Skip to main content

Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken Thighs

4.5

(4)

Coconut grilled chicken thighs with cilantro recipe
Photo by Chelsie Craig, food styling by Kat Boytsova

Welcome to your newest go-to summer marinade, featuring some spicy sambal, brown sugar and coconut milk to balance out the heat, and lots of fresh ginger and lime juice. This one’s just as awesome with shrimp or flank or skirt steak as it is with chicken thighs.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

1 3" piece fresh ginger
5 garlic cloves
¾ cup coconut milk
¼ cup hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus more for grill
2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs
½ cup cilantro leaves with tender stems
Lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare a grill for medium heat. Finely grate ginger and garlic into a medium bowl. Add coconut milk, chili paste, lime juice, brown sugar, salt, and 2 Tbsp. oil and whisk to combine. Add chicken and toss to coat. Let sit at least 15 minutes or up to 4 hours.

    Step 2

    Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip back into bowl, and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Pour marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2–3 minutes.

    Step 3

    Clean and generously oil grate of grill (if there are a few flare-ups while you do so, not to worry, they will burn off). Grill chicken, turning once and basting occasionally with marinade, until you see some good grill marks and chicken is cooked through, 8–10 minutes.

    Step 4

    Transfer chicken to a platter. Brush with remaining marinade. Top with cilantro and serve with lime wedges alongside.

Read More
These crispy cutlets feature a coconut-breadcrumb coating and sriracha mayo. Pair with a bright cuke salad to turn into a meal.
This riff on the Laotian classic comes together in 20 minutes.
An easy technique that results in juicy, tender roast chicken. Cooking two chickens at once is the secret to easy meals throughout the week.
Bone-in, skin-on chicken legs glossed in a sticky honey mustard glaze strike the perfect balance of tangy, sweet, and delightfully savory.
Chicken thighs cooked inside parchment packets alongside onions and oranges makes for a flavorful dinner that’s almost entirely hands off.
This weeknight-friendly chicken dinner—made with pomegranate molasses and a toasted walnut relish—is inspired by the flavors of Persian fesenjan.
Lacking an actual tandoor, the air fryer might be the best way to make chicken tikka. Juicy, charred, and well-spiced, it’s your new weeknight MVP.
This fast stir-fry dish pairs minced pork and fragrant basil with hot Thai chiles and a crispy fried egg.