🍲 Recipe · regional
Coconut Chicken Hot Pot 椰子鸡火锅
Hainan-style — sweet, creamy broth with whole coconut milk and goji berries
Hainan coconut chicken hot pot (椰子鸡火锅) is the most approachable, non-spicy hot pot style — a naturally sweet broth made from fresh coconut water and coconut milk, simmered with free-range chicken and goji berries. It is the perfect introduction to hot pot for those who love light, aromatic broths.
Broth Ingredients
- 1 young coconut (椰青) — use the coconut water inside + scoop out flesh
- 400ml coconut milk (canned, full-fat)
- 600ml light chicken stock
- 200g free-range chicken thighs, bone-in, cut into pieces
- 2 cm ginger, sliced
- 1 tbsp goji berries (枸杞)
- 2 red dates (红枣)
- 1 tsp salt
- White pepper to taste
Dipping Sauce
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chili oil or fresh chili (optional)
- 1 tbsp scallion
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- Pinch of sugar
At-Table Ingredients
Proteins
- 200g more chicken slices, thinly cut
- 150g shrimp, shell-on
- 100g fish balls
Vegetables
- 100g napa cabbage
- 100g enoki mushrooms
- 80g corn, cut into rounds
- 80g winter melon
Noodles
- 100g rice noodles, soaked 10 min
Instructions
1
Open the coconut
Drain coconut water into the pot. Scoop out the soft flesh and slice it — it goes into the pot as an ingredient. If using a store-bought young coconut, pour the water and scoop the flesh directly.
2
Build the broth
Combine coconut water, coconut milk and chicken stock. Add ginger, goji berries, red dates and chicken bone-in pieces. Bring to a gentle simmer. Do not boil hard — coconut milk can separate at high heat. Simmer 20–25 min. Season with salt and white pepper.
3
Cook ingredients at the table
Add chicken slices: USDA 165°F/74°C minimum — ensure no pink tissue, ~90 seconds in simmering broth. Shrimp: 1–2 min until fully pink. Fish balls: 3–5 min. Vegetables as they come.
4
Finish with noodles
Add soaked rice noodles in the final 5 min. They cook in 2–3 min. The coconut broth absorbed by the noodles is remarkable — save them for the end.
⚠️ Food Safety
Chicken: USDA 165°F (74°C) — no pink tissue anywhere; slice thin for faster, more reliable cooking
Coconut milk: keep broth at a gentle simmer — rolling boil splits the fat and clouds the broth
💡 Tips
- Young coconut (not mature) gives a sweeter, more delicate broth — look for smooth green or white husked coconuts
- This broth is almost zero-spice by design — put the soy/chili dipping sauce on the side for heat-seekers
- The coconut flesh in the pot is edible and delicious — eat it like a vegetable ingredient
- Goji berries and red dates are traditional tonic herbs — they add a subtle sweetness and visual warmth