Thai Coconut Chicken Drumsticks with Brown Sauce and Spinach

Thai Coconut Chicken Drumsticks with Brown Sauce and Spinach is an easy-to-make and inexpensive dinner inspiration. This budget-friendly family favorite brings home those healthy and delicious flavors of Thailand. The drumsticks are pan fried and then topped with an amazing brown sauce, wilted spinach and toasted shredded coconut.

This recipe is a family favorite for my men. I’m sure it will be beloved by my beautiful daughter one day as well. You know, when she has a full set of teeth. While I anxiously await that day, let me tell you guys about this delicious and easy to make meal that is a hot request by my guys.

My Thai Coconut Chicken began to take form about 6 years ago. Back then, I did not make meal plans and menus of exactly what I would be cooking for every single night of the week. (GASP! I know) So we would haphazardly buy random cuts of meat sometimes and then figure things out from there.

I opened my freezer to see chicken drumsticks. Chicken is one of the most versatile things that you can cook and there are at least hundreds of variations. However, I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that sometimes, when it’s just you and your thawing dead animal alone in the kitchen staring at each other that you feel… inspiration-less.

I went to the grocery store hoping to spark some sort of excitement for what I could do with my near thawed friend. I knew I wanted some Thai variation. All of a sudden, out of thin air, it hit me. (I didn’t have the two small babies yet so I could be sure it was an idea hitting me and not a chubby fist or an empty juice cup.) I would make a coconut chicken drumstick meal with a spicy, sweet, garlicky, gingery sauce. I was excited to cook with coconut as I had only ever used it in baking.

I couldn’t wait to get home and experiment and feed Aidan and Anthony a meal that they would LOVE. Or at least have to eat since neither of them cooks and that was their only dinner option. Luckily, they loved my creation and so did I and I hope that you do as well.

Thai Coconut Chicken Drumsticks with Spicy Brown Sauce and Spinach

Dominique Collins-Bloomfield

An easy-to-make and inexpensive dinner inspiration. This budget-friendly family favorite brings home those healthy and delicious flavors of Thailand.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• ½ Cup Vegetable Oil
• 10 Chicken Drumsticks
• 1 Tablespoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Goya Adobo All Purpose Seasoning
• 5-6 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Ginger, grated or chopped
• 8 Cherry Tomatoes
• 2 Thai Chili Peppers
• ½ Cup Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 8 Ounce Bag of Spinach

Brown Sauce

• ½ Cup Soy Sauce
• 3 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
• 1 Lime (juice)
• 1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Instructions

 

• Heat vegetable oil on medium heat in large frying pan. Add chicken drumsticks and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan. The lid I use is smaller than the frying pan and just rests over the chicken. I find this allows the chicken to fry and get crispy while accelerating the cooking process, keeping the chicken moist and preventing oil from spattering. Let fry for about 15 minutes before flipping. Once flipped, season with Adobo seasoning. Flip after an additional 15 minutes and continue flipping every 5 minutes until deep golden brown and crispy. Reduce heat if skin begins to burn.
• While chicken is frying, chop garlic, ginger, cherry tomatoes and Thai chili peppers. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Spread unsweetened shredded coconut onto small baking pan and bake for 15 minutes until toasted.
  
• Combine soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar and brown sugar.
• When chicken is cooked through, add the chopped garlic, ginger, cherry tomatoes and Thai chilies that were set aside. Allow to cook for 1 minute and begin to stir and mix with the cooked chicken drumsticks. Any skin from the chicken that may have stuck to the pan will deglaze as you stir. Deglazing means that the caramelized bits stuck to the pan will be released.
  
• Add the prepared brown sauce to the pan and stir until the sauce thickens.
  
• Add the bag of spinach on top of the drumsticks in the pan and cover again with the lid for about 3-4 minutes until the spinach has wilted. When done, mix the spinach with the drumsticks and the sauce.
  
• Cover the pan with the toasted coconut. Serve the chicken along side white rice and cover the rice with the spinach and brown sauce mixture.