This light and healthy savory Coconut Pumpkin Chicken, made with tender chicken and creamy coconut milk is a one-pan meal that's a little spicy, Weight Watchers friendly, and naturally dairy-free and gluten-free. If you love pumpkin, you'll love this delicious recipe!
Pumpkin chicken is popular in the fall, during pumpkin season, and makes a great autumn weeknight dinner! But it's great for any time of year.
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There are far too few savory pumpkin recipes out there, so when I saw a variation of this recipe in a magazine years ago, I saved it. Then I adapted it to be healthier and tastier!
The only other savory pumpkin recipe I have on the blog is this Healthy Dairy-free Pumpkin Soup. You'll definitely want to try this one too!
🥘Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients for this Healthy Pumpkin Chicken recipe:
- small fresh pumpkin (sugar pumpkin-also called a pie pumpkin) *this is the best kind of pumpkin to use
- tamed jalapenos (jarred)
- 400 ml - can of light coconut milk
- 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (chopped/diced)
- 1 red onion, sliced
- large tomato, sliced in wedges or diced
- 2 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tbsp red curry paste (shown below)
🔪Instructions
Cut pumpkin into quarters and scoop out stringy pulp and seeds from pumpkin and discard.
Microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Peel and chop pumpkin into bite-sized pieces.
You can use a paring knife or steak knife for this.
Pour coconut milk into a large, deep frying pan or saucepan and set over medium-high heat on the stove top. Whisk until warmed up.
Stir pumpkin, chicken, tamed jalapeno, red onion, salt, garlic, and nutmeg into coconut milk (everything except tomatoes, red curry paste, and cilantro.)
Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce to medium-low heat. Add tomatoes.
At this point, your sauce may be thinner than you like, so you'll want to add a little cornstarch mixed with water (this is what I do).
Simmer (covered) and stirring regularly, until chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) and pumpkin is fork tender (about 15- 20 minutes).
Add cilantro and red curry paste (add more or less to your taste) and mix.
Remove from heat.
Serve on a bed of rice (jasmine rice, regular rice, or cauliflower rice).
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Chicken - you could use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead, shredded chicken, ground chicken or chicken pieces
- Pumpkin- you could use butternut squash as a substitute for pumpkin
- Thai red curry paste - you can use any brand of Thai red curry paste
- Coconut milk - you can use full fat coconut milk if you prefer
- Spicier - use fresh jalapenos or add crushed red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, chili powder or additional Thai red curry paste
🥗 Side Dishes
I like to serve Pumpkin chicken with vegetables, coleslaw, or a side garden salad:
🍽Equipment
You will need a sharp knife, a cutting board, a microwave, and a large skillet for this Spicy Coconut Chicken (with pumpkin). To ensure chicken is cooked, the best way to tell is by using an instant-read thermometer (see equipment photos and links in recipe card)
🌡️Storage
For this Chicken and Pumpkin recipe, you'll need to store the rice separately from the pumpkin chicken in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
👪 Serving Size
This recipe makes 6 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
This pumpkin chicken curry recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 2 WW points (for about ¾ cup). This does not include the rice, as it will depend on what type of rice you use. Serve it over cauliflower rice to keep the points very low.
If you use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast, you'll have to account for the additional points.
🦺Food safety
- Cook chicken to an internal minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
- Never leave cooking food unattended
See more guidelines at USDA.gov
So if you're looking for a one-pan healthy savory pumpkin recipe, you'll love this easy recipe! It's ideal for busy weeknights.
⭐ Comments & Reviews
Did you know that commenting and rating recipes is one of the best ways to support your favorite recipe creators? If you loved this recipe, please comment and rate it in the recipe card or share photos on social media using the hashtag #foodmeanderings or tagging @foodmeanderings !
And if you love healthy rice dishes, give my Chicken Poke Bowls a try!
📋 Coconut Pumpkin Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 small sugar pumpkin (pie pumpkin- see ingredient photo in post for sizing)
- ½ cup tamed jalapenos *you can use a regular sliced jalapeno instead
- 400 ml - can of light coconut milk *or you can use full-fat coconut milk
- 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (chopped/diced)
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 large tomato, slices in wedges or diced
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoon red curry paste *use less if you prefer it less spicy
Instructions
- Cut pumpkin into quarters and scoop outstringy pulp and seeds from pumpkin and discard.
- Microwave on high for 5 minutes.
- Peel and chop pumpkin into bite-sized pieces.*You can use a paring knife or steak knife for this.
- Pour coconut milk into a large, deep, frying pan or saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Whisk until warmed up.
- Stir pumpkin, chicken, tamed jalapeno, red onion, salt, garlic, and nutmeg into coconut milk (everything except tomatoes,red curry paste, and cilantro.) Bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce to medium-low. Add tomatoes.
- At this point, your sauce may be thinner than you like, so you'll want to add a little cornstarch mixed with water (this is what I do).
- Simmer (covered) and stirring regularly,until chicken is cooked through and pumpkin is fork tender (about 15- 20 minutes)
- Add cilantro and red curry paste (add more or less to your taste) and mix.Remove from heat.
- Serve over Jasmine rice, white rice, brown rice or cauliflower rice.
Terri Gilson
I love how this Coconut Pumpkin Chicken combines my favorite fall flavors in a savory dish. The creamy coconut milk and chicken make it taste indulgent, even though it's Weight Watchers friendly! I'm always on the lookout for unique pumpkin recipes, and this one has become a real favorite in our house.