I sincerely hope to travel to Thailand one day…their food has so much flavor! This recipe is my take on a Thai Coconut Curry with Chicken. This is also a great meal to make for those that have gluten and/or lactose issues! This curry is made with coconut milk and I gave an option to change the soy sauce to tamarind to make it completely gluten free as well. This is also a dish anyone can do! After chopping up the veggies, chicken and aromatics (garlic and ginger), all you really need to do is add things to a pan in a specific order and make the sauce on the side. I love to serve this dish with coconut rice, but any rice or lentils will also work!
Recipe:
Serves 4-5 people
Ingredients:
6 Boneless Skinless Chicken thighs (around 1.60 lbs)- cut into bite sized cubes
1 Large Red Bell Pepper- seeded, thinly sliced and then small chopped (1 3/4 cup chopped)
1/2 Medium Vidalia Onion - small chopped (1 cup chopped)
1 Small to Medium Sized Carrot - peeled and grated (1/2 cup grated)
1 tsp Minced Fresh Ginger
2 tsp Minced Garlic (3 medium cloves)
1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
1/2 bag of an 8 oz Bag of Raw Spinach
2 tbsp Canola Oil
The Juice of 1/2 a Lime
Sauce Ingredients:
1 - 13.5 oz Can Full Fat Coconut Milk
1 tbsp Red Curry Paste (I used Thai Kitchen Brand)
The Juice of 1 1/2 Limes (or 2 tbsp)
1 tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tbsp Low Sodium Soy (or Tamari for a GF option)
1 tbsp Corn Starch
Directions:
1. Whisk all the "sauce ingredients" in a medium bowl until fully incorporated and smooth, set aside for later.
2. Heat 2 tbsp canola oil in a deep dish sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, red pepper and carrots. Cook for 5 min or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the rice vinegar to the pan to deglaze the pan (stirring to get the browned bits from the bottom for 30 seconds). Add the ginger and garlic and stir constantly for 30 more seconds, then add the chicken. Cook for 3 minutes or until parts of the chicken start to turn white, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the sauce, turn the heat on high and bring to a boil. Turn to the heat down to medium low, cover and cook for 13 minutes. Take the top off and stir constantly for 1 min to get the pieces off the bottom. Then, turn on low heat and slowly fold in 1/2 the bag of spinach until the spinach is fully wilted into the curry. Squeeze 1/2 a lime over the top and incorporate it into the dish. Serve over your favorite rice or lentils…I served this dish over coconut rice!