Coconut Creamed Spinach With Chicken Thighs

By Carolina Gelen

Updated September 18, 2025

  • Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
40 min
Rating
4(223)
Comments
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In this creamed spinach skillet dinner, the nostalgic steakhouse side takes center stage. For a lighter, streamlined version, canned coconut milk replaces the rich dairy elements like cream cheese, milk or heavy cream. The sauce follows in the footsteps of a classic béchamel sauce, with some ingredient changes made along the way, like using schmaltz instead of butter for the roux and replacing the whole milk with creamy coconut milk. Enriched with shallots and garlic, and spiced with a dash of nutmeg, the sauce is then mixed with thawed frozen spinach. After simmering the seared chicken thighs in the coconut creamed spinach, they get broiled with a sprinkle of coconut flakes, which bring a boost of texture and cohesiveness to the dish. Serve with toasted bread for a comforting weeknight meal.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 4 to 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 ½ pounds)

  • Salt and black pepper

  • Coconut oil or olive oil, as needed

  • 1 medium shallot, finely chopped

  • 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 (14-ounce) cans coconut milk

  • ¼ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg

  • 1 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed then squeezed dry

  • ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

24 grams carbs; 278 milligrams cholesterol; 1242 calories; 22 grams monosaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 64 grams saturated fat; 105 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 1566 milligrams sodium; 56 grams protein; 3 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

    Set the chicken pieces on a baking sheet or plate. Using a paper towel, pat the chicken dry on all sides. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. 

  2. Step 2

    In a dry 12-inch cast-iron skillet, arrange the chicken thighs in an even layer, skin-side down. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook until the chicken is golden and crispy underneath, 10 to 12 minutes. Flip and cook for 3 minutes on the other side. Transfer the chicken to the baking sheet, reserving the fat in the pan.

  3. Step 3

    If your skillet is a bit dry, add 1 or 2 tablespoons oil. Stir in the shallot and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes, reducing the heat to medium-low if browning too quickly. Add the flour and toast, stirring frequently, until golden, about 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the coconut milk while constantly whisking to prevent lumps. Add 1 cup of water, the nutmeg and a big pinch of salt, and bring the liquid to a simmer.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the spinach, then season again to taste with salt and pepper. Add the chicken thighs, skin-side up, along with the accumulated juices, and simmer over medium until the spinach is tender, the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has thickened, about 15 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Meanwhile, turn on the broiler. Adjust the chicken thighs so the tops aren’t covered by the sauce and broil for 3 minutes, until the skin develops crispy spots on the edges. Sprinkle the coconut flakes on top and broil attentively until golden, about 1 minute more, keeping an eye on the flakes, which can burn very quickly.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
223 user ratings
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Comments

Becky R

This was WAY too rich with 2 cans of coconut milk. I am not likely to make it again, but if I did, I would use one can of coconut milk and 1 cup of chicken broth. As written, it lacks a depth of flavor.

Stephanie

With some small tweaks, we enjoyed this and will add it to our fall lower carb rotation. I only had 1 can of coconut milk and I found it more than enough to add creaminess. The rest of the liquid was some chicken broth with a healthy glug of white wine vinegar. A couple pinches of sugar rounded it all out. Very tasty!

Amy V.

I add curry powder and garlic. And use fresh spinach. Just stir it in until wilted and is less bitter than frozen spinach.

Rick T

Followed others' lead and substituted 14 oz, chicken broth for one of the cans of coconut milk. I also used fresh spinach. (The frozen stuff is really an abomination before the Lord.) Delicious.

Msesf

Cut some of recipe in half--1 1/4 lb thighs, 1 can coconut milk, only 1/4 lb fresh spinach, and subbed 4 oz chicken stock for H2O. Otherwise followed rest of recipe amounts. Served over jasmine rice. It was delicious and very rich and filling; but sautéing the chicken thighs created so much splattered grease that the mess may have outweighed ever remaking this recipe (so downgraded to 4 stars).

Cathy L

I used 2 cans of coconut milk as the recipe calls for and plenty of salt and some Aleppo pepper. Instead of a cup of water, I added homemade chicken broth. The flavor was excellent! But there was a lot of liquid. I simmered it as suggested for 15 minutes on the next to last step, and then did 20 min more - it was still far more soupy than I expected. But that's ok. I plan to actually make a soup out of the leftovers

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