Ingredients
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 large shallots, minced
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
1 1/2 tbsp. curry powder
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 (13-oz.) can coconut milk
1/2 c. water
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
Juice of ½ lime
Lime wedges, for serving
Mint leaves, torn, for serving
Cilantro leaves, torn, for serving
Cooked rice, for serving
Preparation
Step 1In a large pot or high-sided skillet over medium heat, heat oil and butter. When butter is melted, add onion and shallots and cook until tender and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.Step 2Add garlic, ginger, and curry powder and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more. Add tomato paste and cook until darkened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes more.Step 3Add coconut milk and water and bring to a simmer. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Step 4Stir in lime juice and garnish with mint and cilantro. Serve hot with rice.
What’s in a curry? Is it super spicy? Traditionally, a curry is any saucy dish seasoned with spices and containing meat, tofu, or vegetables. But “spices” doesn’t necessarily translate to “spicy”; it often just means flavorful. This recipe has some spice–garlic, ginger, curry powder–but that spice gets pretty toned down by the tomato paste and coconut milk. If you want your sauce to have a little more kick, feel free to add a little chili powder or cayenne. Can I use pre-cooked chicken? Cooking the chicken in the sauce ensures it stays tender and juicy and allows it to absorb all that flavor (while simultaneously giving its chicken-y goodness to the sauce). In a pinch you could use leftover chicken breast or shredded rotisserie chicken, throwing it into the sauce to heat up. Just keep in mind that this dish will be most flavorful if the chicken is actually cooked in the curry sauce. Can I add more vegetables? Thinly sliced bell pepper, sliced zucchini, broccoli, and snow peas would all be delicious. Larger, denser vegetables (like broccoli) might need to be pre-cooked (we recommend steaming) before you add them to the curry. If you’d like to go completely vegetarian, check out this simple Coconut Milk and Tofu Curry. What else can I serve with this curry? We love serving this curry over a pile of fluffy rice (it’s great for soaking up all that saucy goodness), but if you’re not feeling the rice, why not try making a batch of homemade naan? It’s super simple and super tasty. Made it? Let us know how it went in the comment section below.
