Coconut Chicken in the Oven

I'm always browsing the internet world for new and exciting ideas for recipes. In one of my latest searches, I read a lot about a recipe by Jamie Oliver for Chicken in Milk. It's a whole chicken, cooked in a milk bath, that has been flavored with lemon, cinnamon, and a bunch of garlic-y goodness. There have been so many rave reviews for it that I was getting pretty curious. The recipe looked pretty good and definitely interesting, so after mulling over the uniqueness of it for awhile, I decided to give it a try. I had to put my own spin on it though so I went with my obsession of the moment: coconut milk instead of regular milk.


Besides replacing 1 cup of milk with a can of coconut milk, I didn't change too much of the rest of the recipe. I used parsley instead of the sage Jamie Oliver used and left it covered for half the cooking time to keep the chicken juicy. It was a really simple dish to make and the house smelled wonderful from the assortment of flavors melding together in the oven.

When I tasted the finished product, I really liked it but I didn't love it. It was good, but I sometimes wonder if I build up my expectations too much when it comes to certain things. This may have been one of those things. The chicken itself was very moist, but the flavor was a little lacking for my taste buds. All the flavors were present, but maybe they weren't strong enough for me. I'm sure I'll make it again though because the chicken was really tender and perfectly cooked. Maybe I'll use two cans of the coconut milk next time....

Coconut Chicken in the Oven


1 3.5 - 4 lb chicken
4 TB butter
2 TB oil 


1 can light coconut milk
1 c  milk
10 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
Zest of two lemons
1/2 c parsley
Pinch cinnamon
Salt and pepper


1. Preheat 375
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Heat butter and oil in large pot and brown chicken on all sides over high heat.
4. Remove the chicken and set it aside. Discard leftover grease/butter/oil left in the pan.
5. Put chicken back in the pot along with the remaining ingredients.
6. Cover and cook for 1 hour, basting a few times.
7. Remove lid and cook another 1 hour or until chicken is cooked through.