Chicken thighs marinated in coconut milk, lime juice, and fish sauce give this one-skillet meal plenty of umami. Lining the skillet with cabbage wedges allows them to catch every drop of the rich juices as they become melt-in-your-mouth tender. While the chicken roasts, there is plenty of time to make fragrant rice with the leftover coconut milk and slices of ginger. This dish was inspired by the rotisserie chicken from the now closed Uncle Boon’s, one of my favorite restaurants in New York. They had it on rotating spits with heads of cabbage to catch all the juices. This at home version with thighs is a more approachable way to highlight all those good flavors. —Diana Yen
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What you’ll need
Cast Iron Skillet
$30 At Amazon
Brush
$6 At Amazon
Medium Saucepan
$50 $40 At Amazon
Microplane
$17 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk lime zest and juice, grated ginger, garlic, coconut palm sugar, fish sauce, ½ cup coconut milk, 2 Tbsp. oil, 2 tsp. pepper in a large bowl to combine. Set ¼ cup marinade aside for serving. Place chicken in remaining marinade and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours.
Step 2
Preheat oven to 400°. Generously brush cabbage wedges on both sides with oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange, a cut side down, in a medium cast-iron skillet. Remove chicken from marinade and set, skin side up, on top of cabbage; season with salt and pepper. Roast 35 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 450° and continue to roast, rotating pan halfway through, until chicken thighs are browned and crispy, 5–7 minutes more.
Step 3
Meanwhile, bring rice, ginger slices, remaining 1 cup coconut milk, remaining ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed, 15–20 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Fish out and discard ginger slices. Re-cover pan and let rice sit until ready to serve.
Step 4
Arrange chicken on a platter; drizzle with reserved marinade and top with cilantro leaves. Serve with coconut rice and lime wedges for squeezing over.
