Looking for a delicious, easy Thai-inspired chicken recipe? Try this slightly spicy Thai baked chicken marinated in coconut milk, garlic, ginger, cilantro, basil, coriander and lime! Not only is it packed with flavour, but it's also freezer-friendly, making it a perfect recipe to make ahead for busy weeknights.
This Easy Thai Baked Chicken recipe makes a simple weeknight dinner but it's special enough for a date night or dinner party!
Don't you just love the complex tastes of Thai food?
Thai recipes usually contain ingredients that are sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy. The marinade for this easy Thai Baked Chicken blends and balances those flavours harmoniously.
Cilantro, jalapeño, ginger, basil, garlic and coriander all play together with coconut milk to produce this aromatic, slightly spicy chicken dish that leaves you wanting more.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
Easy and freezable. As much as I love Thai dishes, I also love easy meals. Especially ones that I can make ahead and have in the freezer, ready to grab for a quick dinner on a busy day.
Grill or bake! This Thai chicken recipe also makes a great meal to take camping as it can easily be grilled instead of baked. It's suitable for those on a paleo diet, too!
Three simple steps!
- Blend all marinade ingredients in your blender or food processor.
- Pour the marinade into a resealable bag with the chicken. Let it marinate.
- Bake it in the oven.
🛒 Ingredients
Before we get to the full recipe for Thai chicken, here are a few notes about some of the ingredients.
- chicken: boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- coconut milk: the canned variety, full-fat, not the beverage
- cilantro
- basil: fresh leaves. Use Thai basil if it's available.
- jalapeño: 1 large or 2 small. Adjust the amount depending on how much heat you like.
- coriander: dried
- ginger: fresh
- garlic: fresh cloves
- limes
- brown sugar: or coconut sugar. A small amount of sugar is important to balance the flavours in this recipe.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add the marinade ingredients to a food processor and purée until smooth.
- Arrange the chicken parts in a single layer in a large freezer bag. Pour the marinade sauce over the chicken, seal tightly or vacuum seal and massage the marinade into the chicken a bit. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours, or simply lay it flat in the freezer and freeze for another day. (In a hurry? You can skip the marinating time. The chicken won't be as flavourful, but it will still be delicious.)
- To bake bone-in skin-on chicken: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium to high heat. Add oil and wait until it ripples or shimmers. Add chicken pieces and sear on each side for 3-4 minutes, then place the skillet in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. Check the temperature with an instant-read meat thermometer.
- To bake boneless, skinless chicken parts: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the marinated chicken parts in a baking dish. Discard the remaining marinade. Bake the chicken until it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. about 25 - 30 minutes.
- Cover with foil and let the baked chicken stand on a platter for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- To grill Thai Chicken instead: Place the chicken on a medium-hot well-oiled grill. Use tongs to turn the pieces when the chicken has grill marks (approx. 5 to 6 min). Cook until the internal temperature is 165°F. at the thickest part (about 7 to 10 minutes).
- Sprinkle with more chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! It's delicious when grilled. Keep the heat to medium-low, oil the grill well before starting, and cook, turning once until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. when measured at the thickest part with an instant-read meat thermometer.
I've made this recipe with several different brands of canned coconut milk, and it has always turned out well. Use the full-fat variety.
Yes, you can. I've made it with bone-in, skin-on thighs. For crispy skin, sear the chicken parts in an ovenproof skillet first, drain the excess fat, then add the marinade and bake in the oven. Depending on the size of the chicken parts, it will take about 30-40 minutes at 375°F.
Yes, there will be enough flavour from the other spices and herbs to still keep this chicken dish full of flavour. If you wanted to garnish it, you could use a little chopped parsley instead of cilantro.
I recommend that you don't omit the sugar. It's a small amount and it's important for balancing the Thai flavours in this recipe. If you're avoiding sugar in your diet, you can use Monkfruit sweetener instead.
What to serve with Thai Chicken
You'll find many starters and side dishes here on Flavour and Savour to complement this chicken with coconut milk recipe. Here are a few ideas:
- Bangkok Thai Crab Cakes with Spicy Dip: A great starter! These have all our favourite Thai flavours: sweet, salty, sour, and spicy in one little crispy bite.
