s holding onto a lot of brown or burnt bits from the chicken, wipe the pan out before you start the sauce. This helps the sauce stay light and golden colored. It is really pan-dependent – for my Nordic Ware nonstick I don’t need to do this at all, but others require a quick wipe down to avoid too much brown in the sauce.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Thai-Inspired

Keywords: coconut chicken, coconut sauce, easy dinner, easy chicken dinner

Frequently Asked Questions / Things To Know

Can you use red curry paste?

Yes! The color will be different but the flavor will be great. If you’re using a more mainstream brand like Thai Kitchen, you may want to use 2 tablespoons instead of 1 tablespoon to make sure you get enough flavor. I use Maesri which is pretty potent so I find that 1 tablespoon is enough.

Can I use curry powder instead of curry paste?

You can, but it won’t be nearly as potent (read: yummy). If that’s all you have, I would help it out with some sriracha or chili crisp, or turmeric, or roasted red chile paste, or anything else you have to add some flavor depth and dimension.

Can I use light coconut milk?

Yes, but the sauce won’t thicken quite as well. You could always thicken it with a cornstarch slurry if having a low fat content is important to you!

Do you have to wipe out the pan?

No, you don’t have to. If the pan just has some light nice browning left in it, leave it alone! But if it looks like this after cooking the chicken, then yes, I would wipe it out to avoid the sauce turning a dark brown color.
Browned bits in a pan after frying chicken. Text says "If your pan looks like this, wipe it out!"

What other proteins can you use besides chicken?

Shrimp would be great. I’ve been dying to try it. I also feel like this sauce would be A+ with meatballs or chickpeas (very similar to Steph’s Chickpea Curry)!

Do you have to use kale?

No! I happen to have a lot of it in my otherwise very struggling garden right now, which is why I have been using it (plus, it’s a nice hefty green that wilts really pleasantly into the sauce). Other great options: spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, basically anything you’d put in a curry.

Can I use onions instead of a shallot?

Yes. I like shallots a lot. But a thinly sliced onion will do the trick!

More Easy Dinners with Coconut Milk

The post Chicken with Coconut Kale appeared first on Pinch of Yum.

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