Thai Coconut Chicken: A Lighter DASH Recipe

This Thai coconut chicken brings red curry, ginger, and lime to a quick weeknight dinner. Chicken breasts simmer with two kinds of bell pepper in a creamy sauce. Then fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime finish the dish. It serves four over brown rice.

Why This Thai Coconut Chicken Fits the DASH Diet

The NHLBI’s DASH eating plan emphasizes vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. It includes poultry and vegetable oils, too. However, it limits saturated fat and tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil. It also limits sweets.

With that in mind, this version makes four changes. First, it uses light coconut milk instead of regular. It also halves the fish sauce, trims the sugar, and swaps white rice for brown.

Watch the Sodium in Thai Sauces

Fish sauce packs a lot of salt into a small amount. According to Oldways, 1 tablespoon has about 1,410 mg of sodium. The original recipe used 2 tablespoons for four servings.

This version uses 1 tablespoon and skips the added salt. That cuts the sodium from fish sauce in half, to roughly 350 mg per serving. Red curry paste adds more, so compare labels and choose a lower-sodium brand. For daily sodium, the AHA recommends no more than 2,300 mg a day. Its optimal goal is 1,500 mg for most adults.

Thai Coconut Chicken Recipe

Serves: 4

Allergens: contains fish (fish sauce) and coconut. Some curry pastes also contain shellfish, so check the label.

Ingredients

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: 4
Light coconut milk: 1 can (14 ounces)
Fish sauce: 1 tablespoon
Red curry paste: 2 tablespoons, lower-sodium if available
Fresh lime juice: 2 tablespoons
Vegetable oil: 1 tablespoon
Brown sugar: 2 teaspoons
Fresh ginger: 1 tablespoon, minced
Garlic: 2 cloves, minced
Red bell pepper: 1, sliced
Yellow bell pepper: 1, sliced
Small onion: 1, sliced
Fresh coriander (cilantro): 1 cup, chopped
Lime: 1, cut into wedges
Black pepper: to taste
Cooked brown rice: for serving

Directions

Season the chicken on both sides with black pepper.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side, then set it aside.
In the same skillet, cook the curry paste for about 1 minute. Next, add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more.
Stir in the coconut milk, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Add the bell peppers and onion. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Return the chicken to the pan and spoon the sauce over it. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in the coriander and lime juice, then cook 1 minute longer.
Finally, serve over brown rice with extra coriander and lime wedges.

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Before serving, check that the chicken is no longer pink inside.

Tips for Your Thai Coconut Chicken

Want more vegetables in your Thai coconut chicken? Add a handful of snap peas or spinach with the peppers.

Looking for another coconut dish? Try our Sri Lankan vegetable coconut curry. For a meatless dinner, try our lentil fritters with red cabbage slaw.

Working on your weight, too? Read about obesity and high blood pressure.

How to Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

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