Red Curry Coconut Chicken and Spinach Over Rice
Inspiration and thoughts
Are you ready for chicken, onions and garlic smothered in a creamy coconut milk, red curry and chili garlic sauce over rice? Because I am. Don’t be fooled by the funny looking texture and color of this fabulous meal – it is so good and it wont disappoint.
This dish was inspired by my love and obsession with everything coconut, especially when it’s mixed into sauces. I really am obsessed with coconut flavor in everything. Just plain coconut meat, coconut milk, coconut water, and eating and drinking coconut everything. My boyfriend always makes me coconut cocktails, which are so amazing (at least one recipe coming soon!). And my cousin got me a special coconut opener (CocoJack, I love you so much) which I use frequently every summer to open coconuts and enjoy them. Yes, I love the flavor in every way.
But one of my other favorite ways of having coconut in foods is mixed into sauces that pair with meat or vegetables. I love a thin broth, but sometimes a thick creamy sauce with a delicious coconut flavor just tastes so good, is such fabulous comfort food, and makes most things better (definitely this recipe). The rich coconut flavor and thick texture perfectly mix together with so many flavors, and especially with the ones in this recipe.
It’s also Halloween this Saturday and if I’m being honest, I definitely wanted to share this orange colored recipe around this fun holiday just because of that. I love cooking with themes, and although I didn’t initially intend that when I made this, it was a happy accident!
How it’s made, notes
If you don’t love this recipe, I wont know what to say. First you have the base to balance out the rich flavors of the meat and sauce, the rice. I used a mix between basmati and brown rice, but any rice is completely fine. You can also use quinoa if you prefer.
While the rice is cooking it’s time to start on the star of the show: the red curry coconut chicken. Start off with adding the spices to the chicken: the salt, pepper and curry. Coat all of the chicken well. I added half of a teaspoon of curry for this recipe, and I would really suggest not going over that much. Curry is so good but so powerful, and I have definitely made this dish and added too much curry initially, and it overpowered everything. Don’t do what I did! A little goes a long way.
Now heat up your pan or skillet and saute the garlic and onions for a minute or two, then add the chicken. Cook that on medium or medium high heat just until the chicken is browned on all sides, but not completely cooked, about 5 minutes.
Now for the sauce! My favorite part. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, red curry paste, and garlic chili sauce and stir together until well mixed. Let that delicious mixture simmer for about 20-25 minutes and allow it to thicken.
Add the spinach and cook for another 5 minutes or so. The spinach will release more water as it is cooking, so make sure to keep cooking this until the sauce is nice and thick and creamy. You don’t want this mix to be too thin, so if you need more simmer time that is fine!
Turn off the heat and it is ready to serve. Divide the rice into two large bowls. Pour the red curry coconut chicken mix generously over the rice. Enjoy!
P.S. Leftovers are fabulous.
Red Curry Coconut Chicken and Spinach Over Rice
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup rice I used a basmati and brown rice mix: any is fine!
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups spinach
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Make the rice first. Follow package instructions or use my way: bring two cups of chicken broth to a boil then add the rice. Simmer for 15 minutes, covered, then let stand for 5 minutes.
- While the rice is cooking, start on the chicken. Add the curry powder, salt and pepper to the chicken and coat every side generously. Set aside.
- In a large skillet or cast iron, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently. Add the chicken and cook until browned, about 4-5 minutes. Add the red curry paste, garlic chili sauce, chicken broth and coconut milk. Stir everything together and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Add the spinach, mix, and cook for another 5 minutes, until the sauce is nice and thick.
- To serve, add the rice to each bowl then generously pour the chicken mixture over the top.