Fragrant Coconut Chicken and Sweet Potato 

By Kay Chun

Updated January 14, 2025

  • Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(4,143)
Comments
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This deeply flavored saucy skillet meal comes together quickly thanks to rich coconut milk and fast-cooking ground chicken (though ground pork would also work well). Sweet potatoes get a head start in the skillet, where they’re speedily cooked until golden and tender; the simple act of covering the skillet with a lid expedites the process. The meat is browned with plenty of scallions, garlic and ginger, which impart lovely aromatic fragrance and depth to the dish. Coconut milk is added at the end to maintain its creamy texture and fresh flavor, while a finish of lime juice and chopped cilantro brightens and balances the sauce. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or safflower

  • 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced into ¼-inch pieces

  • Salt and pepper

  • ½ cup thinly sliced scallions, plus more for garnish

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

  • 1 pound ground chicken (preferably dark meat) 

  • 1 cup unsweetened full-fat coconut milk (see Tip)

  • 4 cups/4 ounces baby spinach

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice

  • ¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

  • Cooked rice (such as jasmine), for serving

  • Hot sauce, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

12 grams carbs; 98 milligrams cholesterol; 414 calories; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 32 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 623 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

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

    In a 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium. Add the sweet potato, season with salt and pepper and stir to evenly coat in the oil. Cover and cook, stirring halfway through, until golden and tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

  2. Step 2

    Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil plus the scallions, garlic and ginger to the skillet and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook, breaking up the meat until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add coconut milk and sweet potato and bring back to a simmer. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in spinach just until wilted, then turn off the heat. Stir in lime juice and cilantro and season again with salt and pepper.

  4. Step 4

    Divide the coconut chicken mixture over rice in bowls and garnish with more scallions and cilantro. Serve warm, with hot sauce on the side.

Tip

  • You can freeze any leftover coconut milk for up to one month for future use. It may separate, in which case a quick whirl in the blender will restore its creamy texture.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,143 user ratings
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Comments

JW

I just made this tonight for my wife and I. The recipe was followed exactly as written. The prep and cooking was painless. The taste of the dish, we are still talking about. This is an easy to follow recipe with high reward when served. Give it a try. And, we used ground turkey. My wife Jan’s only comment was next time I should increase the size of sweet potato cubes. We will make this again. I’m already thinking about how I might substitute fresh shrimp for the ground turkey.

Trevor

No. Straight to jail.

Eve

I made the dish per the recipe and I think it has potential. I think it needs more of a number of ingredients: double the spinach and scallions, increase the garlic and ginger. I think the lime juice needs to be increased but recommend tasting and adding more according to your preference.

GK

Interesting flavor but a little bland - needs more garlic, ginger and definitely hot sauce. Didn’t care for the ground meat texture.

Max

I make this dish a little simpler and with a few tweaks: I only use 4 ingredients: - ground chicken - spinach (2x what recipe calls for) - baked sweet potato (however much you want) - coconut milk (2-3x what the recipe calls for) This simplifies things already. However, I like to add a few more tweaks. Firstly, I totally skip the rice: there is already sweet potatoes for carbs, so no need to double up on carbs. Secondly, I cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, bake them at 425°F for 40 min on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and then I simply serve the chicken and spinach over the halved sweet potatoes. This has become my go-to, favorite recipe with how easy and delicious it is. Comments are welcome!

Jessica S

I made this as-directed and WOW it was so simple, yet so flavorful! My only suggestions are: - add a bit more coconut milk, as it seemed to dry out quite a bit and i had little to no liquid/sauce by the end (and then adjust garlic/ginger/salt amounts as-needed) - add a few splashes of fish sauce — makes a huge difference in flavor!

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