Coconut Chicken Curry
Published January 5, 2021
Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
2 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon ground paprika
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
⅓ cup canola oil
2 yellow onions, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon Madras curry powder
½ teaspoon ground cayenne
Cooked rice or noodles, for serving
1 cup cilantro sprigs, for serving
1 lime or lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
27 grams carbs; 266 milligrams cholesterol; 797 calories; 17 grams monosaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 50 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 1265 milligrams sodium; 61 grams protein; 4 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into ½- to 1-inch pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add the paprika, turmeric and salt, and use your hands to mix well. Let the chicken marinate at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients, or cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Step 2
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Stir in the onions, lower the heat to medium-low and cook gently, stirring often to prevent scorching, until tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring often, until most of the water from the onions has been cooked out and a glossy layer of oil has risen to the surface, about 5 minutes more.
- Step 3
Add the marinated chicken and stir to release the spices into the onion. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a near boil. Let the coconut milk simmer briskly for about 4 minutes to thicken a bit. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the fish sauce. Stir in 1 ½ cups water and bring to a near boil. The broth will thin out as the chicken starts to release its juices.
- Step 4
Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Droplets of paprika-red oil will rise to the surface. Stir in the curry powder and cayenne, simmer briefly and remove from the heat.
- Step 5
If time permits, let the curry sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. This allows the chicken to soak in more flavors as the curry cools. Bring to a simmer again right before serving and taste, adding more salt or fish sauce if desired. Serve over rice or noodles, with bowls of cilantro and lime wedges.
Private Notes
Comments
A list of ingredients is good, but I also wish recipes were written like this: Trim 2 ½ pounds chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon ground paprika, ½ teaspoon turmeric and 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and use your hands to mix well. ... In a large pot, heat ⅓ cup canola oil over medium-high. Stir in 2 yellow onions, finely diced ... add 4 garlic cloves, minced, and continue to cook ... add 1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut
A Cantonese take on Thai. Very good, very bland. So I doubled & pounded the garlic, grated a 1 1/2" piece of ginger, used 3 tbsp fish sauce, used 2 tbsp of Thai red curry paste (not the cayenne) & 1 full tsp turmeric, added the zest of 1 lime, & sauteed in coconut oil. Also used good chicken stock instead of water, reducing the amount to 1 cup. Served with chopped cilantro & lime wedges. Delicious, though NOT as written.
I also wish that recipe writers were more specific about onions. Yellow onions range widely in size, so cups or ounces or grams would be much appreciated in the interest of following the recipe precisely! Geez!
It's funny to read in recipes that salt must be kosher. Millions of people cook with regular salt, and I assure you, it doesn't change the dish at all. Marketing ploy?
Made exactly as written, but it was definitely lacking umami. Added a tablespoon of regular peanut butter to each bowl, and it was perfect. Served with broccoli and rice.
Followed other suggestions: used 1 C ck stock instead of water, a knob of minced ginger, and added green beans (after turning heat off, then letting curry sit for 20 min). I also added the curry powder while it was simmering because I was afraid I'd forget it at the end. Will def make again.