Thai Chicken Coconut Curry is one of my favorite ways to prepare chicken. When fried, grilled or roasted chicken start sounding mundane, this recipe will spice up your taste buds.
Thai curries are known in the Western world as kaeng. Although "kaeng" is also defined as being of "watery" substance, the thickness of the sauce can vary considerably from broth-like to that of a thick stew, and it can even be a completely dry dish.
Growing up in the far east for nearly 7 years, the smell of this dish brings back many good memories. I think the combined smells of curry, cilantro and coconut milk are very unique to Thai and Indian cuisine. The primary difference between the two are spices vs. aromatic leaves. I love both styles.
Thai curry refers both to dishes in Thai cuisine that are made with various types of curry paste and to the pastes themselves. A Thai curry dish is made from curry paste, coconut milk or water, meat, seafood, vegetables or fruit, and herbs. Curries in Thailand mainly differ from the curries in Indian cuisine in their use of ingredients such as herbs and aromatic leaves over a mix of spices. (Wikipedia)
Due to the sauce's creamy and rich consistency, I find it best to use chicken breasts so there is no worry about finding a bone inadvertently. Additionally, the white meat of chicken breast stays moist as it simmers in the coconut milk. And this recipes allows you to use fresh or frozen chicken breasts as you can simmer it for a while.
Though the traditional way to make a curry is with curry paste, I use the ground powder instead. Overall, the ingredients are simple, yet fresh. The main ingredients consist of chicken, onion, garlic, cilantro, coconut milk and a number of aromatic spices. They include curry, chilies, star anise, ginger and salt and pepper. I prefer mine with a kick, so I add cayenne powder as well. You can also choose to add a little more curry to heat things up.
Preparation is fairly simple too and only requires chopping and frying the onions and garlic in a little oil, browning the chicken, and then adding the rest of the ingredients to simmer.
Enjoy this flavorful Thai Chicken Coconut Curry dish. And as always, I appreciate the pictures and feedback you share with me!
Thai Chicken Coconut Curry
DESCRIPTION
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb chicken breast (fresh or frozen)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 13.5 ounces coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon ground curry
- 1 teaspoon chili powder (or 2-3 whole chili peppers)
- 2 cloves garlic (sliced)
- salt (to taste)
- ground pepper (to taste)
- ⅓ teaspoon ginger powder
- ½ bunch cilantro (chopped )
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (to fry onions)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a large skillet, heat oil to medium and add chopped onions and garlic.
- Rinse and slice the chicken breasts into 1 inch thick diagonal slices. Place in skillet to brown. Turn over and add remaining ingredients, except for the cilantro,
- Lower heat to simmer, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Open lid and add cilantro over the the top. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Serve warm as a stand-alone meal or over rice.
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