Golden, juicy, thinly sliced pan-fried chicken swims in a creamy coconut-kale gravy-like situation with slips of shallot and a bit of heat. Super easy, minimal ingredients!
Chicken with Coconut Kale
Watch How To Make This Recipe
Can I Have This For Dinner Every Night?
Because I think I really could eat this for dinner every night.
Golden, juicy, thinly sliced pan-fried chicken swims in a creamy coconut-kale gravy-like situation with slips of shallot and a bit of heat. It’s like a cozy curry meets a show-stopping marry me chicken. Except it’s stupidly easy. That coconut kale sauce carries us with, like, 5 ingredients.
This is one of those all-in-one meals; the veg is there, the protein is there, the flavor is there! Make sure to give yourself an extra scoop or three of sauce on top some rice, because you know what? You deserve to feel good. And let all that luscious flavor absorb into the rice, and really just enjoy that moment.
I have been working my way through a shipment of Maesri yellow curry which I ordered on Amazon (affiliate link) – it’s premade, flavorful and concentrated, golden in color. It works perfectly here. That said, red curry paste is often easier to find and would be a less-golden but still-delicious substitute. And if you’re feeling the calling to stock your freezer with something great, then you should probably make this yellow curry paste which will make your house smell like the aromatics of heaven. It is an absolute gem to pull out of the freezer through the winter. I make a batch of it at least once every year.
My girls, bless their hearts, are not super into the coconut kale. Something about multiple cups of freshly shredded kale? It’s fine – I just leave out a few pieces of “plain chicken” for them and happily serve up a bit of extra coconut kale for myself in their honor.
I love chicken for this, but lately, I’ve been dreaming of a skillet of gently pan-fried shrimp swirled in this coconut kale sauce. It just feels right. It’s a choose-your-own adventure, and all paths end with you licking the last bits of sauce out of the pan.
How To Make This Recipe
1
Cut Your Chicken.
This is optional, but I really love a thinly sliced piece of chicken. It’s easier to cook and it’s more enjoyable to eat. I thinly slice chicken breasts and season them right on the cutting board.
2
Cook That Chicken.
Pan fry for a few minutes on each side. Yummy.
3
Make Your Sauce.
Shallots, curry paste, kale, and coconut milk. You’re basically there.
4
Pop The Chicken Back In.
Once the sauce is golden and thickened, get the chicken back in there.
5
Yum! You’re Done!
Garnish and deliver this to the table to a chorus of oohs and ahhs. It’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
Chicken with Coconut Kale
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Golden, juicy, thinly sliced pan-fried chicken swims in a creamy coconut-kale gravy-like situation with slips of shallot and a bit of heat. Super easy, minimal ingredients!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Chicken
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut or pounded into thin pieces
- 2–3 tablespoons all-purpose chicken seasoning (I use the McCormick Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado oil (divided)
Coconut Kale
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 2–3 cups finely shredded curly kale, stems removed (about 3-4 stalks)
- 1 tablespoon yellow curry paste (see notes for subs)
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Optional, for serving:
- rice
- chili crisp or cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the Chicken: Coat the chicken with the spices. In a large nonstick pan, heat 1 tablespoon of avocado oil over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes per side. Set chicken aside.
- Start the Coconut Kale: If needed, wipe your pan out (see notes). In the same pan, add 1/2 tablespoon avocado oil if needed. Saute the shallots, kale, and yellow curry paste for 5 minutes until everything is aromatic and tender.
- Simmer the Coconut Kale: Add all other sauce ingredients; simmer for 5-10 minutes to thicken. When the sauce has thickened, tuck the chicken back in the sauce. Let it get gently bubbly and spoon the sauce over top.
- You’re Done! Yum! Sprinkle the whole thing with cilantro. Serve chicken with scoops of the sauce over rice! Finish with whatever toppings you like – for me it’s chili crisp!
Notes
For the chicken seasoning, you’ll want to use something that uses spices like paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and/or salt. If you’re working without a spice mix, I would recommend the spices in our Air Fryer Chicken! The chicken spices play a big part of both the flavor of the dish and the caramelization / browning of the chicken. For example, if you choose a chicken seasoning that contains sugar, then the overall dish will be sweeter and you’ll notice more browned bits getting stuck to the bottom of the pan.
