Thai Coconut Curry Chicken
With the end of the holiday season and the beginning of the New Year, comes the usual New Year’s resolutions. Honestly, I’m a bit happy to focus less on creating and posting holiday recipes; and getting back to adding a wider variety of recipes. This Thai Coconut Curry Chicken recipe starts the year off.
Since I found my dream job at the end of last year, my main focus this year will growing this blog and my personal relationships. I’ll throw in being healthier as well; all these desserts for the blog lately haven’t exactly been helping. Don’t worry though, I’ll keep the sweets coming.
This Thai Coconut Curry Chicken recipe is on the healthier side. I’m working on a 30 Minute Healthy Eating guide and recipe ebook. I plan to have that available and live on the site within the next couple months. More on this to come and I’ll keep you posted on all the updates. Why not sign up for my newsletter on the sidebar to get all our recipes and updates?
This is a quick, simple meal that provides a welcoming break from the usual weeknight meal. It consists mainly of common pantry ingredients (my next post will be a pantry essentials stocking guide). Curry powder and canned coconut milk add the bulk of the flavor. Agave syrup and green peas add a sweet compliment to the spices.
Did I mention this recipe is easy, takes less than 30 minutes, and it’s gluten-free? Cook the onions, garlic and chicken; then add the rest of the ingredients to make the coconut curry sauce. Serve over warm rice and enjoy your delicious, healthy weeknight meal.
Food Science and Cooking Tips:
- Dry spices and herbs are heat and oil soluble. Meaning that more flavor is released if you heat them in oil first.
- With this recipe, we add the curry powder with the chicken while it is cooking (instead of later with the coconut milk). The heated olive oil brings out the flavor to create a richer curry sauce.
Food Photography Tips:
I shot this in natural light at 1/1600 sec, f/ 1.8, ISO 800. Delicate ingredients, like tomatoes and fresh herbs, tend to lose their structure and vibrant colors when cooked. A bright, crisp floret of broccoli turns into a mushy brownish piece when cooked in a sauce. This is normal, but not ideal for food photography.
To keep food looking fresh and appealing, save some stand-ins. You don’t even need to cook them; for this recipe photography, I added uncooked tomatoes while plating the final dish. This allowed for round, vibrant red tomatoes. While serving dishes to guest, extra herbs can be added after cooking for a better presentation.
Want more curry? Then try my one pot Thai Shrimp Curry.
Leave a comment below and star rating if you made this recipe or want to share your thoughts.
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Thai Coconut Curry Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 –2 cups Jasmin or brown rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions.
- Meanwhile: Heat olive oil to medium-high heat in a large skillet or stir-fry pan. Add garlic and onion, saute for 2–3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add curry powder and chicken pieces, stir to evenly coat chicken (read optional cooking tips section above). Cook 5–7 minutes until chicken is opaque white and cooked through.
- Add frozen peas and cook 2 minutes to defrost. Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes, agave syrup and coconut milk. Cook 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
- Add green onions and stir. Serve (with sauce) over warm rice.
Hi Matt:
This recipe can easily be enjoyed by substituting ingredients since I’m a vegetarian mostly on an
alkaline diet (80/20) …. I’ll make tofu instead of chicken and omit the (acidic) tomatoes. I believe it
will still taste fantastic. Looking forward to your new venue.
I’m so happy you found your dream job and hope to stay in touch with creative, personable you.
Cherryl
Hi Cherryl. Glad you are still able to enjoy this recipe with your diet. Tofu is a great vegan/vegetarian substitute for a lot of stir-fry type recipes. Thanks for tip and the compliments!