I invite you to watch how a simple Instant Pot Coconut Chicken can be transformed into a dance of flavors and textures that will have you falling head over heels with your easy weeknight dinner. Get ready for an incredible show!
Among my top 5 food goals in life is:
EAT MORE PEANUT SAUCE
I take my food goals very seriously, so you better believe I'm gonna take this one to the end.
If you happen to be a peanut sauce lover too, consider this the luckiest day of your entire year (which, considering the year, might not be that hard, but stay with me here).
What started as a simple coconut chicken recipe that had me thinking, “hmm, not bad, but it needs something . . .” turned into:
COCONUT CHICKEN STUFFED SWEET POTATO WITH CRUNCHY, TANGY SLAW, DRIZZLED AGGRESSIVELY WITH PEANUT SAUCE AND TOPPED WITH ROASTED PEANUTS AND A SQUEEZE OF LIME
It's like little Miss Coconut Chicken got the ultimate makeover and is ready to PAINT. THE. TOWN!
If all you're needing is a simple coconut chicken recipe to scoop over a bowl of rice, well then that's good too.
But if you want to dance around your kitchen singing Rain at the top of your lungs with utter abandon – this ultimate stuffed sweet potato is here to kick your mood up about 5000 notches.
Got kids rolling their eyes as you flip your hair around like a rockstar? Guess what? Mama don't care cuz she's got a party on her plate and she had a hard day and right now this sweet potato and obnoxiously loud music are the best things she's done for herself all day . . .
Kids grow up fine despite our weak, childish moments, right?
Basically, you deserve to eat good, and this chicken/sweet potato/slaw/peanut dressing combo is G. O. O. D. for the soul, for the mind, and especially for the body.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE INSTANT POT COCONUT CHICKEN STUFFED SWEET POTATO
- MOSTLY EASY: Okay, there are a few elements at play here, but I've got some make-ahead tips for you that will make it all come together in no time.
- HEALTHY: Veggies all over the place, protein galore, and studies show that a daily intake of peanut sauce makes your skin glisten and wrinkles instantly fade – I'm sure I read it somewhere . . .
- FLUFFY SWEET POTATO: There is nothing that compares to a pressure cooked sweet potato – soft and creamy to the moon.
- THE SLAW: The perfect crunchy, tangy contrast to the creamy sweet potato. Buy a bag of coleslaw mix and it'll come together in a snap.
- PEANUT SAUCE: AKA Edible Gold – Sweet and spicy sauce to drizzle all over your potato to pull all of the elements together.
HOW TO MAKE COCONUT CHICKEN AND SWEET POTATOES IN THE PRESSURE COOKER
- Add the chicken and cooking liquids to the pot
- Add a trivet and stack sweet potatoes on top; pressure cook
- Prepare peanut sauce
- Blend until smooth
- Prepare the slaw
- When chicken is done, shred into bite-size pieces
- To serve, pile chicken on top of fluffed sweet potato
- Pile cabbage on top of the chicken
- Drizzle everything with peanut sauce
SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR DETAILED COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST COCONUT CHICKEN STUFFED SWEET POTATO
- PREP THE CHICKEN RIGHT: I like to either use chicken tenderloins or cut a chicken breast into the same size and shape of a tenderloin. It helps it cook up tender and allows more surface area for infusing flavor.
- SWEET POTATO SIZE: Stick with a small to medium size sweet potato. The gigantic potatoes aren't going to cook through with the allotted cook time.
- COOK MORE POTATOES: If you need more than will fit on the trivet, go ahead and bake the sweet potatoes or use a second pressure cooker to make Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes.
- PEANUT SAUCE: I use the natural, unsweetened PB that needs to be stirred. It makes the sauce more drizzle-able and packs a strong peanut taste. The recipe makes more than you need, but it freezes well, so I suggest making the entire batch.
- LITE COCONUT MILK: Full fat coconut milk is extra thick and is more likely to burn to the bottom of the pot. Stick with lite and you won't have this problem.
- MAKE IT SPICY: If you want a spicier chicken, feel free to double or triple the amount of curry paste in the cooking liquids.
HOW TO STORE, REHEAT, AND FREEZE COCONUT CHICKEN AND SWEET POTATO
- Store: Cool leftovers and store the chicken, potatoes, slaw, and peanut sauce in individual containers for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Chicken can be reheated in the microwave or in a saute pan. Reheat sweet potatoes in the oven or microwave until hot.
- Freeze: Place chicken in a freezer-safe ziptop bag and freeze flat for up to 3 months. Sweet potatoes can also be mashed and frozen, but the texture is a little different once thawed. Slaw will not freeze well. Freeze peanut sauce flat in a freezer-safe bag. Then when you need some, you can simply snap a piece off and let it thaw. When ready to eat, let food thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat as instructed above.
MAKE AHEAD TIPS FOR COCONUT CHICKEN AND SWEET POTATO
- Chicken can be placed in the pot or a ziptop bag with the cooking liquids the day before.
