Recipe: Delicious Thai Green Curry Chicken

It was session 3 of the cooking workshop and we learned to make Thai Green Curry Chicken. This dish is probably the most favorite. It's tangy and mild spicy, but my 6-year-old really likes it. I love it too. I like the citrus flavor from the lime and the creamy sauce of the coconut milk. Serve it with coconut rice and that's it! It's very easy to make once you have all the ingredients. For the rice, I used a rice cooker. If you have one, it would really save some preparation time.

Thai Green Curry Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2-1/2lb boneless chicken (breast or thigh), each piece cut into bite size pieces
3 cups unsweetened coconut milk
2 tbsp Thai green curry paste
Grated zest of 1 large lime
Juice of 2 large limes
1 cup chicken stock, vegetable stock or water
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger root
4 tbsp shredded or torn Thai basil leaves
4 tbsp cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
1 chili (optional)
salt and ground pepper to taste


PREPARATION:

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Add chicken to skillet and cook, turning occasionally until golden brown all over. Transfer chicken out of skillet and set aside.
3. Add coconut milk to the same skillet and bring to a boil on medium high heat.
4. Continue to cook on medium-high until the volume of coconut milk is reduced by about 25%. Reduce heat to medium.
5. Add curry paste and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add lemongrass, lime zest and juice, stock, and fish sauce. Simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors.
7. Return chicken to skillet and simmer 5-6 minutes longer. Ensure that chicken is cooked through completely.
8. Stir in chili, ginger, Thai basil and cilantro, stirring to distribute evenly. Cook 3-5 minutes longer.
9. Serve hot over steamed rice/pasta and garnish with lime wedges, Thai basil, and cilantro.

Coconut Rice

(Prep time: 15 mins / Cook time: 45 mins / serves 6)

INGREDIENTS:

3 tbsp coconut oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 cups cooked rice

Optional: cinnamon, jasmine, cloves, cayenne and other spices

PREPARATION (to cook the rice):

1. Fill a pot with 2 cups
2. Add 1 cup of uncooked rice.
3. Bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce to simmer, cover with lid and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid.

PREPARATION (coconut rice):

1. Melt the coconut oil in a medium saute pan on medium-low heat.
2. Add the garlic into the oil and heat until garlic is golden brown.
3. Stir the rice into the coconut oil/garlic mixture until it is evenly coated with coconut oil..
4. Serve hot with side dishes.