Recipe Background
Savor the island life with Tropical Dreaming Chicken in a creamy coconut and tomato sauce.
It's a chicken that dreams of warm sandy beaches and turquoise waters... and with a bite, you will be, too! Tropical Dreaming Chicken is golden, savory, juicy chicken braised in a lightly spicy and creamy coconut and tomato sauce for the full island life experience! A hint of sweet, tangy lime and fragrant cilantro elevates Tropical Dreaming Chicken even further, so this will be the dinner you're dreaming of for a long time to come!
Ingredients
- 6 chicken cutlets
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or vegetable oil divided
- 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
- 1 small jalapeño stemmed and seeded, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 4 teaspoons ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 2 large ripe beefsteak tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves coarsely chopped, for serving
- lime slices optional, to taste, for garnish
Directions
- Season the chicken cutlets on all sides with the paprika, the salt, and the black pepper.
- In a large, high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil.
- In batches, add the chicken cutlets to the hot oil, and cook, turning them halfway through, until they are golden-brown on both sides but not fully cooked through, about 2 minutes per side.
- Transfer the chicken cutlets to a plate and repeat until all of the cutlets are cooked.
- In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the remaining oil.
- Add the onions to the hot oil and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the onions are slightly tender and just starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the jalapeño, the garlic, and the ginger to the onions and cook, while stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and the tomato paste to the onion mixture and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened and the tomato paste is slightly toasted, about 2 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and the brown sugar to the tomato mixture and stir to combine.
- Bring the sauce mixture to a boil.
- Cook the sauce mixture, while stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the flavors meld together.
- Nestle the seared cutlets into the sauce and bring the sauce to a boil.
- Boil until the chicken cutlets reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the skillet from the heat.
- Add the lime juice to the sauce and stir to combine.
- Serve topped with the cilantro and the lime slices.
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