THAI CHICKEN & VEGETABLE COCONUT CURRY
This Thai Chicken & Vegetable Coconut Curry is a scrumptious meal prep idea for all you Thai fans out there! Thai cuisine is one of my favorites, so I was stoked with how authentic this simplified thai chicken coconut curry (“kaeng phet”) came out. It’s definitely a “cheater” recipe in that I used red curry paste instead of dried chilies and all the individual curry spices. But hey, it tastes amazing and comes together easily which is what I was after! I absolutely love this served over fragrant basmati rice. You could also use riced cauliflower for a low-carb version.
Did you know? The ingredients in curry powder have benefits for reducing inflammation, since turmeric is a key ingredient, which contains the compound curcumin, and pepper, which aids absorption of curcumin by up to 2,000% (source).
Two ingredients that are a must when making curry are fresh ginger root and fresh garlic cloves. I would advise against substituting dried spices here, but if you must, use one-quarter teaspoon of ground ginger and three-eighths teaspoon garlic powder. It won’t taste nearly as fresh or flavorful, but it’ll get the job done!
I used light coconut milk instead of full-fat for less than half the calories and fat. The light coconut milk is also a little sweeter, which I like. That said, if you want an extra creamy curry, use full-fat coconut milk. Do not use unsweetened coconut milk from a carton – it’s not the same thing!
There’s a ton of veggies in this Thai Chicken & Vegetable Coconut Curry! I went with bell peppers, carrots and kale, but feel free to throw in any veggies you like. Other popular veggies for curry include bamboo shoots, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, mushrooms, spinach, and sugar snap peas, to name a few. You can’t go wrong 😉 For cooking the chicken and vegetables, I recommend using either coconut oil or avocado oil, which are high-heat stable. Not all oils are!
To amp up the flavor even more, I seasoned mine with extra curry powder and fish sauce. I also added reduced calorie brown sugar blend for just the right amount of sweetness (can sub 1 tbsp. regular brown sugar or coconut sugar) and some fresh lime juice for brightness.
Here’s the printable recipe for this Thai Chicken & Vegetable Coconut Curry! I hope you’ll rate and comment below if you try it 🙂
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Thai Chicken & Vegetable Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 24 oz. chicken breasts sliced thin
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 tbsp. fresh ginger minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp. Thai red curry paste I used Thai Kitchen brand
- 2 tsp. curry powder
- 1 cup carrots peeled and sliced
- 14 oz. canned light coconut milk I used Thai Kitchen brand
- 1 cup red bell pepper sliced
- 1 cup yellow bell pepper sliced
- 2 cups kale stems removed
- 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp. fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp. Truvia brown sugar blend or 1 tbsp. regular brown sugar, coconut sugar
Instructions
- Slice chicken breasts into 1/8" thick strips (very thin).
- Heat oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium-high heat and add chicken. Cook until meat is just barely cooked through, about 5 minutes. Set aside on a plate.
- In the same skillet, add onion, ginger, and garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender, about 4 minutes.
- Add curry paste, curry powder, carrots, and coconut milk; cooking about 3 minutes until fragrant and bubbling.
- Reduce heat to medium and add bell peppers, kale, cooked chicken, lime juice, fish sauce, and brown sugar blend.
- Simmer over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Adjust lime juice, fish sauce, and brown sugar to taste.
- For meal prep, weigh out the entire batch and divide by six to find the weight per serving. Serve over cooked basmati rice or riced cauliflower and enjoy!
Notes
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