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This Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken with Sweet Potatoes is a fusion of Thai flavors. It’s the perfect bowl of warming comfort food that’s full of color and flavor. Made with chicken breasts or thighs, spices, sweet potatoes, bell peppers and creamy coconut milk. It’s cozy, creamy, just perfectly spicy, and filled with vegetables. Finish each bowl off with steamed rice, herbs, and plenty of lime.

Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken with Sweet Potatoes | halfbakedharvest.com

And here we are, the first recipe of the new year. I’m not sure I’m ready for another full year of recipes (when you start to think about it…it’s a lot of recipe). But ready or not I’m excited, especially for the recipes I already know I have coming.

I wasn’t sure what to post today, I had some options, but this ended up feeling like a good fit. It’s healthy, but cozy. And since we’re enjoying below freezing temps here, I decided that this is what I’d want to be making today.

Plus, I love the colors, the flavors, and the fact this is pretty simple to make.

Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken with Sweet Potatoes | halfbakedharvest.com

The details – start with seasoning the chicken

The spice mix on the chicken is key to the flavor. It’s a mix of turmeric, ginger, and black pepper. Toss the chicken with the spices. Then, if you can, let the chicken sit in the spices to take on ever more flavor. You don’t have to do this, but an overnight hang in the fridge does add a little more flavor to the dish.

That’s really the only “prep” step.

Next, sear the chicken in a big dutch oven style pot and get it a little crispy. Then pull the chicken out and in goes everything else. Sauté the vegetables, bell peppers, shallots, and garlic, and add chili flakes to taste. Then toss in the sweet potato and pour over the coconut milk.

I love adding a couple tablespoons of fish sauce too. I highly recommend this, but you can use soy sauce as well.

Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken with Sweet Potatoes | halfbakedharvest.com

Braising

When everything is in, just cover the pot and let the chicken slowly cook in the coconut milk. It doesn’t take too long, about 25 minutes or so for thighs, shorter if you’re using breasts.

The the coconut milk is obviously creamy and flavorful. But it also prevents the chicken from drying out and creates super tender pieces of chicken.

Since this is such a saucy dish, I love to make a big pot of steamed rice and serve the chicken over the rice. Then top the chicken with lots of Thai basil, lime juice, and salty peanuts for a nice crunch…so delicious!

This one is simple, healthy, and delicious. It’s the perfect (non-boring) recipe to really kick off the new year!! Oh and lastly, while it’s not traditional to Thai cooking, a side of fresh, warm naan is especially delicious with this creamy curry sauce.

Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken with Sweet Potatoes | halfbakedharvest.com

Looking for other healthy dinner recipes? Here are my favorites: 

30 Minute Creamy Thai Turmeric Chicken and Noodles

Healthier Italian Wedding Soup with Lemon and Garlic

25 Minute Thai Black Pepper Chicken and Garlic Noodles

Lastly, if you make this Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 547 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • 1. Toss the chicken with the turmeric, ginger, cumin, pepper, a pinch of salt, and 1 tablespoon oil. Let sit 5 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge.
    2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until browned, about 2 minutes. Pull the chicken out of the pan.
    3. To the pot, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the peppers, shallots, garlic, and chili flakes, cook 3 minutes, then toss in the sweet potatoes. Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the coconut milk and fish sauce. Slide the chicken and any juices on the plate into the milk. Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of water. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt.
    4. Divide rice between bowls, then spoon the chicken and sauce over the rice. Top with basil, peanuts, and lime juice.
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Coconut Milk Braised Black Pepper Chicken with Sweet Potatoes | halfbakedharvest.com

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Comments

  1. 3 stars
    This one was a little bit of a miss for us — we followed the directions & recipe exactly and felt it was overall a little lacking in flavor. It wasn’t bad, just seemed like a very mild coconut milk soup kind of thing without much going on. I’m not sure what I’d do differently next time — maybe more of all the spices? Liked the sweet potatoes, though! That was a fun addition to a cozy meal.

    1. Hey Meghan,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan

  2. 5 stars
    Made this tonight and loved it!! Added mushrooms because… I add mushrooms to everything 🙂 thanks for this one!

    1. Hey there,
      Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have the best week:) xT

  3. Instructions say: “Toss the chicken with the turmeric, ginger, cumin, pepper, a pinch of salt, and 1 tablespoon oil.” When you mix all those together – you just have a PASTE! Then there is not tossing to coat the chicken pieces. Clearly that can’t be right! Should I toss the chicken in the spices first to get the chicken coated – then maybe add the oil? Or should the oil be left out of that part completely? I never have time to read the entire post or watch the video – I figure the instructions will tell me what to do – and they did and I did what they said, but I’ll have to start over with the spices now again and leave out the oil.

