This Thai coconut chicken casserole is made with pieces of chicken, baked in one dish with Thai spices, rice and coconut milk. It’s mild enough for the entire family and packed with distinctive Thai flavours, but if you would like a bit more heat you can spice it up with extra chilli.
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One pan Thai coconut chicken
This recipe for Thai coconut chicken came about quite by accident. I was looking for something different to make for supper and came across a recipe for Thai coconut chicken, which had the most amazing photos and looked so appetising.
Unfortunately, on reading the recipe it turned out that the chicken was simply boiled in coconut milk with hardly any spices and the thin cooking liquid was simply poured over the pieces of cut-up chicken like a thin soup. Not my sort of food at all! But it does show how misleading food photography can actually be.
But it did give me the idea, and this Thai coconut chicken casserole is the result. It’s made with pieces of chicken nestled on a bed of rice which has been mixed with savoury fried onions. Then it’s covered in tasty coconut-flavoured stock and oven-baked until the chicken is tender and the rice is perfectly cooked.
This chicken is packed with flavour, thanks to being marinated in a combination of Thai spices. It is also fall-apart tender after being baked in the oven. But the best bit of all is that the chicken and rice are all baked in one dish, making this the easiest one-dish meal I’ve ever made.
And if you’ve never baked rice in the oven in coconut milk, then you are in for an absolute treat. The coconut milk turns the rice into creamy deliciousness, almost akin to risotto.
I normally serve this chicken casserole with Chinese garlic green beans, which I cook separately, but there’s absolutely nothing stopping you from nestling a handful of green beans and a few broccoli spears in amongst the chicken as it bakes.
I hope you agree with me that this Thai coconut chicken casserole makes the perfect easy family supper.
Let me show you how easy it is to make.
What you will need
Equipment
The main piece of equipment you will need is a casserole dish that you can use both on the hob and in the oven. I have a cast iron dutch oven which is perfect. The heavy lid keeps the steam in the casserole as it cooks, making sure the rice and chicken cook perfectly.
And I haven’t tried this myself yet, but there’s absolutely no reason why you couldn’t make this dish in a tagine instead.
If you don’t have either of these you can simply use a large casserole dish, covered tightly with tinfoil to keep the steam in.
Ingredients
This recipe will feed at least 4 people as a main. And any leftovers will make absolutely delicious chicken sandwiches for lunch the next day.
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this Thai coconut chicken casserole on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Chicken pieces – I used a small whole chicken which I cut up into pieces. If you prefer you can use ready-cut chicken drumstick or thighs, chicken breasts, or a mixture of cuts depending on your family’s preference. You will need at least two drumsticks or thighs, or one whole chicken breast per person.
Onions – these should be diced to approximately half an inch in size.
Stock – you can use either chicken or vegetable stock. Use a stock cube or stockpot to make it if you don’t have fresh stock.
Coconut milk – this gets mixed with the stock. You will need one cup of stock and one cup of coconut milk so if you use a 400-gram can of coconut milk you will have some left over. However, you can pour any leftovers into a sturdy plastic bag and freeze for another meal.
Jasmine rice – Jasmine rice has a delicate flavour that pairs well with Thai ingredients. If you can’t get it, then basmati rice makes a good substitute.
Fish sauce – this adds a savoury element to the dish and is often used in Thai cooking. It doesn’t smell too good when it comes out of the bottle, but don’t let that put you off. It doesn’t taste at all fishy when added to this dish.
Garlic and ginger – these should be finely minced. You can use fresh garlic and ginger if you prefer, or for convenience use ready-minced from a jar.
Lemongrass paste – to my mind this is an essential ingredient in any Thai dish. It adds sweet yet savoury notes, with a hint of citrus. I can rarely find lemongrass stalks in my local supermarkets so I tend to cook with bottled lemongrass paste.
Thai green chilli paste – I normally use the supermarket’s own brand as it is not too hot. You can use your own favourite brand. Depending on the heat of the brand of green chilli paste you use, you may like to add a few extra dried chilli flakes. I wanted a mild-flavoured dish so I didn’t add extra chilli.
Oil – this is used for softening the onions. Use sunflower oil or other neutral-flavoured oil if possible. Olive oil will not be suitable as the flavour is too strong.
Salt – for seasoning and to your own taste. I normally add a small amount of salt to the chicken marinade, and also to the stock in which the dish is cooked.
Extra vegetables
I served this dish with vegetables that I cooked separately. If you would like to make this a true one-pan meal, why not arrange some green beans and broccoli spears in the casserole dish with the chicken and rice before it goes into the oven?
What to do
In a nutshell, here are the steps for making this Thai coconut chicken casserole. The preparation only takes 10 minutes.
- Combine the marinade ingredients and rub it onto the chicken pieces.
- Saute the onions then stir in the rice and stock.
- Add the chicken pieces to the rice mixture.
- Optionally, arrange additional vegetables amongst the chicken pieces.
