What's for dinner? Easy skillet pollo de coco, chicken in coconut milk

This hearty weeknight meal is perfect for fall.

September 28, 2021, 4:05 AM

To celebrate Hispanic Latinx Heritage Month, "Good Morning America" is highlighting chefs, recipe developers, bloggers, restaurant owners, creators and others whose rich culture shows up through their food.

If you're searching the internet and wondering what to cook for dinner, the answer just got easier.

"Good Morning America" Food is taking the legwork out of dinnertime and helping you find delicious dishes to easily whip up any night of the week.

Latinx food writer, recipe developer and host Marisel Salazar shared a recipe that combines a few simple ingredients for a flavorful Latin American favorite.

Plus, the hearty meal made in a cast iron skillet and served over rice is the perfect dish to get back in oven cooking mode and ready for fall.

Pollo de Coco

PHOTO: Pollo de coco is chicken that's been baked in spices and coconut milk.
Pollo de coco is chicken that's been baked in spices and coconut milk.
Marisel Salazar

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
2-3 lbs bone-in, skin on chicken (breasts, thighs or legs)
Adobo powder to taste
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
1/2 chopped green bell pepper
1 teaspoon sazón
1 (13.5 oz) can full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with adobo. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan skin-side down. Cook, flipping once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from skillet and transfer chicken to plate. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Add remaining oil to pan. Stir in onions and bell peppers and cook until vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Add sazón to vegetables and cook until fragrant around 30 seconds. Pour coconut milk into pan with vegetables. Add chicken to pan skin-side up, a in a single layer; do not overcrowd. Bring coconut milk to boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, bathing chicken occasionally with sauce, until chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Transfer chicken to platter and loosely cover with foil. Increase heat to medium-high. Simmer coconut milk sauce until sauce thickens slightly stirring occasionally so it does not curdle or skin form. Stir in half of the cilantro. When ready to serve, pour sauce over chicken, top with remaining cilantro and serve with rice.

Internal temperature will register 165 degrees on a quick read thermometer when inserted into the thickest part of the piece of chicken without touching the bone.