Need a Curry Chicken Recipe
I've been craving curry chicken, but have never made it at home before. I'm looking for a recipe that has a rich, creamy sauce and I'm assuming is made using cocnut milk. It is only going to be me eating so a recipe for 2-4 would be perfect.
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15 Comments:
A very simple one comes from Donna Hay, off The Shelf. I cut and pasted the recipe from the cookbook critic. http://www.thecookbookcritic.com/archives/2006/02/off_the_shelf_g_2.html
Off the Shelf: Green Curry Chicken with Sweet Potato
Off the Shelf has a chapter on Asian food, with lots of streamlined preparations for classic dishes. This is a very simple curry that tastes great.
The sweet potato plays nicely against the heat of the curry paste, and the coconut milk ties it all together. If you have a well-stocked market or an Asian market in your area, you should be able to find kaffir lime leaves, a classic ingredient in Thai cooking. Hay's recipe calls for the lime leaves to be shredded, but I prefer to leave them whole, simmer them in the curry, and then remove them before serving, as their texture is rather crunchy and their flavor is quite strong. You can use them either way: simmer them in the sauce for a hint of their flavor, or slice them into very fine slivers and add them to the sauce.
Hay's ingredients list calls for "coconut cream." In the United States, we have a product called cream of coconut, a sweetened beverage mixer used in piña coladas. This is not the product you want! I looked around a bit to see if there is a specific product called "coconut cream" in Australia (Donna Hay is an Australian food writer), but it seems that the terms coconut cream and coconut milk are used interchangeably. In the U.S., look for coconut milk. I prefer Chaokoh brand.
As is usual with Thai curries, the sauce for this dish does not get terribly thick. Be sure to serve it over steamed white or jasmine rice to soak up all the sauce. I've had to increase cooking times slightly from what was originally specified in the recipe -- my sweet potatoes took longer than the original 25 minutes to get tender.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: about 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (1/2 inch)
3 Tbsp peanut oil, divided
2 Tbsp Thai green curry paste
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 6 oz. each
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 cup coconut milk
4 kaffir lime leaves, whole or finely shredded (see note above)
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the sweet potato dice in a baking dish and toss with 2 Tbsp peanut oil. Bake until soft and golden, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the curry paste and 1 Tbsp peanut oil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken and cook for 1 minute per side. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, and lime leaves. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
To serve, place sweet potato dice on top of a bed of steamed jasmine rice. Place chicken atop the potatoes, then spoon on curry sauce and sprinkle with cilantro.
BirdDoggie at 11:07PM on 06/23/08
@BirdDoggie. Coconut cream & coconut milk aren't really the same thing. The difference is exactly like the difference between ordinary cream and milk. Sometimes when you open a can of coconut milk there is a thick cream sitting on the top (just like in a bottle of old fashioned milk). If you refrigerate the can, this seems to help the cream coagulate on the top. In Australia we can buy cans of coconut cream and coconut milk. Maybe a Thai grocer in the US would stock them? If you use milk instead of cream in this recipe I guess it will taste pretty much the same, but a bit less rich and a bit more liquid.
vegemite at 2:29AM on 06/24/08
would this work with lamb? I'm assuming I would have to adjust the cooking time to make it tender? I had amazing lamb curry at my nephew's wedding years ago. It was the first time I had had lamb, and nothing has measured up since...
cowprintrabbit at 3:40AM on 06/24/08
my mom makes a deadly curry. very finely minced fresh cilantro, basil, or mint works wonders for the sauce, with the amounts depending on your taste. i like my food spicy, so lots of cilantro does the trick. i really recommend trying it.
foodbeast at 4:26AM on 06/24/08
There's several varieties of "curry chicken" that incorporate coconut milk - which one are you referring to?
I've personally eaten curry with coconut milk in Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Malaysian restaurants that vary greatly even within their cuisine, let alone between cuisines, and I'm sure there's more. There are even milk curries that have a light color w/o coconut milk being used like some varieties of Japanese curries.
Cassaendra at 7:29AM on 06/24/08
I don't have a specific curry chicken in mind - just one that is creamy with a substantial sauce.
I tried a recipe last night that called for making your own spice mixture and used yogurt instead of coconut milk or milk. I couldn't stand the amount of turmeric, it was so bitter that I couldn't eat any of what I made!
I'm going to try again tonight, but I'll use my bottled hot madras curry powder.
Carosone at 10:14AM on 06/24/08
Here's a good curry. Leave out the cayenne if you want it mild.
Chicken Curry
1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs,
cut into bite-sized pieces with scissors
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 garlic cloves, pressed
2 teaspoons curry powder, preferably Madras
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes
1/4 cup dried currants
1/2 cup roasted cashews, chopped
Cooked rice, for serving
Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle it with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then stir-fry the chicken for about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Stir the garlic, curry, and cayenne into the fat in the skillet for 1 minute, then add the coconut milk, tomatoes with their juices, currants, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring to a simmer. Add the chicken and any juices that accumulate on the plate and briskly simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Serve over rice sprinkled with chopped cashews.
Yield: 4 servings
Gourmet Guy at 12:08PM on 06/24/08
This is a really good recipe that I have made many times from epicurious.com. It uses yogurt and no coconut milk. Enjoy!
Chicken Curry with Cashews
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb) chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup cashews (1/4 lb)
3/4 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
Accompaniment: cooked basmati or jasmine rice
Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro
Heat butter in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, including juice, and cilantro and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. (If making ahead, see cooks' note, below.)
Just before serving:
Pulse cashews in a food processor or electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, then add to curry along with yogurt and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes.
Cooks' note:
Curry, without yogurt and cashews, can be made 5 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over low heat before stirring in yogurt and ground cashews.
lattelatte at 1:18PM on 06/24/08
@Gourmet Guy & Lattelatte - Thanks for the recipes, they both look really good. I think I'll try Gourmet Guy's b/c I used all my yogurt last night making my first attempt at curry.
Carosone at 2:23PM on 06/24/08
@lattelatte -- That is the best (by far!) recipe for curry I have ever tasted.
I make it with vegetables instead of chicken, and sometimes I thicken it with greek yogurt at the end, but most of the time, I just leave the sauce as-is and top with whole cashews. Served on a bed of basmati rice (bright yellow from the tumeric I use when I cook it) the dish looks so beautiful, I use it as a centerpice on the table.
It is soooooo good.
Brownie at 11:08AM on 06/25/08
@brownie - glad you like it too. I've put cauliflower and potatoes in it. What other vegetables have you used??
lattelatte at 8:53AM on 06/26/08
@lattelatte -- I love cauliflower and potatoes in it. Chick peas are good, and so are peas. Sweet Potatoes or Butternut squash. I have also used zucchini and eggplant in it with great success (although I am the only one in the family that likes eggplant enough to cook it this way!). Lentils are lovely, too -- especially with loads of spinach!
Just use your imagination. This sauce is so flavorful, and so delicious, the sky's the limit with this recipe!
Brownie at 9:21AM on 06/26/08
@brownie - thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'm going to have to make it this weekend. It all sounds so good. Don't know which way to do it. YUM!
lattelatte at 5:10PM on 06/26/08
I just posted an entry on my blog about chicken curry with a yogurt sauce. Come by and check it out if you can and let me know what you think.
http://cookingquest.wordpress.com
Thanks,.
Joe
joejhorn at 5:21PM on 07/24/08
i get totally frustrated because no matter how many times i try to make it, i can never make my curry taste as good as the trader joe's thai red (or yellow) chicken curry sauce IN A JAR. sigh.............
:(
megannesta at 5:47PM on 07/24/08