Ginger Peanut Chicken with Coconut Rice Recipe - Pinch of Yum
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Ginger Peanut Chicken with Coconut Rice

101 reviews / 4.8 average

This recipe is a fan-favorite! It was originally published in 2022 as part of our Fall 2022 SOS Series! View the full series.


This juicy, quick-marinated, ginger-spiked chicken on a bed of THE MOST LUSH coconut jasmine rice, with speckles of crunchy peanuts, bright fresh cilantro, and lime squeezers is coming to save your day.


In This Post: Everything You Need For This Peanut Chicken


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Why This Recipe Is Weeknight-Fancy SOS

We are definitely ride-or-die for weeknight-easy meals but it’s definitely a bonus when it can still feel a little fancy-adjacent, you know? A little elevated. We also love a frozen pizza or an “ok, it’s popcorn for dinner!” kind of night, too…but it’s nice when that level of ease can also be lovely and delicious and look harder than it was. So, that’s the sweet spot these SOS recipes are always kinda going for.

To bring this lil’ gem together:

  1. Marinate the chicken. Do you haaaave to? Nah. But it’s a great extra boost you can give the chicken while you’re prepping the rest of your ingredients anyway! The flavor will be there even if your heart says 😩 to marinating.
  2. Make your rice. Everything goes into the Instant Pot, voila! Perfect coconut rice.
  3. Caramelize dat chicken. Get all that deliciousness in your pan and let’s go. You actually want to leave it undisturbed in the hot pan for a bit anyway to get all that caramelly sear, so yay! Less to do!

That’s really just about it, a simple 1-2-3! You’ll toss your peanuts and greens in there once the chicken thighs are cooked through. We love a cilantro/green onion blend but we’ve also done it with spinach for an A+ situation. Whatever you love!

Top with more peanuts, more lime squeezes, everything spilling over that fluffy, luscious coconut rice…ok, YES, SOS. We see you.

How To Make Coconut Rice (And Why It’s Heaven)

We really don’t know what to say about this coconut rice other than we…never stop thinking about it? Like, awkwardly so. Have you tried this other SOS fave with coconut rice? Oof.

It’s still an easy Instant Pot button-push away (or rice cooker/stove top if you prefer), so no extra work, but it IS extra luxe. That coconut milk just replaces part of the cooking liquid – yep, it’s that simple – and the result is out of this world. It doesn’t turn out creamy exactly, but it is just sort of…velvety? Is that a thing?

So satisfying and rich that you don’t need any kind of extra sauce on the chicken, except for a lime squeeze or two for brightness. We are so very star-eyes about all of it.

What To Serve With This Ginger Peanut Chicken

Everything absolutely shines as is, but if you’d like to get some extra green on the table alongside, some roasted broccoli or maybe some seared green beans might be nice. There’s always another of our SOS-iest faves: this simple green salad. Simple, lovely, a never-fail.

Do you want to pile the rice/chicken in a lettuce wrap? Hello, yes you’re a genius!

Does extra-good puppy chow count as a side-dish? It does now.

Do you want to just open a bag of baby carrots because hey, you already accomplished a lot with this dinner? Have at it! You win. Always.

Person squeezing a lime over a bowl of Ginger Peanut Chicken and Coconut Rice.

Welcome to the *almost* end of winter. Let’s really celebrate with some easy dinner wins. 🏆

Ginger Peanut Chicken: Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use other nuts, or just omit the nuts?

For sure! You’ll lose some of the crunch, but it will still be delicious. As an alternative to peanuts, cashews would also work well here.

How can I cook the coconut rice on the stovetop or in a rice cooker?

Cooking the rice in a rice cooker or just on the stovetop should work well. To make it on the stove, you can add 2 cups of rice, 1.5 cups of water, and a 14-ounce can of coconut milk to a large pot and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, you can reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook the rice for about 15-20 minutes.

Do you have to take the time to marinate the chicken?

Not really, the flavor will come through either way, but as long as you’re prepping everything else anyway – rice, toppings, etc. – it will just give the chicken more time to absorb that goodness if you start that first.

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A picture of Ginger Peanut Chicken with Coconut Rice

Ginger Peanut Chicken with Coconut Rice


  • Author: Lindsay
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Description

Juicy, quick-marinated, Ginger Peanut Chicken on a bed of THE MOST LUSH coconut jasmine rice, with speckles of crunchy peanuts, bright fresh cilantro, and lime squeezes.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Ginger Peanut Chicken

  • 1 1/4 pounds chicken thighs, fat trimmed, cut into small bite-sized pieces
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced (white parts and green parts separated)
  • zest and juice of 1-2 limes
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
  • 23 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 cup spinach, bok choy, etc.

