A coconut lime curry marinade lends intense flavor for this grilled lime coconut chicken. Serve over rice for the perfect meal! 

You know a recipe is a keeper when it has been a tried-and-true favorite for over a decade. This chicken is just that! It is one of the most delicious recipes on my website. Scroll down to see why!

Grilled chicken breasts with cilantro and sauce on white tray.

Ultra-Flavorful Chicken Marinade

The marinade for this chicken packs a serious punch of flavor. Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

  • coconut milk
  • fresh lime juice and lime zest
  • curry powder
  • ground cumin and coriander
  • soy sauce
  • pinch of cayenne pepper

The key is to reserve half of the marinade for later. It is going to make the most delicious, drizzling sauce you’ve ever tasted. 😍

The other half of the marinade goes over the chicken. Let it hang out in the fridge for at least two hours or up to 12 hours.

Of course I don’t need to say this out loud, but: the longer the chicken marinates, the better the flavor will be.

Grill the chicken on an outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. If you don’t have a grill, you can cook in a skillet or under the broiler in the oven.

The Most Wonderful Combo

While the chicken cooks, get the coconut rice going on the stovetop, and warm the reserved sauce.

Despite the various components, this meal comes together really quickly. It is basically a super elevated take on chicken and rice. Once that chicken marinades, it is easy and fast!

The combination of the juicy grilled chicken, creamy coconut rice, and intensely flavorful sauce is out of this world. To get the full effect of a rockstar-level meal, you have to experience every element! It is so, so, so good.

Sliced grilled chicken breast with rice and fresh limes on gray plate.

A Few Additional Notes

This is one of my favorite meals to serve to company. It has such a high WOW factor with very low effort.

Because the recipe relies heavily on the curry powder to flavor the marinade and sauce, be sure to use a curry powder that you like the flavor of. Almost all brands of curry powder vary in flavor and heat.

My all-time favorite curry powder is the sweet curry powder from Penzey’s spices. But there are many other delicious brands out there!

For a delicious serving idea, lots of people have made this recipe into rice bowls. Coconut rice + grilled chicken + sauce + roasted vegetables. Incredible. 😍

Piece of chicken on fork with rice and cilantro.

So Many 5-Star Reviews

Here are just a few of them! Scroll through the comments to see lots of other reviews and comments.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This has been a staple in our house since 2016/2017. It’s a super delicious and forgiving recipe. I think the coconut rice might be my husband’s favorite thing in the world (I also think it’s ridiculously good), make sure not to skip out on it! -Tish

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We have made this a dozen times or more and keep coming back to it. Always a crowd favorite! -Jenna

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This recipe is INCREDIBLE! I have made it for years and it’s truly amazing! Easy to make and so full of flavor. I only make recipes that I feel I would want to order at a restaurant and this is definitely one of them!! -Lauren

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is such a delicious recipe! The family goes crazy over this. It’s definitely better if it’s grilled, but some days I make it in the pan and it’s still great. And you MUST make coconut rice with this. If you don’t, you don’t get the whole effect. -Nicole

What to Serve With This

Grilled chicken breast slices with sauce, rice and fresh limes on gray plate.

Grilled Lime Coconut Chicken with Coconut Rice

4.83 stars (90 ratings)

Ingredients

Chicken and Marinade/Sauce:

  • 1 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • Zest and juice of 2 limes
  • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 4 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs

Coconut Rice:

  • 1 ½ cups long grain white or jasmine rice
  • 1 ½ cups canned coconut milk
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Garnish:

  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • Fresh limes, cut into wedges

Instructions 

  • For the marinade, in a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together the oil, lime zest, lime juice, cumin, coriander, soy sauce, salt, sugar, curry powder, coconut milk, and cayenne pepper.
  • Pour half the marinade into a bowl or container. Cover and refrigerate for later.
  • Place the chicken in a large ziploc bag or shallow dish, and pour the remaining marinade over the chicken. Seal the bag or cover the dish, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
  • For the rice, bring the rice, coconut milk, water and salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 16 minutes until the liquid is mostly evaporated (don't lift the lid!). Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff lightly before serving.
  • For the chicken, preheat a grill to medium-high heat. I use a pellet grill and set the temperature to 375 degrees F.
  • Grill the chicken for 6-7 minutes per side (actual time will depend on the thickness of the chicken) until an instant-read thermometer inserted at the thickest part registers 165 degrees F.
  • While the chicken cooks, heat the reserved marinade on the stovetop or in the microwave until warm (don't cook at too high a temperature or it can separate).
  • Drizzle warm sauce over the grilled chicken, serving extra sauce on the side. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over the chicken. Serve chicken and sauce over cooked rice with fresh lime wedges on the side.

Notes

Curry: the flavor of curry powder really varies depending on brand. My two top favorite brands are the sweet curry powder from Penzey’s Spices and the curry powder from Spice Islands (the yellow powder not the red).
Chicken: if the chicken breasts are really thick, I like to cut them in half (like a hamburger bun) to form two thinner chicken cutlets before marinating. This ensures a more flavorful chicken piece. 
Update: the original recipe called for simmering the marinade to use as a sauce, but this often caused the marinade to curdle and separate (and a lot of people didn’t like the idea of using the same sauce that had been used to marinade the chicken). I updated the recipe to include a better method for marinating AND having sauce that didn’t separate. If you still want to use that original recipe/method, halve the marinade ingredients and use all of it to marinate the chicken. Pour off the marinade into a saucepan and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes and drizzle over the chicken. 
I also increased the rice recipe to better fit with the serving size of the chicken. The original rice recipe was 1 cup rice + 1 cup coconut milk + 1 cup water + 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 763kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 54g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 21g, Cholesterol: 145mg, Sodium: 1713mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 9g

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (adapted from a recipe originally found on a website that is no longer in operation)

Recipe originally published June 2013; updated September 2024 with new photos, recipe notes, etc

A white rectangular platter lined with grilled chicken.