For the chicken, you want to cook it to 165 degrees internal temperature – I use this meat thermometer all the time and I love it. This one that’s more affordable is also great. (affiliate links)
I’ve been using a ceramic nonstick for this recipe (Nordic Ware Basalt Skillet – affiliate link) and it has amazing release properties so I rarely need to wipe the pan out! That said, if you’re using an older nonstick or a different type of pan that’s holding onto a lot of brown or burnt bits from the chicken, wipe the pan out before you start the sauce. This helps the sauce stay light and golden colored. It is really pan-dependent – for my Nordic Ware nonstick I don’t need to do this at all, but others require a quick wipe down to avoid too much brown in the sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
Keywords: coconut chicken, coconut sauce, easy dinner, easy chicken dinner
Frequently Asked Questions / Things To Know
Can you use red curry paste?
Yes! The color will be different but the flavor will be great. If you’re using a more mainstream brand like Thai Kitchen, you may want to use 2 tablespoons instead of 1 tablespoon to make sure you get enough flavor. I use Maesri which is pretty potent so I find that 1 tablespoon is enough.
Can I use curry powder instead of curry paste?
You can, but it won’t be nearly as potent (read: yummy). If that’s all you have, I would help it out with some sriracha or chili crisp, or turmeric, or roasted red chile paste, or anything else you have to add some flavor depth and dimension.
Can I use light coconut milk?
Yes, but the sauce won’t thicken quite as well. You could always thicken it with a cornstarch slurry if having a low fat content is important to you!
Do you have to wipe out the pan?
No, you don’t have to. If the pan just has some light nice browning left in it, leave it alone! But if it looks like this after cooking the chicken, then yes, I would wipe it out to avoid the sauce turning a dark brown color.
What other proteins can you use besides chicken?
Shrimp would be great. I’ve been dying to try it. I also feel like this sauce would be A+ with meatballs or chickpeas (very similar to Steph’s Chickpea Curry)!
Do you have to use kale?
No! I happen to have a lot of it in my otherwise very struggling garden right now, which is why I have been using it (plus, it’s a nice hefty green that wilts really pleasantly into the sauce). Other great options: spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, basically anything you’d put in a curry.
Can I use onions instead of a shallot?
Yes. I like shallots a lot. But a thinly sliced onion will do the trick!
More Easy Dinners with Coconut Milk
Filed Under: All Recipes Dairy-Free Dinner Gluten-Free Kale Main Dishes Meat and Chicken Quick and Easy Recipes SOS Series Stovetop
September 17, 2024
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
Did you make a recipe? Tag @pinchofyum on Instagram so we can find you!
Hi Lindsay!
First of all I thoroughly enjoy your posts! Thank you for your endeavors!
Question
The Nordic Ware link takes me to a skillet with a blackish interior but your pictures indicate that the skillet you use is grayish – one in the same or different beasts?
Hi Gayle! The Nordic Ware pan is what was used in the video, but the photos used Caraway Pans. Lindsay had the best results with the Nordic Ware!
Loving the SOS series already and it’s only week 2! This looks amazing and so quick- kale is also taking over my otherwise struggling garden as well so I’m looking to use it all up and say RIP to the garden for the year!
Hey Lindsay, this recipe looks amazing. Do you have any suggestions of substitutions for the Kale? Maybe Spinach? I’m not a huge fan of kale so this sparks my curiosity, thanks!
Spinach would be great, or any other veg you typically like in a curry! Bell peppers, mushrooms, etc.
Hi! My kids would probably also give side-eye to the kale. Has anyone tried blending the sauce before putting the chicken back in? I’m thinking if my kids can’t see it they might be more willing… But not if it makes the sauce a weird color! Thanks
I saw the recipe this morning and made it for dinner tonight. As expected, IT WAS DELICIOUS! Creamy and luscious. (I also appreciate that you continue to use spices after I buy them from your previous recommendation. I live outside of the US but shop there once a year and brought back the chicken seasoning) Thanks for another simple winner!
I’d probably just opt for a different veggie that your kids like! (Or just tolerate! 😂)
This looks amazing! Where do you typically buy yellow curry paste?
Usually on Amazon as it’s hard to find a grocery stores! Here’s the one: https://amzn.to/3Tr9c1N (affiliate link)
You can find curry pastes in an oriental grocery store.- masaman, yellow, green, red
We made this tonight but did tofu instead of chicken and it was delicious! I recommend and so easy too! Love the SOS series 🙂
Love the tofu swap!
Another easy yummy dinner from POY–thank you!
To make this with what I had on hand I had to do a lot of switches:
kale -> frozen spinach
shallot -> onion
curry paste-> gochujang and curry powder
and it was still so delicious! Served with rice. My 2-year-old loved it too.
I love that I can go into POY recipes with switches and still have confidence that they will be delicious.
This is amazing. Love all those swaps!
