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Sticky Coconut Chicken is definitely a Wilkes Family Favorite. The chicken is marinated in coconut milk and grilled and then covered with a sweet and spicy glaze.
Today’s recipe is one of our favorite ways to grill chicken in the summer. We really don’t call it Sticky Coconut Chicken at our house though, we call it Tar Chicken. It earned it’s nickname from the sauce that you put on the chicken because the sauce is cooked until it is almost as thick as tar, but not quite!
This is a recipe that my kids ask for over and over again!
Ingredients Needed
- Boneless Skinless Chicken thighs. It will also work with boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Coconut milk. I use canned coconut milk. You can use low fat coconut milk or full fat.
- Ginger. You can use dry or fresh, use twice as much fresh as dry. Fresh ginger will give you better flavor.
- Salt and pepper
- Red pepper flakes
- Rice vinegar
- Sugar
- Soy sauce
- Green onions. For garnish
- Sesame seeds. For garnish
How to Make Coconut Chicken
- Marinade chicken in coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes at least one hour. Place it in a bowl or in a large zippered storage bag. Marinade for at least one hour up to 8 hours.
- Make Chili Glaze by combining all the ingredients.
- Bring to a boil over medium high heat and stir until mixture is reduced and thickened. It will take 10-15 minutes depending on the size of the pan.
- Grill on barbecue. Transfer thighs to a warm platter.
- Brush glaze over the grilled chicken. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.
Tips for Making Sticky Coconut Chicken
- The chicken is marinated in coconut milk with some ginger and hot chili flakes. You can control how spicy it is by the amount of flakes you add to the marinade and to the sauce.
- Watch the sauce closely as it thickens, it can go from “just right” to “burned” very quickly. (Believe me, I have burned it more than once!) I usually cook it in a frying pan so the liquid level is shallower and it cooks faster that way. You want the sauce thick but not so thick that you can’t spread it easily, not quite as thick as “tar”!
- I usually double the glaze recipe because we love it so much and it is delicious poured over the rice we serve this chicken with.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake the chicken instead of grill it?
You can bake the chicken in the oven or cook it in pan on the stove top but I think it is best when cooked on the grill.
After glazing the chicken we like to pour the extra glaze over our rice – yum! I always serve it with rice pilaf, another family favorite!
Enjoy some other favorite chicken recipes:
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Sticky Coconut Chicken
Delicious coconut chicken with a sticky coconut sauce.
Prep:15 minutes
Cook:20 minutes
Ingredients
Sticky Coconut Chicken or “Tar” Chicken
- 8 boneless chicken thighs
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk I usually am cooking about 10-12 thighs so I just use the whole can
- 1 Tbsp. minced ginger
- 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
Chili Glaze:
- 3/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 2 green onions chopped for garnish
- 1 tsp sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Sticky Coconut Chicken or “Tar” Chicken
- Marinade chicken in coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes at least one hour
- Grill on barbecue
Chili Glaze:
- Bring above ingredients to a boil over high heat and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened, 5-10 minutes depending on size of pan.
- Spread glaze over the grilled chicken. Sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds.
Tips & Notes:
- The chicken is marinated in coconut milk with some ginger and red pepper flakes. You can control how spicy it is by the amount of flakes you add to the marinade and to the sauce.
- Watch the sauce closely as it thickens, it can go from “just right” to “burned” very quickly. (Believe me, I have burned it more than once!) I usually cook it in a frying pan so the liquid level is shallower and it cooks faster that way. You want the sauce thick but not so thick that you can’t spread it easily, not quite as thick as “tar”!
- I usually double the glaze recipe because we love it so much and it is delicious poured over the rice we serve this chicken with.
- and red pepper flakes. You can control how spicy it is by the amount of flakes you add to the marinade and to the sauce.
- Watch the sauce closely as it thickens, it can go from “just right” to “burned” very quickly. (Believe me, I have burned it more than once!) I usually cook it in a frying pan so the liquid level is shallower and it cooks faster that way. You want the sauce thick but not so thick that you can’t spread it easily, not quite as thick as “tar”!
- I usually double the glaze recipe because we love it so much and it is delicious poured over the rice we serve this chicken with.
Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 361kcal (18%) Carbohydrates: 16g (5%) Protein: 19g (38%) Fat: 24g (37%) Saturated Fat: 10g (63%) Cholesterol: 111mg (37%) Sodium: 296mg (13%) Potassium: 341mg (10%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 13g (14%) Vitamin A: 455IU (9%) Vitamin C: 0.7mg (1%) Calcium: 21mg (2%) Iron: 1.5mg (8%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Originally posted in 2008
Kathi Soth says
I would like to cook this in the oven instead of grilling. Would you have any suggestions as to how to do this?