Posted on November 20 2019
The tenderest, juiciest chicken strips you have ever tasted, layered on top of your favourite pasta, drenched in a thick, velvety coconut sauce made with colourful fresh peppers, onions, garlic, herbs and spices. It’s a simple dish, but Baked Chicken Pasta With Coconut Sauce is by no means basic in the flavour department!
Without a doubt our absolute FAVOURITE healthy chicken pasta recipe, I make this almost every single week for dinner, and then enjoy the leftovers for lunch the next day!
And every single time we have this for dinner, we ooh and aaah over the flavours and textures and absolute yumminess of this meal!
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Baked Chicken Barley Kale Stew, Chicken Pasta with Herby Avocado Pesto Sauce, The Best Super Quick Chicken Curry With Sweet Potatoes and Avocado-Wild Rice Nectarine Chicken Salad.
Here’s how you make Baked Chicken Pasta With Coconut Sauce in a nutshell:
- Fry the onions, garlic and peppers in coconut oil
- Add the herbs, spices, coconut milk and seasoning, simmer for about 30 minutes until thick, ultra-flavourful and creamy
- While the sauce cooks, put your favourite pasta onto boil. We love to use pulse pasta or brown rice pasta – spaghetti or penne work wonderfully with this recipe
- Slice the chicken breasts into strips or cubes, drizzle with coconut oil, lemon juice, herbs, salt and pepper and bake for 6 minutes until tender and juicy
- Assemble on a large platter, or individual plates – I like pasta, then chicken, then sauce, but it’s entirely up to you! Sometimes I just mix everything together in the pot I cooked the pasta in and serve it rustic-style!
SO EASY!
Now, how you season this Baked Chicken Pasta With Coconut Sauce depends on your taste buds. The coconut milk tends to taste a little sweet to me, so I like to season the sauce well with Himalayan pink salt and lots of ground black pepper to make the dish more savoury.
Plus you get the added health benefits of essential trace minerals from the Himalayan pink salt, plus anti-inflammatory properties and brain function enhancement from the Piperine in the ground black pepper.
This recipe is basically a completely healthy version of Chicken Alfredo! You know how the sauce is made super thick and velvety so that it sticks to the pasta? And you love how it tastes but it’s not exactly a healthy dish?
Well, SAY HELLO to Baked Chicken Pasta With Coconut Sauce!!
Your healthy Chicken Alfredo alternative.
You can even make this dish a little cheesy by adding a sprinkle of your favourite cheese right before serving.
Try this recipe, you’ll never be sorry, trust me, this dish is to die for.
And it’s packed chock-a-block full of healthy, fresh ingredients!
You should definitely serve your Baked Chicken Pasta With Coconut Sauce with a simple side salad heavy on greens, and you’ll have yourself a well-balanced, scrumptious meal that everyone will LOVE!!
Even the kids will love this meal. ESPECIALLY the kids!!
This baked chicken pasta can be frozen in an airtight container if you have leftovers, or stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. It is recommended that you only re-heat chicken once (in the microwave or oven), so it’s best to just re-heat what you plan to eat.
I hope you try this Baked Chicken Pasta With Coconut Sauce soon, and let me know how much you and your family love it!! I’m dying to hear.
Wonderfully tender and juicy baked chicken and pasta drenched in a velvety coconut sauce made with colourful fresh peppers, onions, garlic, herbs and spices.
- FOR THE SAUCE:
-
1
tbsp
coconut oil
- 1 brown onion , finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , sliced
-
1
tsp
mixed herbs
, heaped - 1 tsp cardamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger , or fresh
-
1/2
red pepper
, chopped small
-
1/2
yellow pepper
, chopped small
-
400
ml
coconut milk
- Himalayan pink salt , to taste
- Ground black pepper , to taste
- FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 3 large chicken breasts
-
2
tbsp
coconut oil
, melted - juice of 1/4 lemon
-
1
tsp
mixed herbs
- Himalayan pink salt , to taste
- Ground black pepper , to taste
-
250
g
pasta of your choice
, cooked as per instructions on the box (I love pulse pasta or brown rice pasta)
-
TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
-
Melt coconut oil and fry onion and garlic until glassy and fragrant. Add mixed herbs, cardamon and ginger and fry for 1 minute, stirring.
-
Now add peppers and fry for 5 – 6 minutes or until tender. Pour in coconut milk, season with salt and pepper to taste, allowing the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes or until thick and velvety.
-
TO MAKE THE CHICKEN
-
Preheat oven to 220°C (428°F).
-
Slice the chicken breasts into strips or cubes and place on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with melted coconut oil and lemon juice, and season with mixed herbs, salt and pepper. Toss the chicken with your hands to make sure it is evenly coated.
-
Bake in the middle of the oven for 6 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and super tender and juicy. Be careful not to overcook the chicken as this is when it will become tough.
-
On a large platter or individual plates, layer the pasta, then the chicken and spoon over the sauce.
-
Serve hot with a simple side salad heavy on greens and you've got yourself a truly healthy, balanced meal!
If I’m feeling rustic, I will mix everything together in the pot that I cooked the pasta in and serve in large bowls!
