Roast Chicken in Coconut Milk
Classic roast chicken is truly the best. Its versatility knows no bounds. It’s the gift that keeps on giving in salads, sandwiches, soups, bone broths, and more.
Roasted chicken in coconut milk is on a whole other level. I stumbled upon Jamie' Oliver’s Chicken in Milk recipe one evening whilst watching Food Network recipe videos and I was immediately sucked in. His recipe boasts how the milk makes an “amazing, flavorsome sauce”, keywords that queue the mouth to water. I made it the very next day - but altered it to my own taste preferences and dietary modifications. My version is outlined below.
I used coconut oil instead of butter, and swapped the sage for fresh oregano, and added rosemary from my garden. I omitted the cinnamon since my husband had recently told me I put too much cinnamon in the pho broth and it tasted like “Christmas Soup”. I wasn’t going to take any chances after that. Lastly, instead of milk, I used a can of coconut milk and the results yielded the most tender, juicy, melt-in-your-mouth roast chicken I had ever tasted.
This is a lovely cooking technique, but it does take some time. After the prep work, it roasts for 1.5 hours in the oven - but it is so worth it as it is such an incredibly delicious dish.
Note: I like to Trader Joe’s Organic Coconut Milk (full-fat) almost always - no guar gums or thickeners!
WHOLE ROASTED CHICKEN IN COCONUT MILK RECIPE
Makes 6-8 servings
INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken, organic, free-range
1 can coconut milk
2 Tbsp coconut oil
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
3 sprigs of fresh oregano
1 lemon, halved, and peel the skin and keep
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
Salt + pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Season the whole chicken with salt and pepper, rubbing it in on all sides of the bird.
In a dutch oven that is compact enough to comfortably fit a whole chicken, heat up the pot with the coconut oil. Place the chicken in and turn often to get a sear on all sides. Color equals flavor. Add in the lemon peel, lemon halves, rosemary, oregano, garlic, and coconut milk on around the sides of the chicken.
Place the chicken into the preheated oven and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes, uncovered. Baste with the coconut milk and herbs every so often. If you have a smaller bird, start checking for doneness after 1 hour. To check for doneness, place a meat thermometer in the chicken thigh to make sure it gets to 165 degrees.
Remove from oven and allow to cool to allow juices to redistribute. Serve the chicken over cauliflower mash and greens, and with plenty of sauce.
Omit pepper on AIP, and remove garlic if you’re doing low FOD-MAP.