Coconut Basil Chicken with Brown Rice

I now pronounce you, coconut basil sauce and wife.

Coconut Basil Chicken with Brown Rice

I can’t stop with the sauces. Nor would I ever want to. Nor could I ever want to. Nor should I ever want to.

I’m a loner, Dottie. A rebel – geeeetting off track.

This sauce is all about the basil. Four cups of it. More if you have it! Just go out to your garden and get all Basil Scissorhands on it.

But this wouldn’t be BEVCOOKSDOTCOM if there wasn’t coconut milk somewhere. Let me put your mind at ease. It’s here. It’s in the sauce. Now we can rejoice like little angel tree babies that drink the morning dew.

(don’t ask)

Coconut Basil Chicken with Brown Rice  Coconut Basil Chicken with Brown Rice

The chicken is dusted with a mix of curry-type spices and lime juice before hitting a hot pan with diced carrots. The carrots tenderize, the chicken browns, you do the Macarena.

Then comes the sauce. Good glory bedazzlefrass, the sauce. It’s a quick blitz in the food processor of coconut milk (!!!!), 88 truckloads of floral basil, fresh ginger, garlic, more lime juice and a little salt. Once it’s added to the pan, the turmeric from the chicken gives it this glorious yellow color to the entire dish (and frankly, a @#($@*#$ yellow color to my spoon, clothes, counter, face and entire life).

Coconut Basil Chicken with Brown Rice

This meal. I almost can’t deal with it. Top just a small amount of rice with it, so that the sauce gets everything nice and juicy.

Serve it with more basil! And lime wedges, natch.

Actually, go ahead and set up a crane in your mouth so you can just haul it straight up in.

Coconut Basil Chicken with Brown Rice

I think we’ll be very happy together.

Coconut Chicken with Brown Rice:

What it took for 4:

* 1 tsp each: turmeric, cumin, garlic powder
* 1/2 tsp each: coarse salt and cinnamon
* 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
* 2 (13.5 oz) cans coconut milk
* 2 limes
* 1 Tbs. fresh ginger root, roughly chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
* 4 cups basil leaves
* pinch of salt
* 2 carrots, diced
* 1 cup uncooked brown rice

In a small cup, combine the turmeric, cumin, garlic powder, salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle the chicken all over and squeeze half of one of the limes over it. Marinate as long as you want.

In a food processor, combine 1 can of coconut milk, juice from one lime, ginger, garlic, basil, and a pinch of salt. Puree until nice and smooth. Taste it. Need more salt or lime? Go right ahead.

Heat a Tbs. olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and sear on both sides, until you see a little color and the chicken is cooked through. Add the coconut basil sauce and let simmer for about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, combine the rice and the remaining can of coconut milk in a rice cooker and press “on.” That was so hard, right?

Taste that chicken in its sauce. Gosh. If it needs adjusting, add more salt or lime juice.

Serve chicken over rice and garnish with more basil and lime wedges!

*you could add some frozen peas, too for more happiness.

Coconut Basil Chicken with Brown Rice

Then eat some ice cream.

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44 Responses to Coconut Basil Chicken with Brown Rice

