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Slow Cooker Coconut Lime Chicken

A unique meal for your slow cooker! This Coconut Lime Chicken has just the right amount of flavor and is packed with juiciness. It’s super easy to prep and then let it cook all day in the slow cooker!
chicken thighs in coconut lime sauce with lime wedges on top
Bone-in chicken is generally less expensive and more flavorful. It’s healthier, too! The collagen, gelatin, and glycine in the bones helps restore gut health. Current research tells us that a healthy gut is key to a strong immune system.
Bone-in meats are also packed with minerals that we’re all lacking in our diets (calcium, phosphorus, sodium, magnesium).
This chicken’s flavor is unique thanks to the coconut milk and pineapple juice. And, it doesn’t get dried out!
step by step making coconut lime chicken in slow cooker

Ingredients You’ll Need…

olive oil

bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

Cajun seasoning

salt

garlic powder

ground ginger

curry powder

red pepper flakes

coconut milk (canned not refrigerated)

pineapple juice

lime juice (fresh or bottled)

coconut lime chicken in slow cooker

How To Make Slow Cooker Coconut Lime Chicken…

  1. Rub chicken with seasoning to coat
  2. Heat olive oil in skillet or multi-cooker
  3. Add chicken and brown on each side
  4. Place chicken in slow cooker
  5. In a mixing bowl, whisk liquid ingredients
  6. Pour over chicken
  7. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low 6-8 hours

Pro Tips:

There are two ways to brown the chicken. You can brown it in a skillet or multi cooker prior to slow cooking. OR you can wait until it is cooked, then place it on a foil-lined broiler pan and broil for 3-8 minutes. (Keep an eye on it and take it out as soon as it starts browning up.)
Give this dish a gourmet flair! Add fresh limes when serving for more flavor and a beautiful presentation.
Coconut Lime Chicken is great for meal prep! Just remove the skin and pull from the bones. Serve shredded chicken over salads, in wraps, etc.

Pull leftover chicken from the bone and freeze for up to 3 months.

white bowl filled with coconut lime chicken thighs topped with lime wedges

Slow Cooker Coconut Lime Chicken

Jennifer Draper
A unique meal for your slow cooker! This Coconut Lime Chicken has just the right amount of flavor and is packed with juiciness. Super easy to make and let cook all day in the slow cooker!
3.88 from 74 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican
Servings 8 people
Calories 455 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 pounds chicken bone-in skin-on chicken breasts
  • 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 13.5 oz can coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/4 cup lime juice

Instructions
 

  • Rub chicken with seasoning to coat
  • Heat olive oil in skillet or multicooker
  • Add chicken and brown on each side
  • Place chicken in slow cooker
  • In a mixing bowl whisk liquid ingredients
  • Pour over chicken
  • Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8

Notes

  • Add fresh limes when serving
  • Meal prep:  remove skin, pull from bones
  • Freeze up to 3 months after removing skin and pulling from bones 

Nutrition

Calories: 455kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 25gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 142mgSodium: 265mgPotassium: 460mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 245IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @slowcookergourmet or tag #slowcookergourmet!
Important nutritional disclaimer

32 Comments

  1. I made this today, didn’t have pineapple juice but did have some fresh pineapple. I used a couple slices and the leftover juice, and added a little extra lime juice. Based on some of the comments, since I was using this as the main flavor, I added some more of the listed spices and some cayenne. Took the sauce out of the crock, added fresh parsley and reduced it down to serve with basmati rice-side of some pan roasted zuchinni and yellow squash. So delicious, loved the combination of flavors! Will be making again for sure!

  2. This was absolutely terrible. Followed the recipe exactly, even broiled. Lots leftover which will go in trash.

    1. Hi Melissa. I’m sorry to hear you were disappointed. Can you tell me what you didn’t like about it? Was it just not to your taste or did you feel there is an error in the recipe? I’d love to help you troubleshoot!

  3. 4 stars
    My mother-in-law and I made this tonight and it was really good but definitely needed some more flavor. We ended up needing to thicken the sauce slightly with cornstarch on the stove while the chicken was broiling. Then after thickening it while it was still on the stove we added 1/8 tsp more of all the spices. Then we added some lime zest and pineapple tidbits into the sauce. We served it with fresh cilantro on top and that topped the flavors off perfectly. Overall a great recipe, I just liked adding some more flavor to it. Thanks!

  4. 5 stars
    OMG this was the best Chicken ever
    and I really don’t like coconut that much but this was so good I did just what you said except I used coconut ice cream in stead of the coconut milk because i didn’t have any of it but i had the ice cream so i tried it. and it came out great and yes I poured the sauce over the chicken to add more flavor and no body dies…lol
    thanks for putting this up for all of us
    this will be on my table lots more times you can be assured…lol
    John
    gave you a 5 star rating for this one

    1. Thanks John, glad you loved it!! I love when people will use what they have on hand to create a recipe, but I must say ice cream may be a first! That’s awesome 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    Hi Jennifer! This is only the second time I’m using my new crockpot. My husband bought chicken thighs and drumsticks yesterday, probably thinking he’s coming home from work to some juicy GRILLED drumsticks. Sorry, honey, change of plans. Lol! This was so easy! Took me about 10 min. to put together (I had everything except pineapple juice, but I had a whole one, I threw some in the blender with coconut water.) I will also do the broiler and reduce the sauce on the stove. I will let you know….

    My rating is for quick and easy recipe since I haven’t tasted it yet. ♡

  6. I have this pinned to make next week and I can’t wait to try it! Just a quick question: how do you feel about waiting to add the spices until the end of the cooking time? I’ve found a lot of slow cooker recipes I make are much too bland unless I add the spices about 20-30 minutes before it’s done. It’s almost like the flavor cooks right out!

    1. Be warned, as I mentioned in some of the text and in case you didn’t catch it, this one is not super flavorful. More just a nice juicy chicken to go with other sides. So if you want more from it I would up the spices and add some more. You could do a little while cooking and then add some more when done. Or…. check out this Spicy Lime Chicken for something with a little more kick.

  7. Sorry Jennifer but this is a throw-away recipe. Followed the recipe exactly except for not leaving the skin on. No flavor…no skin? Cooked 6 hours on low.

    1. Hi Carlene. Ahh, so disappointing! Sorry it didn’t work out for you. As noted this is definitely a recipe that requires leaving the skin on bone-in chicken and is more of a recipe for a super juicy chicken that goes very well with other flavors and doesn’t pack a big flavor punch itself. How about this Slow Cooker Honey Jack Jalapeño Chicken? It’s packed with flavor and just a bit of spice and sounds more like what you are looking for!!

  8. One question, do you eat the sauce that the chicken is cooked in? Some crockpot recipes says not to and others say to pour it over cooked chicken at the end and eat.
    Making this for dinner tonight, looks delish. I probably won’t drizzle the sauce on top this time just to be safe.

    1. My understanding is the sauce is safe to eat as everything is heated to the same temperature and I often eat chili and soup that has the meat cooked in it as well. You can also pour the juice into a saucepan and bring it to a boil for a few minutes as well to thicken and make it into a gravy and that may make you feel more comfortable with it as well. Hope that helps!

  9. Yummmm! This looks so good! I never use my broiler to crisp things up that I cook in the crock pot, that is such a good idea! Trying this one for sure!

    1. I try not to add extra steps to slow cooking but if you line the pan with foil then there is really no clean up and it only takes a few minutes! Totally worth it!

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