Hey, I’ve got a treat of a recipe for you. Easy & quick, healthy, and full of flavor. A little creamy, a little spicy, and probably a little different than your everyday fare, unless you’re from Guatemala, where the dish Pollo en Leche de Coco – Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk is from.
Pollo en Leche de Coco – Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk
I fell hard for this gorgeous dish from the first taste. It was at a restaurant that served mostly Mexican food, but since the owner hailed from Guatemala, I was all about her Guatemalan specialties!
About Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk:
I wish I were a poet coz my words can’t do it justice. The chicken is juicy and tender, swimming in the creamy coconut sauce. And there’s a little heat, a bit of personality; the creaminess tames most of the heat, leaving behind all the flavor.
Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk is so simple; it boggles the mind. It’s hard to believe a handful of ingredients (well, there ARE quite a few spices) and very little time and effort can produce such a gorgeous dish. Everyone is gonna think you’re a stone-cold genius when this comes to the table!
Making Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk:
There is a potentially hard-to-find ingredient in the dish, Annatto, the seed from a small shrub, the Achiote plant. The taste is subtle, but it’s prized for the coloring it gives food. Hints on Annatto are under Saving Money on Groceries, but there’s also a quick substitution in the recipe.
About the only way you can go wrong is to discount how important a little zip from those hot peppers is, especially the fruitiness of the habanero.
Without those peppers, your dish will NOT be all it could be. Trust me on this! The range of peppers was chosen to mimic the flavor of the Guatemalan peppers normally used; they are all but impossible to find in the Midwest. Feel free to adjust to your heat level.
This is whole Annatto Seed
Serve With:
I served Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk as they did at the restaurant, with Guatemalan Rice and Beans and Escabeche, pickled veggies. I had to forgo the plantains; I’m a cook, not a martyr!
Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk
Leftover Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk:
Your Guatemalan chicken will still taste good the next day, but the looks will suffer. Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for three to four days.
- Reheat servings slowly, lightly covered, in the microwave.
- Larger amounts may do better in a saucepan over low heat; gently stir.
Leftovers can be frozen; for best results, freeze in smaller portions, thaw overnight heat as above.
Other Recipes You Might Like:
If you love recipes that have a little heat and the creaminess from coconut milk, here are some of my faves:
Coconut Curry Chicken Soup
Saving Money on Groceries:
What you pay for groceries depends on not just WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.
- The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Think beyond the occasion & use the opportunity to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
- If available, take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality. Be selective when shopping there.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast or Thighs:
There are options when it comes to purchasing boneless, skinless chicken breasts (and thighs, too). Generally, buying in larger amounts means you’ll pay less per pound.
- Chicken drops to a low once a quarter. Know the pricing in your area, what’s a good deal, and a great one, and never pay full price. Stock the freezer at rock bottom. Divide family packs into amounts for meals.
- Take it one step further and reduce today’s huge breasts into actual serving sizes. Large ones can be cut in half, and smaller ones trimmed to size. Package trimmings for stir-fries, casseroles, chicken strips, and so on.
- Compare sale pricing at all the available stores, and fresh to frozen. Frozen is often priced in ounces; learn how to compare to fresh, priced by the pound. Unless it’s a great sale, frozen is often more per pound than fresh on sale.
Coconut Milk:
Coconut Milk varies in price and quality. Look for full-fat with no stabilizers or gums.
- At the grocery, compare pricing in the Asian, Indian, and Latin American aisles. Check the discount bins. Stores serving diverse population areas usually sell for less. (The same day Target sold coconut milk in the burbs for $3.19, it was $1.99 in the city.)
- Check Markets and discount stores. At the grocery, it was $3.49 a can, the Asian market, $1.29, and Lidl $1.00 a can.
- Stock up at rock bottom; dates have little meaning; coconut milk keeps for years, properly stored in a cool, dark cupboard. Separation is normal.
Bell Peppers:
Use more often when they’re in season, mid to late summer; the sales will be better.
- Buy on sale or take advantage of discount store pricing. Compare the pricing of two or three packs to singles. Green peppers are the bargain; cheaper than other colors.
- Store for one to two weeks in a perforated bag (or the bag they come in; staple or tape it shut after removing one).
- If a save is needed, roast, peel, and freeze the colored ones; Green can be diced and frozen raw for recipes.
Notes:
- Keep an eye on the clerk and the scale when buying small peppers like habanero and jalapeño. They weigh so little, they might not register. More than once, I’ve seen a clerk at a legitimate chain grocery put a finger or a thumb on the scale.
- For spices not used often, buy them in the seed or pod form; they’ll keep nearly forever in a dark cupboard. Grind when ready to use.
Hello to all visiting, I’d love to hear from you if you whip up this dish; that’s the food blogger equivalent of seeing the happiness on the faces of friends and family when they eat! 🙂
Mollie
Pollo en Leche de Coco – Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk with Rice & Beans (note the Escabeche as a garnish)
Pollo en Leche de Coco – Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes`
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish Chicken
- Cuisine: Latin America
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided plus a little more if necessary
- about 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small bite-sized pieces (use thighs if you prefer)
- salt & pepper
- 1 large onion, diced finely
- 2 to 4 jalapenos, seeded and cut into a fine dice
- 1/2 to 1 habanero, finely minced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, or a mix of red and green, cut into strips, then into 1 1/2″ pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- a pinch of ground annatto (or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric & 1/4 teaspoon paprika)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed coriander seed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 – 13.5oz. cans coconut milk; may use less for a thicker stew
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro or parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
Working in batches, if necessary, in a heavy pot over medium-high heat, heat one tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken and cook turning as necessary, until chicken is golden brown. Remove to a plate and tent to keep warm.
Turn heat down to medium-low and add the remaining tablespoon oil. Add the onion and peppers and cook several minutes until the onion is translucent and the peppers are softening. Add garlic and spices (including the pinch of annatto or turmeric and paprika if you aren’t using the annatto) and cook, stirring for about a minute.
Return chicken to the pot and stir to coat chicken. Add coconut milk, anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 cans according to your preference. Simmer about 10 minutes to blend flavors. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve with rice.
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I’m sharing Pollo en Leche de Coco – Guatemalan Chicken in Coconut Milk at Fiesta Friday, hosted by Laura @ Feast Wisely.
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