Roast coconut chicken Recipe

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Spring wouldn’t be the same without a roast this coconut chicken recipe is full of Asian flavours

Coconut Chicken
(Image credit: Future)
Serves6
Preparation Time15 mins
Cooking Time1 hours 20 mins
Total Time1 hours 35 mins plus resting
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories340 Kcal17%
Saturated Fat11 g55%
Fat18 g26%
Carbohydrates9 g3%

Roast chicken doesn't have to be boring. Jazz yours up with this delicious coconut chicken recipe. Cooked with indulgent coconut cream, and pops of flavor in the form of chilli and lemongrass, it feels like a real taste sensation. 

This roast coconut chicken is a great dinner option for when the weather heats up, as it would be complemented excellently with a fresh spring salad. 

If you're popping this on your meal-plan for the week, we recommend using free-range chickens. Not only does it mean the chicken has been given a better life but the meat tastes better, too.

Method

  1. Preheat an oven to 210C, gas 7. In a deep roasting tray add the red onions and place the chicken on top, stuff the inside of the chicken with half of the coriander, the sliced chilli, the lemongrass and the garlic cloves.
  2. Shake the cans of coconut cream, open and pour over the top of the chicken. Massage the cream all over the chicken. Wash your hands and season the chicken with salt and pepper.
  3. Place the chicken in the oven. After 20 mins, baste the chicken generously with the juices that are forming at the bottom of the tray. Cook the chicken for another 40 mins and then baste again. Return to the oven for another 20 mins. Remove the chicken from the oven and check that the juices are running clear from where the thigh joins the breast. If it needs longer reduce the temperature of the oven to 160C, Gas 2, baste again and cook until the juices run clear. If you need to cover the breasts of the chicken to stop the skin from burning then do so with a piece of foil.
  4. Once cooked, leave the chicken to rest for 15-20 mins covered with foil. Serve with wedges of lime.

Ingredients

  • 2 red onions, peeled, halved and cut into wedges
  • 1 whole chicken (approx 1.5kg)
  • 2 x 160ml tins of coconut cream
  • 1 bunch of coriander
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 red chillies, sliced 
  • 2 sticks lemongrass, halved lengthways and bashed
  • 3 limes, cut into wedges

What would go well with this coconut chicken recipe?

This coconut roast chicken is made even more wonderful when served up with some healthy green veg. Tenderstem broccoli or steamed spring greens are particularly good. 

Equally, if you're looking for something to do with the leftovers the next day, this roast coconut chicken could work brilliantly cold with some rice and salad, for a yummy lunch. 

How do you keep a roasted chicken from drying out?

It's worth making some adjustments to your chicken whilst cooking to prevent it drying out. As suggested in our above recipe, you can place foil over the chicken in the last few minutes of cooking, which will prevent it from becoming too dry while it cooks.

And, if you want to eat this recipe in the days after cooking it, it can be a good idea carve all of the meat off of the bone and keep it tightly wrapped up in tin-foil in the fridge, to help it maintain its freshness, and keep it from drying out.

Samuel Goldsmith

Samuel has a BSc in Food from the University of Birmingham and nearly 16 years after he began his professional food career, his work has featured in national and international publications including Waitrose Food, Australian Delicious, and the LAD Bible Group. 


He was also a nutritional consultant for BBC’s Eat Well for Less. Throughout his career he has specialised in recipe writing and has produced many recipes for woman&home. Samuel is also Co-Vice Chair of the Guild of Food Writers and a Trustee of 91 Ways CIC.