  1. Christine July 11, 2014 at 6:50 am #
    Woah, nelly, that IS a lot of basil! Can't wait to try it!
  2. Baby June July 11, 2014 at 7:17 am #
    That sounds delicious! Love the combo of basil + coconut, sounds very yummy! :)
  3. Trisha (Stew or a Story) July 11, 2014 at 7:20 am #
    Yum yum yum! I've been looking for a recipe to use up all the basil in my garden. This is perfect!
  4. Tieghan July 11, 2014 at 7:57 am #
    This meal is so me. Basil and coconut for the win. ALWASY!
  5. Ali | Gimme Some Oven July 11, 2014 at 8:54 am #
    Mmmmm...THAT SAUCE. Looks amazing!
  6. Mary July 11, 2014 at 9:17 am #
    I suggest that before starting the sauce, heat the saute pan on medium and toss about 1/2 cup of coconut flakes (unsweetened would probably be good, but I just use the sweetened kind because that is what I keep in the freezer) until lightly toasted. Set aside and toss with the finished dish just before serving. It will really add another dimension to your curry.
    • Bev Weidner July 11, 2014 at 9:56 am #
      Oh I'm all for toasted coconut as a garnish! I've posted that before, so I thought this time I'd go with basil. But yes! DO IT.
  7. Kara @ The Beantown Aardvarks July 11, 2014 at 9:20 am #
    This is the answer to my basil cups runneth-ing over. That sounds lewd...but delicious.
  8. Bri July 11, 2014 at 9:27 am #
    Basil scissorhands! Love that and this dish.
  9. Amanda July 11, 2014 at 10:13 am #
    Looks perfect Bev!! That sauce!!
  10. Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps July 11, 2014 at 10:40 am #
    I'll skip the ice cream, and just load up on seconds of this!
  11. Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures July 11, 2014 at 11:29 am #
    This is my kind of recipe! All that fresh basil looks amazing!
  12. Averie @ Averie Cooks July 11, 2014 at 11:37 am #
    What a beautiful meal, Bev! Pinned :)
  13. marla July 11, 2014 at 1:33 pm #
    Oh I love this...yes I do!!
  14. Genevieve July 11, 2014 at 6:51 pm #
    How do I cook the brown rice with coconut milk if I don't have a rice cooker? Do I cook the rice in the milk or do I cook rice first and then add milk?
    • Bev Weidner July 13, 2014 at 7:15 am #
      Hey, Genevieve! You'll just cook the rice in a pot, with the milk, just as you would water. So basically, cook the rice as you always do, but replace the water with coconut milk. Let me know how it turns out!
  15. Meredith July 12, 2014 at 8:18 pm #
    I need a big plate of this right now! So amazing!
  16. Nathalie C. @ Devoted Foodie July 12, 2014 at 10:20 pm #
    Basil and coconut--it doesn't get any better than that! Looks scrumptious!
  17. Carol at Wild Goose Tea July 14, 2014 at 3:52 pm #
    I have two big clumps of fresh basil just crying for me to use it. This is THE perfect recipe for those of us who are in addition coconut nuts. With the Indian accents this is my kind of recipe!
  18. Nicole July 16, 2014 at 8:04 am #
    I made this for dinner last night and oh was it delicious. When I went out to cut the basil, I picked a few cherry tomatoes that I quartered and added at the end. After his third bite, my husband asked if I would please remember to make this again. Thanks for the recipe!
  19. Heather Christo July 17, 2014 at 8:01 am #
    yes please. I want it all....
  20. Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie July 20, 2014 at 8:23 am #
    Keep the sauces coming! I love this.
  21. Cynthia July 24, 2014 at 2:21 pm #
    Just made it, accidentally doubled the cinnamon, and it is still yummy. This is my new go to recipe during basil season. Thank you!,,,
  22. Emily @ Life on Food July 25, 2014 at 12:06 pm #
    I would gulping that sauce. So yummy!
  23. Kelli H (Made in Sonoma) August 5, 2014 at 10:09 pm #
    This was amazeballs. I added zucchini and that was about my only change -- soooo good! This is a keeper.
  24. jessica August 19, 2014 at 9:00 am #
    1. This looks spectacular and I am totally making it this weekend. 2. You quoted Pee Wee and for that we are soul mates.
  25. Anisah August 23, 2014 at 7:15 am #
    Thank you for the recipe. My husband and I loved it. I did add some zucchini and mushrooms and a little more garlic and it was lovely.
  26. kiki August 28, 2014 at 7:25 pm #
    This is yummy, though I'll skip the line next time - the Thai flavour doesn't make sense with the Indian turmeric and cinnamon.
    • kiki August 28, 2014 at 7:26 pm #
      Lime! Silly phone...
  27. Kelly September 29, 2014 at 8:29 pm #
    Mine didn't turn out so well. The rice came out like mushy coconut slop as the coconut milk wasn't all absorbed. And the sauce just was lacking something. It came out pretty bland and watery. I don't understand why it was so watery.
  28. Angie October 1, 2014 at 8:20 pm #
    On our third round of this for dinner. It always turns out great and we love it! Thanks.
  29. Jeremy March 16, 2015 at 6:47 pm #
    I just made this tonight after finding the link on Huffingtonpost. Absolutely, without a doubt, 100% a keeper recipe. I did use English peas, and it was delicious!!
  30. Vickie June 23, 2015 at 3:20 pm #
    OMG! I found your recipe while searching pinterest trying to figure out WHAT IN THE WORLD TO DO WITH ALL THAT BASIL in my garden (other than pesto--my family hates pesto :( ). I made it with regular brown rice and it is DELICIOUS. I am actually writing this as the rice finishes cooking. I feel like making my family something different so I can have this all to myself! I used 3 pounds of chicken instead of one and it makes just enough sauce for all that chicken! YAY LEFTOVERS! Thank you!
  31. Lindsi March 10, 2016 at 4:44 pm #
    This has become one of my favorite recipes! I'm planning a garden for this summer and want to plant basil, do you think this sauce would freeze well? If so I could enjoy this dish all winter long! haha
  32. pepsfreefromkitchen June 5, 2016 at 3:15 pm #
    This was wonderful. So flavorsome. I've posted the recipe to my blog and linked back to you, I hope that's all right. Thank you very much.

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