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EASY Coconut Chicken Curry

Coconuts are one of my favorite things ever. When I lived in Hawaii as a kid, I would find them on the beach and spend hours peeling them, poking a hole in the top for the juice and then cracking them open to eat the meat. I'll eat dried coconut by the handful, and coconut water to me is magic unicorn juice.

But those things are all sweet. I like sweet, and branching out beyond that is tough for me. A few weeks ago I decided to make a savory coconut curry, and it's my new favorite dish. It's a coconut-spinach-ginger curry, which sounds like it would be complicated. It's not.



A recipe is almost too much, honestly. It's easy.

What You'll Need:
One can of coconut milk
6-8 diced raw chicken breasts
One bag of frozen spinach, defrosted
Two tablespoons of coconut or olive oil
One tablespoon of fresh diced ginger
4-5 cloves of diced garlic
Red pepper flakes, black pepper and honey to taste*

*How much does it piss you off when recipes say "to taste"? Damn it, I don't read recipes for suggestions! I want facts! For this, just add what you want, really. Like it spicy? One teaspoon of red pepper flakes is good. I still like a little hint of sweetness, so I put in a tablespoon of honey to balance it all out.

What You'll Do:
In a large saucepan, sear the chicken and garlic in the oil. Don't worry about cooking it through, just make sure that the chicken is white on the outside. Then, pour in the coconut milk and add in the ginger, spinach, red pepper, black pepper and honey. Stir, if you feel fancy. Let it simmer for 30 minutes and check to ensure that chicken is cooked thoroughly. Serve over rice. This recipe makes about four hearty servings.



Alright, so there's one problem with this dish. It actually contains no curry spices, and therefore isn't a curry. It tastes like a Thai dish, though, and is so rich and hearty and delicious. I love it. And if you're into eating clean, well, it's clean. If you're into Paleo, it's that too. Maybe skip the rice. Heck, it's gluten free, soy free and dairy free too. I'm surprised there's anything left.

Are you a fan of coconut?
So very much. Want to know something that really isn't Paleo? When you have just a little bit of Nutella in the bottom of the jar, add some shredded dried coconut and some chopped almonds. Stir. Devour with spoon and/or fingers. 


Anyone have any good uses for coconut milk?
Sweet recipes, I have aplenty. One great one is to pour a few tablespoons over frozen fruit chunks. So amazing.

Comments

  1. Looks yummy minus the coconut...think I am one of the few that can't stand it!

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  2. looks yummy! I do love coconut and I just drink the milk ;) lol

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  3. I am a HUGE fan of coconut, which I recently discovered. My mom HATES coconut so I never ate it growing up. Now it's my favorite food!

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  4. BIG fan of all things coconut EXCEPT coconut water. It's very strange. I have chicken in the freezer and some light coconut milk, so this is looking like a possibility for tomorrow night.

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  5. Mmm this looks yummy! I wonder if I can make it with tofu instead?? Did you use full fat coconut milk? I love everything coconut and am looking for some new hearty fall recipes. I think this would be perfect :)

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    Replies
    1. I am gonna jump in here and say YES.. tofu would be good. I would use a firm or medium firm.

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  6. This looks awesome!

    I have a couple of recipes on my blog site that use canned coconut milk.. one is a 'butterless' butter chicken with curry and the other is a prawn dish, also with curry.

    I am pinning this recipe and going to make it this week but with fresh spinach leaves.... mmmm

    Thanks so much.

    And I think that the answer to Christina's question is YES... tofu would be good too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have some fake chicken in the freezer and a can of coconut milk so this could be in my future. I recently made a similar recipe from Daily Garnish and it was amazing. I honestly have to hold myself back from just drinking the whole can. So you eat the fruit frozen with the milk? Intriguing!

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  8. Yummy, yummy, yummy....... My mouth is watering!

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  9. I love coconut. I actually make a curry very similar to this. I don't know if you have a Costco near you (did we talk about this already?) but they have a dried coconut that is really good. Oh...it's this one: http://www.amazon.com/Philippine-Dried-Young-Coconut-18/dp/B007FS8AL6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

    Also, have you ever tried Chocolate Chia pudding? You mix one can of coconut milk with cocoa powder to taste....just kidding...with 2 tbsp of cocoa powder, 1/4 cup of chia seeds and sugar to taste. Sorry, I had to say that because I don't like my stuff super sweet so I used two splenda. You can do what you like. Mix together, leave in the fridge over night, or as long as you can stand it, mix and eat! It's delicious!

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  10. This sounds awesome! I'm definitely going to try. My sister just made this recipe (with minor subs) and loved it. I plan to try it soon. http://allrecipes.com/recipe/vegan-red-lentil-soup/

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  11. I have to admit that chicken with coconut tastes great. Specially if you fried first with sugar.

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