Colombian Coconut Braised Chicken

Traditionally, pollo con leche de coco is made with fresh coconut milk. We found that canned coconut—both regular and light—was so rich and heavy they eclipsed the other ingredients in the braise. We opted instead to make our own coconut milk with unsweetened shredded coconut and hot water. The process took only a few minutes and yielded a light, flavorful coconut milk that worked wonderfully. If you require a shortcut, 1½ cups coconut water is an acceptable option, but the flavor will be less complex. We liked this paired with coconut rice, but plain rice is good, too.