One-Pan Chicken Thighs With Coconut Creamed Corn

By Ali Slagle

Published June 4, 2020

One-Pan Chicken Thighs With Coconut Creamed Corn
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
35 minutes
Rating
4(2,343)
Comments
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If it’s possible to upstage crispy-skinned chicken thighs, the coconut creamed corn in this dish comes close. The sweetness of caramelized corn and coconut milk is balanced by the brightness of the ginger, chile, scallions and lime. As the corn simmers, the browned chicken thighs finish cooking right on top, so the flavors meld and deepen. It’s a complete summery meal in one skillet, although you can make it anytime. Just use frozen corn. Garnish it with cilantro, chives, fried shallots or coconut flakes, and serve it with a green side. If you feel like it, you could use shrimp instead of chicken. (Use this recipe as a guide.)

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (4 to 6 pieces)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 5cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (from about 7 ears)
  • 3scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
  • 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated or chopped
  • 3garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated or chopped
  • 1serrano chile or chipotle in adobo, finely chopped, or ½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • 1(15-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1lime, cut into wedges
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

691 calories; 46 grams fat; 26 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 27 grams protein; 995 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pat the chicken dry, and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil in a large (12-inch) skillet. Add the thighs, skin-side down, and set over medium heat. (It’s OK if they’re slightly squeezed in the skillet; as the fat renders, they’ll shrink.) Cook, undisturbed, until the skin is deep golden brown, and the thighs release easily from the pan, about 15 minutes. (If your stove is getting splattered with oil, cover the skillet.) Transfer the chicken, skin-side up, to a plate. Reserve the skillet and fat.

  2. Step 2

    Increase the heat to high, add the corn, scallion whites, ginger, garlic and serrano. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the corn starts to brown in spots, 2 to 3 minutes, adding an extra minute or two if using frozen corn.

  3. Step 3

    Reduce heat to medium, add the coconut milk, scrape up any browned bits from the pan and season with salt and pepper. Put the chicken on top of the corn mixture, skin-side up. Simmer until the coconut milk is slightly thickened and the chicken is cooked through, 7 to 10 minutes. (If your corn has reduced too much before your chicken is done cooking, just add a few tablespoons of water or chicken stock.)

  4. Step 4

    Serve with a squeeze of lime and reserved scallion greens on top.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,343 user ratings
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Comments

Kluski

I happen to have a piece of ginger that is the size and dimension of my hand. Two inches of this piece would easily yield four times the amount of ginger one would want in this recipe. I am an experienced enough cook to figure out a suitable amount, but maybe others are not. Could food editors please indicate a measurable quantity? Thanks.

Lonny

Something seemed to be missing on the first try. Added a bit of fish sauce, and also lemon grass to the coconut/corn mixture. That was the game changer for us.

Brandon

This. Was. Delicious. Definitely use fish sauce, lime zest, lemongrass. Recommend stirring in a teaspoon or two of Better Than Bouillon chicken base to the coconut milk. Definitely salt your chicken thighs well at least 30 minutes ahead. Definitely roast the chicken thighs first at 450 (both sides) and finish the dish in the oven at 375.

Robin

I realized as I was cooking that I didn't have ginger. I substituted a big spoonful of ginger preserves. It was delicious.

Irene

I’m not a whizz in the kitchen so this was delicious and easy enough for a lazy bum like me. The ingredients are found anywhere, no hunting specialty stores needed. And only one pan cleanup! I just don’t know how to tear basil leaves so they don’t look like they just battled a hurricane. Any tips for tearing them neatly? - not cutting.

Cookin in Nyack

This recipe is a bit of a disappointment- I read through all the comments and I did add some fish sauce and bumped up the ingredients by adding turmeric and a little extra ginger and garlic, and the flavor was there, but putting the thighs back on top of the corn and letting it cook means that you’re going to have soggy thighs, not crispy. additionally, just having a pile of corn with a chicken thigh is lacking. It needs something else. I was intrigued by the recipe and the flavors and love the idea of the coconut milk with corn, but it needs something more… Maybe potatoes or maybe some okra or some zucchini but you need a different vegetable to break out of the monotony of essentially a pile of corn.

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