Coconut Chicken with Rice and Green Beans – Have your protein, carbs, and veggies all cooked together with rich coconut milk and a hint of spice. Minimal effort, only 1 pot to clean, and a dinner your family will be requesting week after week.
It’s time for my favorite type of dinner- everything made in one pot! This recipe is simple, made with fresh ingredients to create a super flavorful meal. Rich with coconut cream, a little bit spicy, and so aromatic. You’ll be sitting beside your oven counting down the seconds until you can taste those incredible smells.
If you’re a loyal reader, I’m sure you know by now how much I love a good one-pot meal. I even wrote a book of them! It’s been a little while since I offered one up, so now was the time. We have a classic chicken and rice dinner made really special with a few simple ingredients.
Ingredients
Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for a list of FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!
- Olive oil – Sunflower, canola, avocado, or safflower oils will work instead.
- Chicken thighs – Boneless and skinless. Breasts will work too.
- Salt & pepper – Season to taste.
- Onion – Any type.
- Ginger & garlic – Freshly minced.
- Cumin – You can adjust the amount if you’d like.
- Gochujang – Korean hot pepper paste. You can use hot sauce instead or skip it completely if you don’t like the heat.
- Fish sauce – Use less or none at all if you don’t like fish sauce.
- Rice – Long grain white rice such as basmati or Thai jasmine.
- Coconut milk – Also known as coconut cream, the canned type. Not the coconut milk from a carton.
- Water – Or stock.
- Green beans – Fresh or frozen.
- Cilantro – Freshly chopped.
How to make coconut chicken with rice and green beans
- Prep chicken – Preheat the oven to 350F. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large braiser over medium-high heat and sear the chicken on both sides until browned. Transfer them to a plate.
- Prep rice – Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until softened, then stir in the ginger, garlic, cumin, and gochujang. Cook for 1 minute. Add the rice and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, water, fish sauce, 1 tsp salt, and bring to a boil.
- Cook – Add the green beans and chicken to the braiser. Cover with a lid and transfer it to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through and tender. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
What else can I add?
I kept this nice and basic with chicken and green beans. There are lots of great ingredients you can add! Not only to bulk up the dish a bit, but to use up some ingredients in your pantry or fridge.
- Broccoli/ cauliflower
- Zucchini
- Bell peppers
- Carrots
- Spinach/ kale
- Peas/ snow peas
- Corn/ baby corn
- Beans/ chickpeas, rinsed and drained
What if I don’t have a braiser?
I love using a braiser for these one pot recipes. There is lots of surface area to allow the chicken to poke through so it doesn’t just sink down to the bottom. If you don’t have a braiser like this, you can still make this recipe in a pot with a well fitting lid. I suggest using an enamelled dutch oven to avoid having rice stick to the bottom of the pot.
You can also use a skillet covered well with foil to keep as much steam in with the rice as possible. If you use this method, you may need to add a bit more water to make up for lost steam.
How to store leftovers
You can keep leftovers in the pot with the lid, or transfer them to an airtight container. They will last 3-4 days refrigerated. Reheat either in the microwave, or you can reheat covered in the oven at 400F for 7-10 minutes.
You can also freeze your leftovers. Make sure the dish is fully cooled down to room temperature before freezing. Leftover coconut chicken with rice will last 3-4 months frozen. You can also prep this meal ahead of time. Cover the braiser with plastic wrap, then secure the lid. Let it thaw in the fridge for a full day before transferring to the oven to reheat.
Looking for more one-pot meals? Try these:
- Greek Chicken Orzo
- Harissa Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
- Spanish Chicken and Rice
- Chicken and Peas Fettuccine Alfredo
- Creamy Chicken with Mushroom and Leek Rice
- No Peek Chicken Rice Casserole
- Chicken Sausage and Rice Enchilada
- Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes
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Coconut Chicken With Rice and Green Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 lb chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ¼ tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp cumin ground
- 1 tsp Gochujang (hot pepper paste)
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 ½ cups long grain rice such as basmati or jasmine
- 14 oz coconut milk
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- ½ lb green beans end trimmed and cut in half
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F°.
- Pat dry the chicken thighs with paper towels then season them with the 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
- In a large pan (I used my braiser, see link under equipment) heat the olive oil over medium-high heat, add the thighs and sear them on both sides until browned. They will not be cooked through. Transfer them to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium and in the same pan add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin and Gochujang paste and stir everything together, scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 more minute.
- Stir in the rice and cook for 2 minutes, to toast the rice a bit, then add the coconut milk, water, fish sauce, 1 tsp salt and stir everything together. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in the green beans, then return the chicken back to the pot. Cover with a lid.
- Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked through and the liquid absorbed.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Recipe Notes
- Leftovers: You can keep leftovers in the pot with the lid, or transfer them to an airtight container. They will last 3-4 days refrigerated. Reheat either in the microwave, or you can reheat covered in the oven at 400F for 7-10 minutes.
- Freezing: Make sure the dish is fully cooled down to room temperature before freezing. Leftovers will last 3-4 months frozen. You can also prep this meal ahead of time. Cover the braiser with plastic wrap, then secure the lid. Let it thaw in the fridge for a full day before transferring to the oven to reheat.
