Coconut Chicken Curry

Well, that may not be right. Chicken coconut curry? Chicken with coconut and curry? Curried Chicken and coconut? I don’t know what’s correct. This had chicken, coconut milk and curry in it, but it also had carrots, garlic and basil too. Hmm, you get the idea. For now, that title will have to do.



I was reading a bunch of recipes for chicken curry, and coconut curry, and Thai inspired dishes and felt like I had a decent handle on what could go into a tasty meal. This is what I came up with. It was delicious. Really really yummy. I will definitely make this again.

Start by getting all of your ingredients out on the counter. Being organized in the kitchen is very important to me and I feel it helps in preparing the best meal possible, so I will encourage you to as well.

I like to do as much prep before I start. Chop all my veggies, dice all of the onions, grate the garlic, and in this case ginger, and have it set and ready to drop into the pot when I’m ready.

If you have a microplane grater, this will make your job easier, if not, just mince it up with a sharp knife. Get about 3 cloves of garlic and about a 2 inch sized piece of ginger peeled and minced.





Next, chop up some basil. I did a pretty lazy job of it, but I wasn’t being judged on it so I didn’t care too much.


Next are the carrots. Cut about 3 medium carrots into similar size and shape pieces.


Chop your onion and try not to cry.



I was unsuccessful in the “not crying” part.

Get a large Dutch oven or pot going over medium/high heat.

If the skin has not been removed from your chicken, remove it. Heat the oil until it’s very hot, but not smoking. Wash the chicken than pat dry with a paper towel. Season well with salt and pepper.  Add the chicken to the very hot pan and walk away. Don’t mess with it or it won’t get that deep brown crust. It’ll let you know when it’s ready when it moves gently on its own. If you have to rip it from the pan, you’ll lose the crust.



It’ll only take about 4 or 5 minutes to get that crust. Season the other side, then flip it. Once both pieces are done (I did one at a time, if your pot is large enough to do both, go for it), set aside on a plate. Note: the chicken is not fully cooked at this point. Do not eat half cooked chicken, that’s gross and you’ll get sick.



To the already hot pan add your onions and carrots. Season with salt and pepper, give it a nice toss, then put the lid on and let it cook down. In about 10 minutes or less, the onions will be translucent, and the carrots will be soft.



Add your garlic and ginger and give it a mix. This is the time where you need to watch it as you don’t want the garlic to burn. After about a minute or so, add the coconut milk.


Once that’s incorporated, add about 3 Tablespoons of green curry paste.


Let that break up a bit and become nice and smooth.

Now add about a can and a half of chicken broth or stock. I used the empty coconut milk can. Go for low sodium stock/broth if possible, this way you can control the amount of salt in the meal.



At this point I felt like I should add fish sauce. I kept reading it in so many recipes, I figured why not.

So I added about a tablespoon and a half. Then I decided to taste it as I wasn’t really sure what fish sauce tasted like on its own. It was nasty. It was too late, it was already in. The end result was a delicious meal, so I’ll add it again next time, but on it’s own, not my favorite flavor out there. If you know more about fish sauce, feel free to add more or less as you see fit.  A tablespoon and a half worked ok for me.



At this point I added the basil and kicked the heat to high. Give it a taste and adjust your seasonings accordingly. I added a little salt, a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. I try not to add it to everything, it just happens. I like a little heat in my meal, big deal!



Carefully place the chicken back into the pot and wait until it boils. Once it boils, bring it back to low, put the lid on half way and let it simmer. I let mine go for about 45 minutes, I don’t think you need to let it go that long, I just like the deepest and richest flavors possible. The longer it goes, the better, but you’re really just cooking the chicken and thickening the sauce.

About 15 minutes before I took it off the stove I scooped out about a half a cup of liquid and added 2 tablespoons of flour to it. I whisked it up and poured it back into the pot. This helped to thicken it a little. At this point I also made up some white rice. We like rice in our family and it seemed appropriate.

I love cilantro, but my husband hates it. So I topped mine with some chopped cilantro, and his with some green onions. Either way, the meal was delicious. Very filling, very hearty and very yummy. And they had most of the stuff I needed (minus the chicken) at Target of all places.

Makes 2 servings, with a decent amount of leftover sauce, enough for 2 additional servings.
Ingredients

2 bone-in chicken thighs with drumstick attached (there’s a proper word for that, I am drawing a blank though)
3 carrots, cut into matchsticks
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 full handful of fresh basil, julienned
13.5 oz can coconut milk, unsweetened
1 1/2 can (use the coconut milk can) of low sodium chicken broth/stock
1 heaping Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon, or so, of fish sauce 
3 Tablespoons of Thai green curry paste 
Salt and pepper, to taste
Vegetable oil
Cornstarch or flour, to help thicken the sauce
Cilantro,green onions or parsley as a topping, if you’re into that sorta thing
1 cup cooked white rice

Preparation Instructions

Wash and dry your chicken thoroughly. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside.

Heat your pot over medium/high heat and add about 2 – 3 Tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is very hot, but not smoking, add your chicken. Brown on both sides and remove.

Add the onions and carrots to the already hot pot. Season with salt and pepper, cover and let the veggies sweat out. Once the carrots are soft and the onions are translucent, add the garlic and the ginger and cook for a minute more.

Add the coconut milk, curry paste, brown sugar, basil and broth/stock. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly.

Add the chicken and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling, reduce to low, cover halfway and let simmer for at least 25 minutes.

If it’s a little thin for your liking, remove some liquid and whisk about 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch (or flour) and carefully pour back into pot.

When you’re ready to eat, scoop some rice, then your chicken and top with the sauce. Add some toppings if you desire. I loved the cilantro, but if you’re more of a green onions or parsley kind of person, go for it.

Enjoy!