This Instant Pot Coconut Chicken with Lime recipe is a 30-minute meal with only six ingredients. Serve the tender and flavorful coconut chicken with cooked rice or sautéed cauliflower rice. This recipe is gluten-free, Whole30, and keto-friendly.

coconut chicken with rice served in a bowl.

This healthy chicken recipe is full of delicious creamy coconut milk flavor, topped with the bright freshness of lime. It also has great texture from the celery and onion.

I like to serve it over steamed white rice or sautéed cauliflower rice for a keto or low-carb option.

Contents hide
1 Why You Need This Recipe
2 Key Ingredients
3 Recipe Steps
4 Recipe Tips & Substitutions
5 Recipe FAQs
6 Is This Recipe Healthy?
7 More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes You Might Like
8 Don’t Miss These Instant Pot Resources
9 Instant Pot Coconut Chicken

Why You Need This Recipe

Key Ingredients

Ingredients for coconut chicken.

Chicken thighs stay incredibly moist but you can also use chicken breasts if you prefer. Both work great! Just be sure to cut them up into 1-inch pieces first.

Onion & celery taste great in this dish but you can use what you have on hand. Carrots or bell peppers would work great too. Just be sure to chop them up before putting them into the pot.

Chicken broth adds an easy boost of flavor with one ingredient. It also helps cook all the chicken and veggies. You can also use vegetable broth if you prefer. Just be sure to check the label to make sure it’s gluten-free if you follow a gluten-free diet.

Coconut milk gives this dish a creamy and rich base that tastes delicious served over rice (or cauliflower rice). I always recommend having full-fat canned coconut milk on hand; it’s part of my list of no-sugar foods because it’s full of satisfying healthy fats.

Lime juice brightens up the sauce and complements the flavor of the coconut milk.

Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Recipe Steps

collage with process photos for how to make recipe.

Step One

The first step is to add the celery and onion to the Instant Pot.

Please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Step Two

Next, add the chicken and broth to the pot.

Step Three

Lock on the lid and then cook it for 8 minutes at high pressure.

Step Four

Use the quick-release and then stir in the coconut milk and fresh lime juice. That’s it!

Depending on the type of diet you’re following, you can serve the tender chicken over sautéed cauliflower rice, steamed basmati rice, or even with cooked noodles. It’s your choice.

Recipe Tips & Substitutions

  • If you don’t like celery, then feel free to substitute a similar vegetable instead (fennel, carrots, or bell peppers would all work okay too). But, in the interest of keeping this recipe to just a few ingredients, I used celery and onion.
  • Feel free to add a cup of chopped mushrooms for even more texture to this dish. Again, in the interest of keeping this a really simple recipe, I just used onion and celery.
  • Also, you can choose whether or not you want to use chicken thighs or chicken cutlets. The most important part is that you cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces so it cooks quickly and evenly.
  • If you want to add even more spice and flavor to this recipe, feel free to add 1 teaspoon of curry powder OR 1 teaspoon of green curry paste to the Instant Pot before cooking.
  • You can also make this recipe in the slow cooker. Just add all the ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 5-6 hours.
creamy cooked chicken in the instant pot.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use frozen chicken in this recipe?

Yes! This recipe is meant for bite-sized pieces of chicken so frozen chicken will only work here if it’s already cut into chunks or is thawed enough to cut up. Add 5 minutes to the cooking time for frozen chunks of chicken.

What can I serve with this Coconut Chicken?

Steamed rice or sautéed cauliflower rice is ideal. See my recipe for Instant Pot Basmati Rice.

Is This Recipe Healthy?

This dish has lots of healthy nutrition, and is Whole30, paleo, gluten-free, and keto-friendly. Plus, it’s so darned easy make. Each serving includes approximately:

  • 275 calories
  • 15 grams of fat
  • 28 grams of protein
  • 7 gram of carbohydrate
  • 2.5 grams of sugar (naturally occurring)
coconut chicken with rice.

More Instant Pot Chicken Recipes You Might Like

If you like this Instant Pot Coconut Chicken recipe, you’ll probably also like my Instant Pot Chicken & Sweet Potato dinner which is another super simple recipe. Or, try my super easy and flavorful Instant Pot Indian Chicken Curry made with coconut milk.

Other favorites include:

And, don’t forget to check out my epic Instant Pot Chicken Recipes round-up featuring my favorite recipes.

If you’re new to eating a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, you might also like my round-up of the best gluten-free and dairy-free recipes.

Don’t Miss These Instant Pot Resources

20+ Healthy Instant Pot Side Dishes

Best Healthy Instant Pot Cookbooks for 2022

Instant Pot Meal Prep Gift Guide (Plus Recipes)

How to Use the Instant Pot Duo (For Beginners)

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

And, consider following me on social media so we can stay connected. I’m on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube!

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instant pot coconut chicken

Instant Pot Coconut Chicken

★★★★★

4.3 from 12 reviews
Print Recipe

This Instant Pot Coconut Chicken with Lime recipe is a 30-minute meal with only six ingredients. Serve the tender and flavorful coconut chicken with cooked rice or sautéed cauliflower rice. This recipe is gluten-free, Whole30, and keto-friendly.

  • Total Time: 33 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 bunch of celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1.25 pounds chicken thighs or chicken cutlets, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Add the celery and onion to the pot of your pressure cooker. Place the chicken tenders on top of the celery. Add the chicken broth  and lock on the Instant Pot lid.
  2. Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes. When the cooking time is complete, let the pressure come down naturally for 5 minutes, then release any remaining pressure. 
  3. Carefully remove the lid. Pour in the coconut milk and fresh lime juice and give the soup a good stir. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  4. Serve with cooked rice or cauliflower rice, if desired.

Notes

  1. Store any leftovers in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. 
  2. If you don’t like celery, then feel free to substitute a similar vegetable instead (fennel, carrots, or bell peppers would all work okay too). But, in the interest of keeping this recipe to just a few ingredients, I used celery and onion.
  3. Also, you can choose whether or not you want to use chicken thighs or chicken cutlets. The most important part is that you cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces so it cooks quickly and evenly.
  • Author: Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 minutes
  • Category: Main dish, soup
  • Method: Pressure cooker, instant pot
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Keywords: instant pot chicken, coconut chicken dish, easy chicken recipe

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About the Author: Carrie Forrest is the author of the best-selling Instant Pot-authorized cookbook, The Healthy Meal Prep Instant Pot Cookbook. She has a master’s degree in public health with a specialty in nutrition and receives more than 7 million annual visitors to her site. Send Carrie a message through her contact form.