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This 30 Minute Coconut Milk Braised Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Rice is a fusion of Thai and Indian flavors. It’s the perfect bowl of warming comfort food that’s also healthy…and so delicious. Quickly made in your instant pot (slow cooker, or on the stove) in just about 30 minutes. Made using good for us ingredients like high protein chicken, antioxidant-packed spices, sweet potatoes, spinach, and creamy full-fat coconut milk. It’s cozy, creamy, a little spicy, and filled with vegetables. Finish each bowl off with steamed white rice and serve with fresh naan. You’ll have the perfect healthy chicken curry that can be enjoyed any night of the week. Bonus? The leftovers are even more delicious the next day.

This is the very first post of 2020…and the very first post of a whole new decade too. I hope you all had a great NYE and enjoyed a laid back New Years’ Day. Our NYE day was low-key but very fun. We spent the afternoon playing kickball in the snow, just what everyone wanted. At night I ended up making my Indian Coconut Butter Cauliflower along with my Chicken Tikka Masala from the HBH Super Simple Cookbook. This was not what I had planned on making for NYE, but it was delicious and everyone really enjoyed it.
Today I’m feeling so excited for the new year and ready to jump right into work. Anyone else feeling the same? Something about January 2nd is always so exciting. There’s a whole fresh new year ahead…kind of like a blank slate!
Today kicks off the start of healthy January 2020. If you missed it, I rounded up all my favorite healthy recipes on Tuesday. But today I’m sharing a new family favorite. I debated sharing a salad, but in the end, this just felt right for today. This dish is so GOOD and it’s filled with healthy ingredients too.

Like the majority of HBH recipes, this was inspired by my family. I made this over Christmas break because everyone, even my brothers, all enjoy a spiced chicken curry. I wanted the flavors to be somewhat of a mix between Thai and Indian and I wanted the sauce to be extremely creamy.
Most importantly, I wanted to create a cozy, warming winter curry that was healthy, filling, and delicious. Quick and easy was a top priority as well!
I did some googling, looked through past HBH recipes, and ended up combining a few HBH recipes to create this one. The outcome? An easy chicken braised in coconut milk that’s delicious when served over rice…and with a side of naan. Of course.

For starters, this chicken braised in coconut milk can be made in the instant pot, slow cooker, or on the stove-top. I prefer using the instant pot, but either method is great. The instant pot just seems to always leave me with perfectly tender chicken that’s never dry, plus it’s so easy.
The dish starts out simply by tossing the chicken with plenty of turmeric and ground ginger which is key to creating a really flavorful chicken. Sear the chicken to give it even more flavor.

Then toss in a good amount of shallots and garlic, more ginger, sweet potatoes. and a touch of spices too. Stir this all together, then add your broth and coconut milk.
If using the instant pot, lock the lid and let it do its thing.
As this cooks, the aroma in the kitchen is truly incredible. It’s almost Indian like, but with a Thai twist.

Once done cooking, all you need to do is simmer the sauce down a little, then stir in a good amount of both spinach and lime juice and top with cilantro leaves.
And that’s it. Simple. Simple.
I served my chicken over steamed rice with some fresh naan for scooping up the creamy, coconutty sauce. If you want to go the extra mile, make some homemade chili oil, but swap the garlic for shallots. it’s DELICIOUS spooned over top the curry.
Alternately, you could serve the chicken on its own or over brown rice for a whole grain option. Rice noodles would also be delicious.

I swear they taste even better the following day. The flavors have time to mend and the sauce is just more intense. This would make for a great lunch to pack up and take to work, or just enjoy the leftovers for dinner. Either way, you’ll have an amazing meal to enjoy not once, but twice…assuming you’re not serving more than four people.
I can’t tell you how much I love this recipe. This curry is SO flavorful, SO full of color, and filled with good for us ingredients. Yet it feels totally comforting with the sweet potatoes, creamy coconut milk, and rice. The best part, well aside from all the deliciousness, is that this requires only one pot and is ready in just about 30 minutes. Perfect.
And with that, have a wonderful (healthy) start to 2020!

If you make this 30 Minute Coconut Milk Braised Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Rice 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!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

This is SO good, and SO easy, it makes me want to cry! (tears of joy) 🙂
That is amazing!! So glad you are loving this recipe Stephanie! xTieghan
So yummy! I added two chopped medium carrots to mine and loved it even more! Thanks for making such a great recipe.
I am so glad you enjoyed this Izzy! Thank you!! xTieghan
Sooo good. I have to say though, after adding the fish sauce my husband and I got *real* nervous because it didn’t smell great. BUT after cooking a while it settled down, and we couldn’t believe how good it was! Thanks for sharing, your recipes and books are my favorite 🙂
I am so glad you enjoyed this Amanda! Thank you!! xTieghan
Made this in the instant pot and it was so easy and came together wonderfully! Delicious and a sure hit in our house!
Thank you May! I am so glad you and your family loved this! xTieghan
It was my first time using my new Instant Pot – what a great success! The balance of flavours in this dish was perfect – the whole thing was absolutely delicious! I will make it again soon.
Thank you Karen! That is so great to hear! xTieghan
We made this tonight with family friends and it was delicious! We also added some cauliflower to it but other than that we did exactly as the meal was written. We made the naan suggested to go with it and that was good. It really puffed up a lot and not so flat but still good. We will make this again!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Shannon! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Just made this last night. It was delicious and easy. I used half chicken renters and half thighs. I also used lo mein noodles instead of rice. It’s a keeper and I’ll be making it again soon. I think some cashews would be good for some crunch.
My second Half Baked Harvest recipe in a week. I cooked it on the cooktop and it was delicious. Thank you for the great recipes. Look forward to trying more.
Thank you so much Jonette! xTieghan
Delicious! Used 1/4 heaping teaspoon of cayenne and it had a solid kick. No other modifications. Can’t wait to taste the day 2 leftovers 🙂 Thank you Tieghan! Next up is the chicken gnocchi soup from the new cookbook.
I am so glad you enjoyed this! I hope you love the chicken gnocchi soup! Thank you Nicole! xTieghan
I made this for dinner tonight! We loved every bite of it…including the homemade naan (using HBH recipe, of course).
That is so amazing to hear! Thank you! xTieghan
It was definitely too brothy.And sweet potatoes were mushy. I’d cut the chicken broth way back next time.Not exactly what I expected.
Hi Kate! Please let me know if you have any questions! xTieghan
Hi! I just made this and the sauce is so amazing. The only thing was that the sweet potatoes didn’t cook at all. I made sure they were submerged in the sauce before partially covering. Any tricks??
Hi Camila, what method of cooking did you use? How large did you leave your sweet potatoes? Next time try cutting the potatoes smaller. No matter the method, this will ensure the potatoes cook up faster for you. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Sooooo good! My new favorite meal ?
Thank you so much CJ! xTieghan
Ok. I just made this. I did the Instant Pot version. I was disappointed when I took the lid off as mine looked thin and watery, the sweet potato disintegrated and it just didn’t look like the pictures. Then I tasted it. Oh. My. God. It was amazing. Proves that looks aren’t everything. It is absolutely delicious. Another winner!
Thank you Sarah! I am so glad you still enjoyed this! Please let me know if you have any questions! xTieghan
I made this for dinner last night and it was amazing! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thank you Talia! xTieghan