08/23/2026
Zesty Asian Chicken En Cocotte (Candied Jalapeño Topping)
A bright, cozy cocotte-style chicken simmered with ginger-turmeric warmth, coconut silk, and aromatic star anise—served over brown rice with a punchy, sweet-spicy jalapeño finish. This recipe freezes well for all the empty nesters looking to meal prep for healthy options. And, I love cooking in my .
Ingredients
For the Chicken Cocotte
1 whole chicken (about 3–4 lb), patted dry
1 celery stalk, cut into chunks
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2–3 inches fresh ginger, sliced (plus more to taste)
1–2 tsp turmeric (or more to taste)
1 can (13–14 oz) coconut milk
2–3 star anise
3 cups Brodo Chicken broth
1 cup Brodo Ginger & Turmeric broth
1–2 tbsp fish sauce (to taste)
1 small napa cabbage, sliced into quarters
6 cloves garlic, smashed
For the Candied Jalapeños
2–4 jalapeños, thinly sliced (remove seeds for less heat)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp rice vinegar (or lime juice)
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Prep the jalapeños (so they’re ready to top)
Simmer sugar + water until dissolved.
Add jalapeños and cook until glossy and slightly softened, about 6–10 minutes.
Stir in vinegar (and a pinch of salt). Cool completely, then slice.
Build the cocotte chicken
Preheat oven to 350°F (163°C).
In a Dutch oven, place the chunks of celery, carrots, onion, sliced ginger and turmeric, smashed garlic, then pour in coconut milk, Brodo Chicken broth, Brodo Ginger & Turmeric broth, and the star anise.
Place in the chicken. Nestle in the Napa cabbage around the chicken.
Drizzle in fish sauce (start with 1 tbsp, add more later to balance).
Cover and cook until the chicken is tender and cooked through:
About 90 minutes (timing depends on chicken size).
Check once or twice: you want gentle bubbling, not a hard boil.
Place back into the oven at 425F for 30 minutes until golden brown.
Serve
Spoon brown rice into bowls.
Ladle the chicken + vegetables and broth over the rice. Top generously with candied jalapeños.
* This recipe came from Coco Larkin, but made some adjustments based on what was in my pantry and refrigerator.