Coconut Rice

  • 2 cups white or jasmine rice
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • a pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Marinate Chicken: In a stainless steel bowl, mix the chicken with the ginger, green onions (white parts), lime zest, brown sugar, salt, and oil. Marinate for 20 minutes-2 hours.
  2. Rice: Add the rice ingredients to an Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 3 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release for 10-15 minutes (it won’t be quite done yet after 3 minutes – it needs the rest time to finish cooking). Release the steam, fluff with a fork, and attempt not to eat the whole thing! (Don’t have an Instant Pot? Alternative methods are in the notes section!)
  3. Cook Chicken: Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast iron work well) to medium-high heat. Add the marinated chicken to the pan, working in 1-2 batches depending on the size of your pan. Leave the chicken sitting undisturbed for several minutes to get a nice caramelization on the chicken.
  4. Adding Extras: When all the chicken is cooked, turn the heat down slightly and add the peanuts and garlic to the pan. Sauté for 3-5 minutes to get the peanuts roasty and the garlic nice and fragrant.
  5. Finish by adding in the cilantro, green onion, and spinach. Squeeze lime juice into the pan and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
  6. Serve over coconut rice! SO simple but so good.

Notes

To cook the coconut rice on the stove or in a rice cooker: Cooking the rice in a rice cooker or just on the stove top should work well. To make it on the stove, you can add 2 cups of rice, 1.5 cups of water, and a 14-ounce can of coconut milk to a large pot and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, you can reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook the rice for about 15-20 minutes.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Asian-Inspired

Keywords: ginger chicken, peanut chicken, coconut rice, easy chicken recipe

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191 Comments

  1. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I am considering this but I will surely cut the salt, the sodium level is off the charts. I looked back thinking maybe there was soy or fish sauce but no, its all from salt. It looks delicious, so I hope really cutting the salt will prove that its flavorful.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Good call about the salt! I’ll definitely cut back when I try this one. I’m thinking of trying it with ground chicken instead of thighs to save on a little prep time.

    2. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Did you use salted peanuts? I used dry roasted cashews tonight and thought the salt level was great! I could see it maybe being too much of the nuts were also salted though.

        1. Pinch of Yum Logo

          I must have done something wrong with this recipe. Everything was very dry, I made a spicy yogurt sauce just to get through it.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Hi Sara! I don’t think there’s anything different you’d need to do!

  2. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Hi! I love your recipes and can usually always tweak the protein to make them vegan for our house. Do you think this could work using tofu?

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      If you look at this recipe on pinchofyum’s IG someone commented that they made this with tofu and they enjoyed it 🙂 I made this with chicken but I’d do it with baked tofu!

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        I just wanted to respond to this as I am also vegetarian and have made this a few times. First I made it with tofu and the next (and preferred) method I have made with soy curls! Both ways are great but the soy curls gives it more of the “chicken” texture… they also caramelize a *tad* bit better 🙂 hope this helps!

  3. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Wow! I found this on Instagram and decided to make it. Added quartered baby carrots to the chicken. Half way through making this I thought “maybe I shouldn’t be trying out this new recipe on my birthday, I’ll be really bummed if it’s a flop…” but it was fabulous!
    Mine did not caramelize in the enameled cast iron, but my batch might have just been too big, or my thighs too juicy. Still delicious, thanks for this recipe!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I’ve made many POY recipes and this is the first time I’ve left a comment.
      This recipe was SO much better than I expected. It’s super flavorful, bright, and very easy to make. I used ground chicken (lazy) so it didn’t marinate, but was still perfect. I have a nut allergy so omitted those, but the texture was fine. I steamed a bag of broccoli and tossed it in at the end for the veggie factor. Love!

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        Do you think this would make a good freezer meal, at least for the chicken and marinade?

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        Husband and kid approved. Quote from my husband who is the better cook than me, “This is the best new dish you’ve made in a long time, double it next time for leftovers!” My only criticism is that it was it took slighly longer to prep/cook on the SOS scale than I would like but it’s definitely a keeper. Next time, I might cube and marinate the chicken the night before.

  4. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I was going to make a stir fry tonight but remembered seeing this on IG. I recreated what I believe to be the heart of the recipe but had to make several modifications based on what I had on hand.
    -breasts instead of thighs
    -no whole limes, so no zest, just bottled lime juice
    -ginger paste instead of grated ginger
    -no green onions or fresh cilantro
    -no coconut milk, so made plain jasmine rice

    Still, it was so good! The flavor combo was intensely good and came together quickly. The children were skeptical, but they both killed it. There was enough for 2 adults, 2 children, and leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Thanks for this SOS recipe! Can’t wait for the next one!!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      So glad to hear it was a hit, Theresa! And thank so much for the notes on modifications you made! Super helpful!

    2. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Favorite POY recipe so far! I have made several of your recipes (all yummy!), but this was the first one that my husband asked me to print out the recipe for and save to our binder of go-to favorites. I made it as is but added a bit of flaked coconut to the rice to amp up the coconut flavor. Lime, ginger, coconut, and peanut flavors go so well together, and we’ll be making this a lot in the future! Thanks for the easy, scrumptious recipe!