- Spicy Thai Mussels: another starter, ready in 20 minutes.
- Never-Fail Thai Coconut Rice: a fragrant jasmine rice dish that pairs well with spicy Thai chicken.
- Super Crunchy Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce: fresh and flavourful!
- Thai Cucumber Salad: a crunchy side dish with cooling cucumbers to balance the slightly spicy chicken.
- Stir-Fried Vegetables - a simple and healthy way to add some greens to your meal.
- Thai-Style Coleslaw: for a crispy, crunchy side.
- Asian Pear Slaw with Ginger and Lime: a cooling, refreshing slaw.
🥶 Storage and Freezer Instructions
If you're not planning to use this Thai Baked Chicken right away, lay the freezer bag with the chicken and the marinade flat on a baking sheet or other flat surface and freeze it. Then it will be ready for another day or to pack on ice to grill on your next camping trip.
Make Thai Coconut Rice (which also freezes well) to go with it. Then all you'll have to do is prepare a salad and veggies.
How easy is that?
🗒 More chicken recipes to marinate and freeze
Love easy meals that you can prep, marinate and freeze? Here are a few more favourites!
This Thai baked chicken recipe has consistently been one of the most popular recipes on Flavour and Savour. It has lots of flavour without being overly spicy and it's quick and easy to make. It was originally published in 2015. I've updated it with extra information to make it more helpful.
When you make this Thai chicken recipe, please leave a comment and a star rating below. Thanks in advance! Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox once a week.
📖 Recipe
Easy Thai Baked Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or 12 boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon oil (for skillet)
Marinade
- 1-½ cups chopped fresh cilantro
- ¾ cup canned coconut milk
- 12 leaves fresh basil
- 1 large or 2 small jalapeños, seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ - ½ inch slice of fresh ginger
- 1-½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1-½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoon packed brown sugar, or coconut palm sugar
- 2 limes cut into wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Add marinade ingredients to food processor and purée until smooth.
- Arrange chicken parts in a single layer in a large freezer bag. Pour marinade over chicken, seal tightly or vacuum seal and massage the marinade into the chicken a bit. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours, or simply lay it flat in the freezer and freeze for another day.
- To bake bone-in skin-on chicken: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium to high heat. Add oil and wait until it ripples or shimmers. Add chicken pieces and sear on each side for 3-4 minutes, then place the skillet in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes, or until it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. Check the temperature with an instant-read meat thermometer.
- To bake boneless, skinless chicken parts: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the marinated chicken parts in a baking dish. Discard the remaining marinade. Bake the chicken until it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F. about 25 - 30 minutes.
- Cover with foil and let stand on a platter for 5-10 minutes before serving.
- If you want to grill it instead: Place chicken on medium-hot well-oiled grill. Turn when chicken has grill marks (approx. 5-6 min). Cook until internal temperature is 165 degrees at the thickest part (about 7-10 minutes).
- Sprinkle with more chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
mary
can dried herbs be used? how much for each herb?
Elaine
Hi Mary, I'd guess that 12 leaves of basil would be about 2 teaspoons of dried basil. The general rule for replacing fresh cilantro with dried is 1 : 2, but 3/4 of a cup of dried cilantro just doesn't sound right to me! I'd recommend sticking with fresh cilantro. Hope this helps!
mary
the marinade sounds so good i wouldnt be able to dsicard it! has anyone just baked the chicken and the marinade together in the oven?
Karen
I have made this a dozen times, every time I need something different that looks great!
It is always fragrant and delicious ! ( I actually just prepped it and froze it last night for a holiday meal later this week ).
Elaine
Oh, that's great to hear, Karen! And that's such a great idea to make it ahead of time and freeze it. I love having pre-made meals ready to thaw and bake. Thanks for the 5-star rating!
Grazyna Myslinska
Fantastic recipe! Even my granddaughter who is a picky eater loved it!
Elaine
That's wonderful to hear! Thanks so much for letting me know!