Sweet Chili Coconut-Lime Grilled Chicken with Coconut-Lime Cauliflower Rice

Got your first must-try grilling recipe of the season – Sweet Chili Coconut-Lime Grilled Chicken with Coconut-Lime Cauliflower Rice! Say that five times fast.

Seriously the recipe title might be a mouthful but the dish is shockingly easy to make which, remember all that talk about spending more time outdoors? Yep, this is going to get you there faster!

Yard update: After spending 10+ hours on it this weekend (my Mother’s Day bliss was weeding flower beds alone – as they say, silence is golden!) we are this close to getting our lawn and landscaping to a set it and forget it spot so we can relax outdoors without having to squint out what’s left to do. That includes caving and hiring a pond guy to come clean the thing up so, as Ben experienced, the water doesn’t burn your skin when you touch it. My eyes! Send help.

Anyway, crazy lawn people talk aside you have got to try this mouthwatering grilled chicken dish with a simple, 3-ingredient marinade!

Sweet chili sauce, light coconut milk, and lime juice marinated chicken is grilled then perched atop a bed of cilantro-lime cauliflower rice infused with coconut milk. I used the same technique as when I made my Cauliflower Fried Rice (I’ve had so many people tell me they fed it to their families who had no idea it wasn’t rice!) and you are going. to. love it!

The inspiration was the coconut rice I made to go with my Jamaican Jerk Chicken, which holy cow wow, but I wanted to veggify and merge it with my other favorite rice, cilantro-lime rice. The combo of grated cauliflower with a touch of coconut milk, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, and sprinkling of fresh cilantro is absolutely delicious.

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I got the inspiration for this dish after seeing someone post sweet chili grilled chicken on Instagram a few months ago. I thought I’d add tropical-tasting coconut milk to the mix plus fresh lime juice because, as they say, you put the lime in the coconut and eat ’em both up. Or something like that.

Far reaching word play aside, this grilled chicken is phenomenal. It has so much flavor and only needs to marinate for 30 minutes (though you can leave it in there for up to an hour.) Plus, it calls for just THREE ingredients and the coconut-lime cauliflower rice uses a couple of the same ingredients so you can kill two birds with one delectable stone.

Start with zee chicken marinade ingredients. Like I said, there’s just three of ’em! You’ll need 1/2 cup each sweet chili sauce and unsweetened light coconut milk, and the juice of 1/2 lime. Franks is a great brand for sweet chili sauce and I also like the Grandma’s Sweet Chili Sauce brand I used in my Thai Sticky Chicken Fingers. Can’t go wrong with either!

Add the ingredients plus lots of salt and pepper to a Ziplock bag then squish to combine. Finally add 1-1/2lbs chicken breasts then marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to an hour.

When it’s time to eat, grill the chicken breasts over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes on one side, and 3-4 minutes on the other. Chicken = DONE! So easy, right?

Now, while the chicken’s marinating/grilling get your cauliflower rice ready. All you do is send a medium-sized head cauliflower that’s been chopped into big hunks through a food processor fitted with the grating attachment, OR grate it by hand using a box grater.

Add the grated cauliflower to 1-1/2 Tablespoons coconut oil melted inside a large skillet over medium/medium-high heat (we’re looking for a 6/10 on the heat scale,) then season liberally with salt and pepper and saute until tender, 5-7 minutes. Once the cauliflower is tender add the juice from the other lime half, 3-4 Tablespoons coconut milk (depending on how cocnutty you want it,) and 1/4 cup cilantro that’s been chopped. Stir to combine then add more salt and pepper if ya’ need it.

Scoop the coconut-lime cauliflower rice onto plates then top with the grilled chicken and serve with extra sweet chili sauce for dipping. Then, dig in!

I am telling you – the best and easiest chicken marinade I have found to date. A touch tropical from the coconut milk, sweet heat from the chili sauce (definitely not too spicy for kids,) and the kick of lime juice is the best combo. Huge hit for grilling season!