Thai Coconut Grilled Chicken

Thai Coconut Grilled Chicken has a simple marinade of coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, fresh lime, and dried seasonings. This grilled chicken has the best flavor and it's basically fool-proof, which means you won't end up with dry chicken! It's an easy dump & go marinade that refrigerates all day, and then it's ready to throw on the grill at dinnertime. 

I serve this Thai Coconut Grilled Chicken alongside my Coconut Rice for a delicious, summertime dinner. 

Thai Coconut Grilled Chicken Recipe

At my house we love anything that calls for a combination of coconut milk + curry + fresh lime. Some of our other favorites is this Easy Chicken Curry and my Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken. This Thai coconut grilled chicken makes an appearance at least weekly on my dinner table. You will love how moist, flavorful, and easy this recipe is to make. 

I love marinating chicken breast and then grilling it up at dinner. So quick & easy, and the chicken gets maximum flavor infused into it with the marinade time. It basically guarantees a no-fail recipe, which means you won't end up with dry chicken. 

Ingredients Needed

Here are the ingredients that you will need to make this Thai coconut marinade for chicken at home. 

• Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast - The recipe calls for 4 chicken breasts. My family does not love thick chicken, so I cut each chicken breast in half, horizontally, so I am left with 8 thinner pieces of chicken. The chicken also cooks much faster when they're thinner pieces. 
• Coconut Milk - This is canned coconut milk that you will find by the other Asian inspired ingredients like soy sauce. It is not the cold dairy-free type milk. 
• Light Brown Sugar
• Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
• Curry Powder
• Cumin
• Coriander
• Kosher Salt + Black Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Limes - You need the fresh lime juice and the zest from the lime. Be sure and zest the lime first before cutting it in half to juice it. 

How To Make Marinated Thai Coconut Chicken

Learn how to make this easy recipe for Thai Coconut Grilled Chicken with these easy steps. Be sure to read to the bottom of the post where there is a recipe card with the ingredients and detailed instructions to help you recreate this recipe in your own kitchen. 

Marinade : Using a gallon size Ziploc bag (or a container with a lid works too), lay the chicken breasts into the bottom of the bag. Add the remaining ingredients. Make sure the bag is zipped tightly and shake the bag, using your fingers and hands to mix up the marinade and coat the chicken inside the bag. 

Fridge : Let the marinated chicken refrigerate for at least 8 hours. 

Grill : Using tongs, take the chicken out of the marinade (discard the marinade) and grill the chicken until it reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F. 

Tips For Success

Here are a few of my tips that will hopefully make this recipe a hit with your own family. 

• Fresh Limes : For best taste, zest and juice a fresh lime rather than using bottled lime juice.
• Reserve Some Marinade : Before adding the raw chicken breasts, reserve some of the marinade and use it to brush it over the chicken as it is on the grill. Just make sure that if you do this, you reserve the marinade before the raw chicken has been in it. 
• Marinate : Plan ahead and make sure that the chicken marinated for at least 8 hours. Overnight is great too. The longer, the better when it comes to marinating chicken. 
• Chicken Tip : My family does not like really thick chicken pieces so I always cut the chicken breasts in half, horizontally, so I end up with 8 smaller pieces of chicken. They also cook faster this way too. And if you're wanting to serve more than 4 people, cutting the chicken in half is a great way to get some extra servings in there. 

Thai Coconut Chicken FAQ's

• How To Store Leftover Grilled Chicken
  • Leftovers of this grilled chicken can be stored in the fridge, in an air-tight container, for up to 3 days. 
  • Reheat leftovers in the microwave or add the cold leftover chicken to any salad. 
• Can I Make This Ahead of Time?
  • Yes! This recipe calls for at least 8 hours of fridge time so the chicken can get infused with tons of flavor. You can even make it the day before and let it refrigerate overnight.
  • I do not recommend making it more than 24 hours in advance.  
• Serving Suggestions
  • I always serve Thai Coconut Grilled Chicken with some Coconut Rice (Rice Cooker) or this Cilantro Lime Rice. This chicken is so moist that you really don't need a sauce for it. 
  • You can also serve it with some sides like fresh fruit, or try serving it with a pasta salad, or a green salad loaded with all the fresh veggies. 
• Variation & Substitution Ideas
  • Lighten It Up : Although I recommend using the full-fat coconut milk, you can use lite coconut milk if wanted. You can also use a brown sugar substitute as well. You don't want to leave the sweetener out entirely, but there are lots of substitutes that can be used instead. 
  • Chicken : If you prefer chicken thighs then feel free to use those instead. Chicken thighs usually have to cook for longer so just check the temperature and make sure they are up to temperature before removing them from the grill. 

More Grilled Dinner Recipes You'll Love

• Honey Lime & Cilantro Marinated Grilled Chicken
• Balsamic Chicken Marinade
• Awesome Sauce Chicken
• Bacon Ranch Chicken Kabobs
• Grilled Philly Cheesesteak Kabobs
• Lemon Pepper Chicken