- Cover and oven-bake for 30 minutes.
And here are the details:
Combine the Thai chilli paste, ginger, garlic lemongrass paste, salt and fish sauce and rub it well into the chicken. Set the chicken aside for a few minutes while you prepare the onions and stock.
Heat the oil in a casserole dish and stir-fry the onions on moderate heat for 4 to 5 minutes until they start to turn translucent.
Stir in the rice, coconut milk and stock.
Nestle the chicken pieces into the dish.
Cover the casserole with a tightly-fitting lid and bake for 30 minutes (200C/400F) until all the liquid has been absorbed and the chicken is cooked through.
Turn the oven to grill/broil and replace the dish in the oven for 5 minutes until the chicken has browned. Do not put the dish too close to the grill or it will burn. Leave the dish in the middle of the oven.
You may optionally arrange green beans and broccoli florets in amongst the chicken before baking.
You may like to garnish the casserole with freshly chopped coriander before serving].
What to serve with Thai coconut chicken
Because this dish already contains starch in the form of rice, you will only need a side dish of vegetables. Obviously, if you have cooked your vegetables in the same dish you won’t need anything extra.
If you do need a side vegetable, the coconut chicken goes particularly well with these Chinese garlic grean beans, or you may like to serve it with a side of peas, or even a fresh green salad.
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Thai coconut chicken FAQ
The answer to this question is that it doesn’t really matter. I used a whole chicken that I cut up into pieces so that I got a mixture of white and dark meat.
I did remove the skin from the breast before cooking it, but you can leave the skin on if you prefer. It will crisp nicely once you put the dish under the grill.
If your family prefer dark meat then by all means use thighs (either on or off the bone) or drumsticks.
Because the dish is made with pieces of chicken they will all cook at the same time in the oven.
No, this isn’t necessary. The chicken pieces will brown under the grill once the dish has been cooked.
No, you should use raw rice in this dish – if you use cooked rice it will just turn mushy. I used Jasmine rice, but if you don’t have that you could use Basmati instead. The raw rice cooks perfectly in the oven. Just make sure that you have the ratio of rice and stock correct. You will need 2 cups of liquid (ie a mixture of coconut milk and stock) for each cup of raw rice.
Also, be sure that your casserole dish is properly covered – either with a tightly fitting lid or with a covering of tin foil that has been folded around the edges of your casserole dish to keep the steam in.
Leftover chicken can be used for sandwiches.
I would serve any leftover rice with either Thai fish parcels or Thai green chicken curry.
Leftover rice can be frozen in a suitable container for up to three months.
Save for later
If you would like to try this Thai coconut chicken casserole why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
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Other recipes
If you enjoyed this Thai coconut chicken casserole you might like to try some of my other chicken recipes:
- Cheese chicken and potato bake – leftover roast chicken and potatoes in a creamy cheesy sauce.
- Chicken Diane with brandy sauce – chicken and mushrooms in a creamy brandy-infused sauce.
- Granny’s homemade chicken and mushroom pie – an old-fashioned-style pie packed with chicken and mushrooms with pastry top and bottom.
- Creamy chicken marsala with mushrooms – tender chicken breasts, pan-fried in butter and smothered in a creamy marsala-flavoured sauce.
The recipe
Thai coconut chicken casserole
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Dutch oven or
Ingredients
- 8 pieces chicken a mixture of thighs, drumsticks or breasts to your own preference
- 1 cup / 200 grams uncooked jasmine rice
- 1 cup / 240 ml coconut milk
- 1 cup / 240 ml chicken stock use a stock cube if you don't have fresh stock
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- 3 tablespoons Thai green chilli paste
- 2 teaspoons lemongrass paste
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- ½ teaspoon salt for the chicken
- ½ teaspoon salt for stock
Instructions
- Combine the Thai chilli paste, ginger, garlic, lemongrass paste, fish sauce and salt, and rub it well into the chicken. Set the chicken aside for a few minutes while you prepare the onions and stock.8 pieces chicken, 2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon ginger paste, 3 tablespoons Thai green chilli paste, 2 teaspoons lemongrass paste, ½ teaspoon salt for the chicken, 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- Heat the oil in a casserole dish and stir-fry the onions on moderate heat for 4 to 5 minutes until they start to turn translucent.1 medium onion, 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- Stir in the rice, coconut milk, salt and stock.1 cup / 200 grams uncooked jasmine rice, 1 cup / 240 ml coconut milk, 1 cup / 240 ml chicken stock, ½ teaspoon salt for stock
- Nestle the chicken pieces into the dish.
- Cover the casserole with a tightly-fitting lid and bake for 30 minutes (200C/400F) until all the liquid has been absorbed and the chicken is cooked through.
- Turn the oven to grill/broil and replace the dish in the oven (without the lid) for 5 minutes until the chicken has browned. Do not put the dish too close to the grill or it will burn. Leave the dish in the middle of the oven.
- Serve hot, with your choice of vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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