      1. That makes more sense, but it wasn’t written that way. Thanks for clarification. I ended up just leaving oil out of that particular step and it did turn out delicious.

    1. Hi Lucy,
      Sorry for any confusion, but that’s all I do with the chicken, if you feel the chicken isn’t coated well toss with the oil first and then add the spices. I hope this helps:) It should be similar to a paste once coated in the chicken. xTieghan

      1. That makes more sense, but it wasn’t written that way. Thanks for clarification. I ended up just leaving oil out of that particular step and it did turn out delicious.

  4. 5 stars
    This was an epic recipe. Have made it twice already. I didn’t have coconut milk so used coconut cream instead. Also only have one can which gave it an incredible sticky ish effect. Loved it.

    1. Hi Sherry,
      Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for trying it out! Have the best weekend❄️ xTieghan

  5. 5 stars
    WOW, this recipe impressed my entire family. I decided to do it with shrimp and just let the sauce simmer without the shrimp for 15 minutes, then put the shrimp in for the last 10 minutes. it was perfect! I added a little extra water to the sauce as well since my coconut milk was extra hardened (as in not much milk, mostly cream at the top) and we wanted to have it over rice noodles. It was a hit! My first time trying any kind of Thai dish and I will absolutely be making this again!!

    1. Hi Victoria,
      Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! Thanks so much for your kind message. xx

  6. 5 stars
    Amazing!! Very easy to make and made the whole house smell so good. My kids loved it-went back for seconds:) So flavorful and full of very healthy ingredients and spices! A+

    1. Hey there,
      Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! xT

  7. 5 stars
    This recipe has been pure comfort. I did not know that I NEEDED sweet potatoes in my curry, and now I cannot stop thinking about it. I have been the person in the past who only orders curry at Thai restaurants, or uses the premade red curry if I attempt at home, so you inspired me to try this, and it is amazing. I still have to add a bit of brown sugar to replicate more of a Thai curry, but it is just perfect. Thank you for the continuous inspiration! I also shared this with my favorite people.

    1. Hey Heather,
      Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it!! Have the best day:) xx

        1. Hey Sue,
          Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx

  8. This was amazing and easy to make! But also I feel like my sauce was quite thin after after simmering for so long. The flavor behind it had a great depth, but do you have any future recommendations for thickening it up?

    1. Hey Lexi,
      Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! This sauce is not meant to be thick:) xTieghan

  9. Yummy yummy yummy. Made earlier this week, leftovers tonite. Used yams instead of sweet potatoes as hubby didn’t know There is a difference was amazing!!! Wonderful mix of spices. We’re of the mindset that anything with green peppers can be made better with any other color proper 🙂 but we made this with green bells and it was amazing. First recipe that changed our perspective on green bells.

  10. The flavor of this recipe was really good, but there was too much coconut milk in this for my family. We all had tummy problems afterwards from the high fat content. Because it was so delicious, and just in case it was an issue with the package of meat I used, we made it again a few weeks later… Same result. Third time around I reduced the coconut milk to 1/3 of the original amount and added some chicken broth. The flavors still came through, and with the chicken broth the whole dish felt a little more like a light healthy lunch soup with lots of veggies. Thanks for the recipe, though this wasn’t a perfect winner for us we still enjoyed trying it!

    1. So good! I added about 2tsps of curry powder and it turned out amazing! Very versatile dish, you could probably add baby corn and it would be delicious!

  11. Hi Tieghan!
    Just double checking that this is 2 cans of coconut milk, and not just one. It looks like less in your reel, but maybe you just showed part of it. So excited to make this!!

    1. Hey Sarah,
      Yes, that is correct, 2 cans of coconut milk. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan

  12. 5 stars
    Made the Thai Black Pepper Chicken last night and have lots of coconut milk left over from that dish to use, so will be trying this recipe tonight. I am so happy to have found out about this site because Tieghan’s tastes match my family’s completely. So far, we have LOVED all of the dishes we have tried. Thank you for your expertise and time in creating and sharing all of these wonderful recipes!

  13. This dish is DELICIOUS! Would definitely recommend and will be making again. It is the perfect balance of cozy and healthy, and is an easy weeknight dinner. Thank you Tieghan for another 10/10 recipe!

  14. 5 stars
    This dish is SO GOOD. And potentially even better leftover. The black pepper/coconut milk combo is incredible. We served it with white rice, and it was hearty without being heavy, which is perfect for this time of year. I did cook it at a higher temp and for longer than listed because my sweet potatoes weren’t cooking through (but that could’ve been because of the size I cut them). Thanks for another great recipe!

        1. Hi Sue,
          Awesome!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx