Thai Coconut Curry Chicken and Rice

Recipe From: Laura

This mouthwatering, delectable Thai dish ranks at the very top of my “most loved recipes” !!!  It so happens there are very few of my recipes that are crowned with that title. Just sayin . 😆  If youre a fan of Thai , you’ll be sure to love the flavorful peaks and valleys this Thai dish has to offer.  From a perfect blend of spices for the peanut sauce to amazing coconut curry flavor to the extra fun garnishes that all captivate those taste buds.  My kiddos couldn’t get enough & raved how amazing it was!  Love my kiddos .  💗

The recipe is a bit of work but trust me, it’s well worth the extra time and effort!  You could get an extra helper & make it fun!  Also, you could save a step  by purchasing peanut sauce instead of making it since you are just drizzling on top . I personally love homemade sauces cuz that means there’s no soy or canola oil  or any other bad ingredients I cant pronounce.   

A tip I will do next time—  the curry sauce didn’t thicken as much as I would have liked but that was due to adding “lite” coconut milk since that's what I had on hand. I will definitely use full fat coconut milk next time for a thicker, richer flavor.  Good thing it’s healthy for ya.😋   Also,  I was not about to go to different stores to find the spice ‘mace’ {never even heard of it...? }

so a good sub for that is nutmeg. Also, I made my own chili oil using avocado oil blended with red pepper flakes and cayenne then sit for a bit. {look up how to make chili oil} The dish wasn’t spicy at all so kids will love it. If u like a lil xtra spicy kick, add a bit more red pepper flakes and cayenne to the Curry sauce . 

ENJOY!! 

Curry Coconut Sauce

2 tsp chili oil **see tip above

1/4 c. minced onion

2 TBSP minced garlic

2 TBSP fresh minced ginger

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp salt or to taste

1/4 tsp pepper or to taste

1/4 tsp mace **see tip above

1/4 tsp tumeric

3 c. reg. coconut milk

1 medium carrot julienned

1 small zucchini julienned

1/2 cup peas frozen

Peanut Sauce

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 TBSP water

4 tsp sugar

1 TBSP soy sauce

1 tsp. rice vinegar

1 tsp lime juice

1/2 tsp. chili oil** or 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

Chicken and Shrimp

2 chicken breast cut into bite size pieces

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 c. avocado oil or coconut oil

4 cups cooked rice

Garnish

1 cup flaked coconut, toasted

1/4 cup peanuts chopped

2 green onions chopped

1/2 tsp parsley

sesame seeds optional

Directions:

Coconut Curry-

Make the curry sauce by heating the chili oil in a large saucepan on medium heat.  When oil is hot, add onion, garlic & ginger.  Saute for 30 sec. then add chicken broth.  Add spices-- cumin, coriander, paprika, salt, black pepper, mace & tumeric).  Stir well. Simmer 5 min. then add coconut milk. Bring mixture back to boil, for a minute, then reduce heat & simmer 20 min. til the sauce begins to thicken. Add julienned carrots, zucchini, & peas. Simmer 10 min. or til carrots are tender.

Peanut Sauce-

Add peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, & chili oil in small pan on medium.  Heat til mixture begins to bubble then cover pan & remove from heat.

Toast flaked coconut by preheating oven to 300 degrees. Spread coconut on sheet & toast in oven. Stir every 10 min. so it browns evenly but watch closely in last 5 min. so it doesnt get too dark.  After 25 min, it will be light brown. Take out & let cool.

Chicken-

Cut chicken breasts into bite size pieces. Lightly salt & pepper chicken. Toss chicken with cornstarch. Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat.  Add coated chicken to pan and saute for 2 min, turning as it cooks. Cook til browned & remove. from pan.

Assemble plates.Divide the rice into 4 equal amounts, approx 1/4 c. each or so. Take that portioned rice & put in small bowl, press down all over.  This should form a rice 'ball' that forms to the bowl. Invert bowl onto center of plate, tap a bit & lift off, leaving a formed pile of rice in the center of each plate. (see pix)  Arrange equal portion of chicken around rice. Spoon curry sauce & veggies over chicken,  try not to  get any sauce on top of rice. 

Drizzle peanut sauce over dish , concentrating most of it on the rice. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp of parsley over center of rice. Add a Tbsp of chopped peanuts on parsley & pile on green onions . Sprinkle toasted coconut over chicken & serve.  Enjoy!