Description

This Easy Coconut Lime Chicken Skillet is a flavorful, family-friendly dinner that combines tender chicken cutlets with a creamy coconut lime sauce infused with garlic, ginger, and fragrant spices. Perfect for Whole30, paleo, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets, this one-pan meal is simple to prepare and packed with bright, savory flavors.

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken and Seasoning

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise to have 4 flatter cutlets
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional: 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for garnish

Sauté Base

½ yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger

Sauce

¼ cup chicken broth
1.5 cups canned full-fat coconut cream
¼ cup lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon coriander
¼ cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

Instructions

Heat olive oil: Warm olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes to prepare for searing the chicken.
Cook chicken cutlets: Season chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then place them in the skillet, cooking undisturbed for 4 minutes on one side until golden brown. Flip and cook for another 4 minutes. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and set aside.
Sauté aromatics: In the same skillet, add diced onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Sauté until the onion is browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes, scraping any flavorful browned bits into the mixture.
Deglaze skillet: Pour in chicken broth and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the skillet to incorporate all the flavors into the sauce base.
Make coconut lime sauce: Stir in coconut cream, lime juice, dried basil, and coriander, mixing well with the browned bits to form a creamy, aromatic sauce.
Simmer sauce: Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, reduce the heat, and let it simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, allowing it to thicken.
Finish cooking chicken: Stir in chopped cilantro and red pepper flakes if using. Nestle the chicken cutlets back into the sauce, cover the skillet, and simmer an additional 5 minutes to ensure chicken is fully cooked and flavors meld.
Serve: Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve the coconut lime chicken hot over rice or vegetables, garnished with extra cilantro, red pepper flakes, and lime wedges.

Notes

This recipe works best with full-fat canned coconut cream for a rich and creamy sauce.
You can adjust the heat with red pepper flakes according to your preference or omit them for a milder dish.
If you don’t have chicken broth on hand, vegetable broth can be a substitute to keep it dairy-free and flavorful.
Serve over cauliflower rice for a low-carb or Whole30 compliant meal.
For even cooking, slicing the chicken breasts lengthwise into thin cutlets ensures quick and tender results.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Category: Dinner
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Coconut lime chicken, gluten-free dinner, paleo chicken recipe, Whole30 chicken skillet, dairy-free chicken, easy skillet chicken, coconut cream sauce