- Peanut Sauce can be blended and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in advance.
- Prepare slaw dressing up to 5 days in advance and pour over the slaw just before serving.
- Have sweet potatoes scrubbed and ready to put in the pot.
WHAT TO SERVE WITH A LOADED SWEET POTATO
This stuffed sweet potato contains just about every food group, but Whole Wheat Breadsticks, Hot Crusty Bread, or simply cut up fruit makes a perfect side dish.
VARIATIONS OF COCONUT CHICKEN
- Coconut Chicken Wrap: Omit the sweet potato and serve it in a tortilla wrap with the slaw and peanut sauce.
- Coconut Chicken Lettuce Cup: Omit the sweet potato and pile the chicken, slaw, and peanut sauce in a lettuce cup.
- Coconut Chicken Pizza: Pile the chicken on top of a pizza crust, top with mozzarella cheese. When it comes out, top with the slaw and a drizzle of peanut sauce.
Do you need more exciting, breathtaking recipes in your life? If your food doesn't make you happy enough to dance around the table, then why even bother eating?
Treat yourself like royalty today and enjoy this ultimate stuffed sweet potato. It's my gift to you and it comes with a prayer that every meal might make you feel immense joy on a daily basis.
Enjoy!
MORE STUFFED POTATO RECIPES
MORE RECIPES TO ENJOY WITH PEANUT SAUCE
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT COCONUT CHICKEN STUFFED SWEET POTATO
- Instant Pot
- Tall Trivet
- High Speed Blender or
- Food Processor
Instant Pot Coconut Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato with Tangy Slaw and Peanut Sauce
The ultimate stuffed sweet potato! Coconut chicken, tangy slaw, and creamy peanut sauce.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
- 2 – 3 chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise into 4 pieces each (so they look like chicken tenderloins)
- ½ cup lite coconut milk
- 1 – 2 tablespoons red curry paste (2 is spicy, 1 is not)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 – 6 small sweet potatoes
For the Peanut Sauce
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 inch knob of ginger
- 1 garlic clove
For the Coleslaw
- 4 cups shredded cabbage (a bag of coleslaw mix works great)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh cracked pepper
For serving: chopped peanuts, lime wedges
Instructions
- Add coconut milk, curry paste, maple syrup, and salt into the pressure cooker pot. Add chicken and give it a toss in the liquids. Make sure chicken is in a single layer.
- Place a tall trivet on top of the chicken and arrange sweet potatoes on top.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 16 minutes.
- While the chicken cooks, place all of the peanut sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add a splash of hot water, if needed, to thin it to a consistency that will drizzle.
- Whisk together vinaigrette ingredients for the slaw in a large bowl. Add the cabbage and toss. Taste and add extra salt or lime juice as needed. Set aside.
- When pressure cooking is complete, use a natural release.
- Shred chicken and return to the pot to soak up the coconut curry flavor.
- To serve, slice sweet potato lengthwise and fluff. Top with coconut chicken, a big scoop of coleslaw, a drizzle of peanut sauce, a squeeze of lime juice, and a sprinkle of chopped peanuts.
Notes
- Use small to medium size sweet potatoes so they are soft and fluffy with the above cooking time.
- Sweet potatoes can be baked in the oven at 425° for 45 minutes or so if you prefer.
- The red curry paste adds extra flavor to the chicken. 1 tablespoon will not make the chicken spicy, add extra if you want it spicy.
- The peanut sauce is amazing! This will make more than you need for this recipe, but it freezes really well so make the whole batch.
- I suggest using lite coconut milk. It’s not as thick as full fat coconut milk so it won’t burn. If you use full fat, add a little water to thin it out.
Keywords: Instant Pot Dinner, Coconut Chicken, Peanut Sauce
I try a new recipe almost every week and this is my favorite new recipe so far this year. And there are only 8 weeks left in 2020!
Being a big peanut sauce fan I laughed when I read “DRIZZLED AGGRESSIVELY WITH PEANUT SAUCE.” I may or may not admit to also doing this. I’m freezing my left over sauce even though I suspect it will be thawed in a week when I decide to make this again.
I used 2 tablespoons of red curry paste hoping for some spicy chicken, but it wasn’t spicy (IMO). Maybe it was the brand (Thai Kitchen) I used. It didn’t matter though because the chicken is just a layer of protein between sweet and salty, smooth and crunchy. Every component of this recipe contributes to a magnificent combination of flavor and texture!
Candice, now that’s the best review ever! I know this is a recipe that many just scroll past, and that’s so sad because it’s so so so good! Like you said, the flavors and textures are the best dance ever.
I get frustrated with curry pastes. The spice level (in my opinion) is never consistent and it makes it hard to write a recipe with it. As soon as I call 2 tablespoons mild, someone will get a crazy spicy batch and think I’m crazy, haha! I usually end up stirring in extra just because I love things spicy to an unreasonable degree. Thanks for the awesome feedback!