I love your recipes because they are good for you and taste amazing. This chicken and kale in coconut sauce is so delicious and creamy and full of flavor from the curry. It was the perfect family meal.
Can you use a green curry?
Yep, green would work as well!
Pinch of Yum is by far my favorite website to go to for easy weeknight meals! What I love most is your recipes are so flavorful, so easy, and so customizable! This particular recipe came together in less than 20 minutes, and it’s truly fantastic. I used tofu, and it’s perfection! Thank you for your SOS Series and for all of the amazing content you share both on your website and on Instagram!
Love hearing this, Katie!
We tried this tonight and it was delicious. We went with shrimp instead of chicken because it sounded good (and we’d eaten chicken several days in a row). I didn’t have kale, but threw in spinach, chopped onion, bell peppers, and some matchstick carrots. Cilantro on top was a must.
Yum! Sounds amazing!
I saw the recipe this morning and made it for dinner tonight. As expected, IT WAS DELICIOUS! Creamy and luscious. (I also appreciate that you continue to use spices after I buy them from your previous recommendation. I live outside of the US but shop there once a year and brought back the chicken seasoning) Thanks for another simple winner!
So glad to hear that, Linnea!
This was really good. Super quick and fast.
Made this tonight and it was a hit! I subbed Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste because that’s what I had on hand and it’s more mild than other brands for my kids to handle! Will definitely make again.
I served with a 50/50 rice/cauliflower rice and we sadly don’t have much for leftovers!
Glad you all loved it!
This was phenomenal!
It’s a nearly perfect meal.
My husband doesn’t like onions or shallots, so they’ve been banned from my house (cry emoji!), so I substituted a little minced garlic.
The Spring Lake Park Hy-Vee was out of Yellow and Red Curry paste (probably due to this recipe dropping a few days ago), so bought the green one and hoped for the best.
I ended up dumping 2 tablespoons of yellow curry powder in there to get it the right bright yellow color.
Next time I’ll probably skip the the soy sauce because it was ever-so-slightly salty to my tongue, but my husband loved it and said “Add it to the list!” As in: “The list of recipes I’m willing to eat once a week!”
Thanks for another great meal!!
Love hearing this! Thanks for the comment, Jess!
What is chili crisp?
This is the one we use!
We love this! Kids included! I kept it super simple and didn’t even add soy sauce or brown sugar, just let the curry paste do the talking, and it was delicious. Next time, we’re swapping tofu for chicken and I know it’ll be great. So easy! So full of flavor!
Love that, glad you all liked it! 🙂
This was spectacular! I used the AFC chicken recipe instead of pan frying and it was perfect! Will definitely be a repeat dish!
How spicy is this brand of yellow curry? Or a red curry substitut that is not spicy? Thanks
It’s medium-spicy, so definitely has a kick! The Thai Kitchen red curry paste is much more mild.
This was easy,fast and delicious! I used a bag of baby spinach because I don’t like kale. I bought thinly sliced chicken breasts so that made it even faster. The sauce was delicious over the chicken and buttered rice.
This was SO good and totally meets my SOS criteria. My 2.5-year-old helped me season the chicken and then said it was “very good” when eating it!
I subbed a combo of green curry paste and lemongrass + turmeric paste based on what I had. Worked great.
And I mean this in the nicest way possible, there was an *obscene amount* of sauce relative to chicken and rice. Perfection.
We do love excessive sauce around here! 🙂
Very good! I had to shop around in town to find the yellow curry paste, so worth it. I even said “oh screw it” and got the full fat coconut milk versus the light version I usually buy. This was easy and tasted excellent. I served over brown Jasmine rice. will definitely put this in my normal meal rotation!
Always the full fat, always! 🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Hello, I tried asking this question a few days ago and it didn’t get answered- do you think chicken legs would work as well? (instead of breasts?)
Hi there! Honestly, we don’t cook with chicken legs very much so can’t say for sure! It would probably render more fat than chicken breasts, so be sure to wipe out the pan after cooking them. But otherwise I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!
Is there a way to make this in the oven? My stove is currently out of commission. 🙁
Hmmm this would be a tricky one! Mainly because it requires some sautéing with the shallots and kale which might be hard in the oven. I’d probably bake the shallots with the chicken, and then add the kale with the sauce and the chicken and bake it all together to finish so the kale cooks right in the sauce (if you just roast it, it will get too crispy). Hope this helps get you started!
Made this a couple of nights ago. Used what was left of my garden kale and some spinach. It was very good and really even better the next night for leftovers as the flavor had developed more in the sauce. I omitted the brown sugar as my chicken seasoning had brown sugar in it.