Thai Lemongrass Chicken is an easy recipe for making oven roasted or Instant Pot whole chicken cooked in coconut milk. It's a flavorful and satisfying Asian meal that'll make you feel cozy!
What is it that makes Thai food so delicious? Essentially, it's about flavor, or rather, taste.
There are five fundamental tastes, and most cuisines focus on creating dishes that reach one or two of them.
Thai cuisine takes things up a notch, attempts to reach our taste buds with all of them. This can be either together in a single dish, or over the courses of an entire meal.
Thai lemongrass chicken in coconut milk
While this recipe doesn't capture all five tastes, it definitely has a wonderful sweet and sour combination!
Cuisine: Asian / Thai
For coastal countries like Thailand, the Silk Road trade route left the roads and moved onto water. In fact, the Maritime Silk Road is responsible for bringing culinary influences from the Mediterranean and Indian regions into Thailand.
Course: Main Dish
Recipe Difficulty: Easy 🥄
Description:
Whether you make oven roasted or Instant Pot whole chicken, the meat will be incredibly tender and juicy. If that doesn't do the trick, the lemongrass, Thai basil and coconut milk in the dish will have you craving a second helping!
Recipe Video
To see this recipe in action, watch the video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Recipe Notes
- Lemongrass substitute- If you can't find any fresh lemongrass, use 2 tablespoons lemongrass paste. Look for it in the produce section of your local supermarket.
- Use a Dutch oven that is stove top and oven safe. If you don't have an ovenproof skillet or pan, brown the chicken, then transfer it to a casserole dish or baking pan large enough to hold the chicken and other ingredients.
- Servings
On average, a whole 5 pound fryer yields 1.5 pounds of meat after cooking. This will be enough for six 4-ounce servings.
If you own a pressure cooker, you'll be happy to know that Thai lemongrass chicken is just as simple to make in an Instant Pot as it is in the oven! There are just a couple of things to keep in mind:
Notes for Instant Pot Whole Chicken
- You'll need a trivet.
The trivet holds the chicken above the coconut milk to prevent it from becoming soggy. We're not braising the meat- we want Thai roasted chicken.
If your pressure cooker is an Instant Pot brand, a trivet should have been in the box. Otherwise, you should be able to find one at any store that sells electric pressure cookers.
- Crispy skin requires an extra step.
Unfortunately, it isn't possible to get crispy golden skin in the Instant Pot, but it IS possible under an oven broiler!
Using the trivet handles, life the whole chicken out of the Instant Pot and transfer it onto a baking sheet lined with foil. Then, place it under the oven broiler for 2-4 minutes.
NOTE:
Use caution when broiling, because food can go from golden to burnt very quickly.
FAQ
As a general rule, the oven cooking time for whole chicken at 375°F. is 20 minutes per pound, plus an additional 15 minutes.
On average, it takes 6 minutes per pound to pressure cook a whole chicken, plus 3 minutes for each half pound. After cooking, allow a natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes before quick releasing any remaining pressure.
3 pound chicken: 18 minutes on high pressure
4 pound chicken: 24 minutes on high pressure
5 pound chicken: 30 minutes on high pressure
Generally, a 5 pound whole chicken yields 1.5 pounds of boneless skinless chicken meat after cooking. This is enough for six 4-ounce servings.
The fundamental flavors of Thai cuisine
The next time you sit down for a taste of Thai, think about which of these flavors are in the dish.
- SPICY - This typically comes in the form of Asian hot sauces and spicy curries. The combination of spicy and sweet is featured in dishes like sweet and spicy shrimp pizza.
- SWEET - Dishes like Thai mango salad and ingredients like coconut milk allow us to experience the sweetness.
- SALTY - There's a bit of fsh sauce for extra saltiness in fried pork belly sliders, and that saltiness is found in many other dishes too.
- SOUR - The sour flavor of tamarind and lime are sure to make you pucker
- BITTER - Thai cuisine incorporates fresh leaves of plants, and many of them add bitterness
- UMAMI - Soy, mushrooms, and other earthy umami flavored ingredients are used often to help balance the other flavors in the dsh.
Thai Lemongrass Chicken + Video
Ingredients
- 5 ½ lb whole bone-in chicken
- 2 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 sticks cinnamon broken
- ¼ cup fresh sage leaves loosely packed
- 1 stalk lemongrass or lemongrass paste (See Note 1)
- 1 lemon zested
- 12 cloves garlic
- 28 oz full fat coconut milk 2 cans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Season the chicken with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Heat oil in a heavy based oven-proof pot (See Note 2) over medium high heat and brown the chicken all over. Be careful not to scorch the skin on bottom, you want to brown it. I constantly moved it around in the pot using tongs.
- Carefully remove chicken and set aside on a plate. Pour the out the excess fat and set aside to roast vegetables or discard. With spoon, scrape up bits of cooked chicken on bottom of pan and leave in pan. Return chicken to the pot, add remaining ingredients and bake covered for 90 minutes.
- Remove lid and baste chicken with juices. Leave uncovered and bake uncovered for 35 minutes.
- Let stand for 10 minutes before removing the chicken. Remove and discard lemon grass and cinnamon stick from sauce. Carefully cut into pieces or completely shred meat. Serve chicken with the sauce on the side and steamed rice with vegetables of choice.
Instant Pot Method
- Pat dry the chicken with paper towels. Season the chicken with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Add trivet to Instant Pot. Place whole chicken on trivet and add the cinnamon sticks, sage leaves, lemon grass, lemon zest, garlic cloves and pour coconut milk over all.
- Cover with lid and seal vent. Cook on Poultry or High Pressure setting for 6 minutes per pound. Allow pressure to naturally release for at least 10 minutes.
- Carefully lift chicken out of Instant Pot using trivet handles and discard cinnamon sticks, sage leaves, lemon grass, lemon zest pieces. Strain cooking liquid and press cooked garlic through sieve. Add cooking liquid back to Instant Pot and press the Sauté setting. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered to reduce. Serve with shredded chicken.
- ***If you're looking for crispy skin on chicken, it isn't possible in the Instant Pot, but it's possible under an oven broiler! Using the trivet handles, remove chicken from Instant Pot and transfer to a baking sheet lined with foil. Place under broiler for 2-4 minutes, watching closely so as not to burn.
Notes
- For fresh lemongrass, trim and split lengthwise. If unavailable, use 2 tablespoons lemongrass paste, found in the produce section of most supermarkets. Stir it in with the coconut milk before pouring over chicken.
- Use a Dutch oven that is stove top and oven safe. If you don't have an ovenproof skillet or pan, brown the chicken, then transfer it to a casserole dish or baking pan large enough to hold the chicken and other ingredients.
- Cook Time for Whole Chicken in Oven
- Cook Time for Instant Pot Whole Chicken
4 pound chicken: 24 minutes on high pressure
5 pound chicken: 30 minutes on high pressure
Allow a natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes before quick releasing any remaining pressure.
- Servings
*The information shown below is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Nutrition
This is wonderful. Loved it.