Thai Chicken Breast in Coconut Milk

I’ve had enough of black-eyed peas and greens, at least until tomorrow.  And honestly, the transition back to healthy eating isn’t going all that smoothly.  So, here’s an attempt at something that tastes and feels rich, but maybe isn’t so bad for you.  I used lite coconut milk at least.

Let me start by saying that poached chicken is a lovely, soft, velvety dish, that’s pretty hard to pull off in my experience.  I’ve only ever tried it in broth and overcooked it every time.  You just end up with boiled chicken that way, that leaves most of the flavor in the broth and makes for a kind of rubbery texture.  Not the same at all.  This is the most successful I’ve ever been at poaching chicken.  Yay me!

This dish is a little bit strange.  The texture is a little too smooth.  The color is a little too blah.  The sauce is a little too thick.  I liked it.  But I wanted to love it.  I don’t love it.

First of all, it’s really unattractive.  If I hadn’t added the carrots it would have been almost entirely beige and brown.  Unless you’re eating biscuits and sausage gravy, an all beige and brown dish isn’t very appetizing to look at.  Second, the sauce is a little bit much.  I think you could cut the coconut milk with chicken stock as the poaching liquid and cook that down in the end.  It would lighten things up some as well.  Finally, the poached chicken is so soft and velvety, which is good, that the shiitake mushrooms have more bite to them than the chicken.  It’s unexpected, and not in a good way.  Ultimately, I’m glad I halved this recipe.  I liked it enough to eat one serving of leftovers, but not more than that.

Here’s what you need for 4 servings, as in the original recipe: (the photo is what I used for 2 servings)

• 1 can lite coconut milk
• 3 T fish sauce
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 garlic cove, minced
• 1 stalk lemongrass, outer layers removed, core finely chopped
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally
  • NOTE:  The original recipe doesn’t call for them to be halved horizontally, but I’d have been poaching forever if I hadn’t.  And if you halve them ahead of time your 4 portions will already be done.
• 8 oz sliced shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 C matchstick carrots
• 2 scallions, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
• Rice for serving

Here’s what you do:

• Heat the milk, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic and lemongrass in a large skillet
• Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat
  • NOTE:  Do stir this as it heats.   If you don’t the coconut milk solids will stick to the bottom and burn.
• Reduce to a simmer and add the chicken; cook 5 minutes

• Flip the breasts; add the mushrooms, carrots, and scallions

• Cook another 3-5 minutes, until the chicken is done; the time will depend on the thickness of the chicken.
  • NOTE:  If you’re not sure whether or not the chicken is done, slice across the thickest part and check. You can cut it up to serve it, so you don’t lose anything by checking it.
• Remove the chicken and keep it warm
• Bring the sauce back to a simmer and cook it down 2-3 minutes

• Serve chicken and sauce over rice