Have you ever had a meal so good, you can’t stop thinking about it? That was me recently with the Coconut Chicken Thailandese from Thai Diner, the New York restaurant that famously marries American diner traditions with Thai street food. Though their chicken seemed to be made in the classic Milanese preparation, there was really something special about how the slightly-sweet coconut crust paired with the extra-coconutty chicken. I can’t stop dreaming about it, and I knew I had to attempt to re-create it.
I started by marinating the chicken in lime juice, fish sauce, and coconut milk. This is the first step to achieving the incredible, almost-sticky texture between the chicken and the coconut crust. Speaking of that crust, it’s actually really easy—just add some unsweetened shredded coconut to your panko breadcrumbs, then bread in the same way you normally would.
While Thai Diner serves their coconut chicken with a passion fruit nam prik, I wanted this to be something simple I could enjoy on a weeknight. With that in mind, I whipped up a quick spicy mayo for dipping, and a Thai-inspired cabbage salad for added crunch and to make this feel like a full meal. A little coconut rice would also be lovely.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
