Chicken pieces, with bones, with skin, are not as scary as they seem. Buy them in a package, you don’t have to cut anything up (you chicken cutter-uppers are a whole different breed), and the meat is truly delicious. It’s oh-so-juicy because it actually has, like, some fat on it.
And the skin. This coconut lime chicken was always about that crispy chicken skin.
COCONUT LIME CHICKEN
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6-8
Recipe Modified From: pinchofyum
Ingredients
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons lime zest
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 can light coconut milk
- salt to taste
- 3 lbs. chicken pieces with bones and skin (for example, 1½ lbs. drumsticks and 1½ lbs. thighs)
- rice noodles, cilantro, carrots, lime wedges, peanuts, onions or shallots for serving
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: Whisk the lime juice, lime zest, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and coconut in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. I had to divide the ingredients into 2 bowls so it could all fit. Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade; let them rest on a plate for a minute to get rid of excess moisture.
- Roast the chicken: Preheat the oven to 475. Grease a rimmed baking sheet. The rim will keep most of the drippings from landing in your oven. Arrange the chicken pieces on the baking sheet; bake for 30 minutes. (If you have a wire rack, place it on the baking sheet and arrange the chicken on the wire rack. This allows the fat to drip off the chicken as it roasts and keeps it from getting too greasy.) Check on the chicken every so often, turning the pan or adjusting the heat if the skin is getting too brown. Remove from the oven when the chicken is browned on the outside and cooked through to the middle.
- Sprinkle the hot chicken with a little extra salt and serve with rice noodles, fresh cilantro, carrots, peanuts, and drizzle lime juice over the whole thing.
Notes
Hey wait. I never told you about serving your chicken with a heaping pile of hot rice noodles and all those fresh, crunchy veggies. And the lime juice. And salted, roasted peanuts. And feeling like it’s a party on a plate. Wehhhh! I always have way too much to say about food.
Photo Credit: pinchofyum