This roasted chicken is cooked in coconut milk. At first, it doesn’t sound good at all. But don’t be fooled- it’s delicious! We scarfed it down so quickly! The chicken has a very aromatic, balanced flavor that is both subtle and complex. You will just be able to detect all of the ingredients you add to this chicken, and I know you will like it.
To make this chicken, preheat your oven to 375°F with your pot inside the oven. You will see why this step is important in just a little bit. Then, take a Kosher chicken (for salt content reasons) and separate the skin of the breasts from the meat with your fingers or a small paring knife. You want to create a pocket to stuff with flavorful ingredients. Layer in some thin slices of lemon and sage leaves. You can cut pockets into the thighs and stuff those with lemon and sage too. Also put half a lemon into the chicken’s cavity.
When your puppy gives the chicken a face like this, screaming, “Get in my mouth,” you know you’re doing something right!
A face like this will also do 🙂
Once the oven and pot are preheated, take the pot out of the oven. Carefully place the chicken inside of the hot pot with the breasts facing up. The dark meat on the bottom of the chicken takes longer to cook, so putting it down on the hot surface gives it a head start before the chicken even gets into the oven. Then, pour a can of coconut milk over the chicken. Drop in a quartered lemon, 4 or 5 cloves of smashed garlic, and some ripped up bunches of cilantro and sage. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top of the chicken.
Bake the chicken for about an hour depending on its size. My 4.5 pound chicken took an hour and a half to cook. Baste the chicken with the coconut milk every 20 minutes or so. See the caramelized drips on my chicken leg? That’s from the basting! Your chicken is done when it is golden brown, a meat thermometer stuck into the thigh reads around 165°F, the chicken legs move easily in their joints, and the juices inside the cavity come out clear when you tip the chicken. Let the chicken rest for a few minutes and then carve it. Serve your chicken over brown rice with the roasted garlic cloves and lemon segments to squeeze over the chicken. Sprinkle a healthy dose of cilantro over everything and enjoy!
This recipe was inspired by Apartment Therapy.
Shopping list:
- Kosher chicken- 1
- Lemon- 3
- Sage
- Cilantro
- Coconut milk- 1 can (14.5 ounces)
- Cinnamon- 2 tablespoons
- Garlic- 5 cloves
What is the dark powdery spice you put on the chicken?
Oops just saw the cinnamon in the instructions
I made this but there was no salt in the recipe and I felt like it needed some salt Other than that, it was delicious!!
I usually use a Kosher chicken, which has a lot of salt, so that probably accounts for the difference.
Is the cinnamon a subtle flavor or is it quite potent?
All of the flavors in this recipe are well balanced. The cinnamon is definitely detectable, but I don’t find it to be overpowering.