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This easy skillet chicken includes a creamy coconut lime sauce and earns rave reviews! It’s a quick entree that looks restaurant worthy. Serve over rice, potatoes, or roasted vegetables for a delicious meal in under 30 minutes.
Update: This recipe was originally published in 2018 and has been republished with all new photos.
A few weeks ago I bought a big bag of gorgeous limes and promptly forgot about them. Don’t you hate when that happens? They got stuck behind who knows what in the refrigerator and I never saw them. So the following week I bought another bag. It wasn’t small either. I ended up with a whole lot of limes just begging me to create something. Okay, limes, I hear you.
Luckily I’d had this recipe in mind for a while and, oh my goodness, it was amazing from the very first try. I made it a few times to get the sauce consistency just right. It is.
The sauce in this Skillet Creamy Lime Chicken is creamy, coconutty, and limey (I’m fairly sure that’s not an actual word.)
I know I use canned coconut milk in a lot of recipes and I often say “but it won’t taste like coconut”. Well that’s not the case for this recipe. It does taste like coconut (because we use a lot of the coconut milk) and it’s downright yummy.
Coconut Lime Chicken Ingredients
- Coconut, olive, or avocado oil: We’re sautéing the chicken breasts in a bit of oil. You can use whatever oil you like and you can even use butter! The key is to get the outside of the chicken gorgeously browned because nobody likes beige chicken.
- Chicken breasts: Skinless boneless chicken breasts are used in this easy chicken recipe but skinless boneless chicken thighs will work just as well.
- Minced garlic: You can mince your own garlic or use a jarred variety. I know people feel strongly about mincing your own but 9 times out of 10 I’m going with minced garlic from a jar because I’m a busy woman and there’s nothing wrong with that, friend.
- Lime juice: Lime juice adds a burst of tangy citrus to our sauce. I also like to garnish my finished dish with lime slices if I’m entertaining and want to really wow my guests.
- Canned coconut milk: You want unsweetened full fat (meaning it doesn’t say lite or low fat) canned coconut milk to create the sauce.
- Cilantro: Fresh chopped cilantro is the perfect finishing tough to this entree.
- Salt and pepper: Salt and pepper are the only seasonings you need for this simple dish.
How to Make Coconut Lime Chicken
To make this delectable recipe you’ll start with the chicken. If your chicken breasts are very thick I like to slice mine horizontally to create thin cutlets.
The key to any skillet chicken is to crank up the heat when you first add the chicken (seasoned with salt, garlic powder, and pepper) to the pan. That way you can get a really good browning on it. Plus when you get some good coloring on your chicken that means you’ll get yummy crispy bits of chicken in the pan to scrape up as you make the sauce. It always makes the flavor so much richer.
Once your chicken is browned, remove it from the skillet and set aside. Add in the sauce ingredients. Stir to combine. Place the chicken back in the skillet and let everything simmer until flavors have married and everything is warmed through.
That’s it! Guess what? This recipe is Whole30 compliant, gluten free, and dairy free. That’s right. I said it. It’s all of those things and it’s still super yummy! It’s basically kitchen sorcery. My specialty.
Now go whip up some for dinner tonight. Be sure to serve this over rice, potatoes, or veggies so you can take full advantage of that sauce.
But don’t just take my word for it, here’s what people who’ve made this recipe have to say on Instagram:
Made this for dinner tonight but forgot to snap a pic. Served over brown basmati rice and sautéed broccolini. It was so yummy and super easy! Definitely going in the regular rotation!
Just a tip. Double that sauce!!! It’s that good.
It’s so good! My anti-healthy-eating dad had seconds when I made it for him.
How to Serve Coconut Lime Chicken
This sauce is outrageously good so be sure to serve this chicken over something that can sop it all up! I love to serve the chicken and sauce over brown rice. Other delicious options include Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice, Light & Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Easy Seasoned Roasted Potatoes, Easy Diced Air Fryer Potatoes, or Skillet Breakfast Potatoes.
And now let’s talk sides! If you’re thinking of something green I recommend my Spicy Roasted Broccoli, Easy Roasted Broccoli, Garlic Green Beans, Simple Sautéed Cabbage, or Roasted Green Beans with Almonds.
Want to add more color to your plate? These Roasted Ranch Veggies will give you your vegetable fix and look so dang pretty. You’ll enjoy these Roasted Parsley Carrots and my Roasted Red Cabbage too.
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Coconut Lime Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 tablespoons olive, avocado, or coconut oil
- 4 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Coconut Lime Sauce
- ¼ cup chicken stock or broth
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1½ cups canned coconut milk, unsweetened and full fat (should not say lite or low fat)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ cup fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large skillet and heat on medium high heat.
- If your chicken breasts are really thick I recommend slicing them horizontally to create thin cutlets. This way they'll cook faster and more evenly.
- Add your chicken breasts to the hot pan. Add salt, garlic powder, and black pepper to the side facing up. 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 from the skillet and set aside on a plate. Lower heat to medium.
- Add chicken stock, lime juice, coconut milk (stir it in the can so that you don't have any separation), minced garlic, salt, and pepper to the skillet. You'll have a bit of coconut milk remaining in your can. Set it aside because we'll drizzle some of that on top after everything is finished. Stir your sauce, scraping up any browned bits remaining in the pan from when you cooked your chicken.
- Add the chicken breasts back to the skillet with the sauce. Cover. Let simmer on medium to medium low for 5 minutes. Taste and add more salt or pepper as desired.
- Right before serving use a spoon to scrape up some of the remaining coconut milk from the can and drizzle it over your chicken. Sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro. Serve with vegetables or potatoes to take full advantage of the yummy coconut lime sauce!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make this ALL THE TIME. It’s our fave meal. Guests always ask for the recipe. I add zucchini to mine.
This is truly the most delicious meal I’ve made in recent memory. Hands down. I cannot wait to make it again! Thank you!
Great Flavors! Will add to my favorites! I would reduce the sauce before putting the chicken back in, it took much longer to reduce the sauce and the chicken was over cooked.
I loved this! It has some of my favorite flavors and was easy to make. I only had lite coconut milk and it definitely needed full-fat as you said. BUT I still loved it even tho I had to thicken sauce with cornstarch. I’m adding it to my list for my Meal Train at church–for people in need. Thank you!
This recipe is OUTSTANDING! seriously, I love everything Christina comes up with, but this might be my new favorite. Seriously, just make it, you won’t regret it!
Thank you so much, Rachel!!