  5. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This was so good. This gave me Thai food vibes and happily had no soy sauce, which my young kids don’t like. The rice was so creamy and loved by everyone. We had no cilantro so used a tbsp fresh basil instead and threw in a cup of torn baby spinach at the end. Would add less salt to the marinade next time but otherwise fantastic as is. Definitely will make again!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Love this recipe! Wanting to make for my sister, who cannot eat chicken. Has anyone tried pork as a protein substitute?

  6. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Loved this simple dish and so did my family! I used what I had in the pantry, simple swaps like lemon, basil, and cashews! The ginger with citrus was a great scent after a busy day! Thanks!

  7. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This recipe was so good and so easy! Definitely going to add to my rotation!! Thank you POY for another great recipe:)

  8. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Really loved this chicken – super flavorful and delicious! However, I would not make the coconut rice again. I felt like it added very little flavor and a whole lot of unnecessary calories to the dish. Will make again but with regular rice!

  9. Pinch of Yum Logo

    The coconut rice has burned on me before but I thought I would try it again… nope! It burns in my instant pot. I have switched it over to the stove and have a gloppy gooey mess. I am not sure what to say but thought I would share with hopes someone else might have had success? Have not made the chicken yet but it smells great.

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I make my coconut rice in my rice cooker. It always cooks up perfectly! If you don’t have one in your kitchen I definitely recommend.

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        Is the instant pot rice recipe -liquid to rice ratio -the same as stove top? Usually it’s not as much liquid. I don’t see this mentioned just stove top

        1. Pinch of Yum Logo

          I’m wondering the same. The stovetop recipe is listed twice under a heading that says “stovetop and rice cooker instructions” but it’s unclear if the same proportions apply to a rice cooker…seems off to me.

      2. Pinch of Yum Logo

        Seconding the recommendation of a rice cooker. It seemed like a big, ridiculous single-use appliance when I got mine as a gift. But that thing makes perfect, attention-free rice every time and keeps it warmed in good condition for an embarrassingly long amount of time.

    2. Pinch of Yum Logo

      My instantpot kept saying “burn” too :-/ Will try the rice cooker next time

  10. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I doubled this recipe and misread to marinate chicken with the juice of the limes too but it turned out great! I just reduced all marinade down with a couple dashes of soy sauce and added some gochujang for some spice and it was very good! Thanks for the recipe!

  11. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This recipe was PERFECT. I used 1/2 a bag of spinach as an add in (with the cilantro).
    It was a hit and a keeper.

  12. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Just made this exactly as stated and it was amazing. I loved the simple ingredients but big flavor. Thank you!! 🙂

  13. Pinch of Yum Logo

    amazing recipe ! gathered white rice from our local chinese restaurant & it was perfection. if you don’t like salty – like me, use less salt. it worked out because the takeout rice was very bland. thanks! we loved it

  14. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Greater than the sum of its parts! Wasn’t sure what to expect since the ingredient list is fairly simple, but was full of flavor and so good!

  15. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Loved it!!!!!!! Simple and delicious. I didn’t have peanuts so at the end I just put in a teaspoon of crunchy peanut butter and mixed it in w the chicken it turned out great. You are a genius !

  16. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Delicious and so easy! Paired this with roasted broccoli and it was a total winner.

  17. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I made this last night with ground turkey and it was fabulous. I also just made plain rice and it was still so good together!

    Kristine

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Genius. I will for sure use ground chicken from now on, that’s a great idea to save time!!

  18. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Chicken was delicious, but the rice didn’t taste anything like coconut. Skip that step and fat, and just make plain rice. I made it exactly as directed and there was no coconut flavor whatsoever.
    I’ll definitely keep this in the rotation, though!!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Hi there have made this before and it’s so good, thank you! Am thinking of making it for a large group and just wondering if you think I could cook the chicken on the barbecue or in the oven to make it a little easier to cook a large amount of chicken? Thank you!

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        Either should work for cooking the chicken alone. We’d recommend still cooking everything else in the pan once the chicken is done to get a nice caramelization on the meat.

  19. Pinch of Yum Logo

    I look forward to your recipe drops in my inbox. This was so delicious, full of flavor and delightful textures. Looking forward to doing it again and putting it in lettuce cups!

  20. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Wow!! Made this for dinner tonight, AMAZING!! Sadly there are no leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I will definitely be making this again and soon!

  21. Pinch of Yum Logo

    Coconut rice is my absolute favorite, but I do not bother with the instant pot. I find it is more work than the stove. This dish doesn’t qualify as SOS for me personally. I am probably a slow chicken trimmer. That said – it is 100% worth it!! The ginger and lime zest are amazing. I could see this being a wonderful freezer meal. Once the chicken is marinating, the rest is all downhill. This is definitely a keeper for my rotation, thank you yet again.

  22. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This was good. After work, I have 20-30 min to get dinner on the table while I’m also taking care of a 1 and 3 year old, so I’m always looking for good weeknight options that can be partially prepped on Sunday. For this, I had my diced chicken marinating overnight and bok choy ready to go in the pan. It came together so fast!! I really enjoyed the coconut rice too. Next time, I’m thinking roasted broccoli with TJ’s citrus seasoning would be a very good side.