Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry – Easy Dinner Recipe

 If you love curry then is recipe is definitely for you.This creamy coconut milk chicken curry trick all the right boxes of being extremely delicious, aromatic and fragrant and of course easy to make.

let’s start this off with one large brown or yellow onion to which we can slice off both the root and the tip. Slice it in half to then peel off the skin and as the saying goes save the scraps for a stock. With this now slice it as thin as you can and upon reaching the end  lay the onion flat to continue slicing which will make it a lot sturdier and safer to cut.

Next we’re going to need four large cloves of freshly peeled garlic which we’re going to run along a fine microplane or grater to create a paste which is otherwise known as minced,  also ensuring to scrape everything out once it’s been done to avoid any wastage.  Here is a 25g or 0.8oz piece of ginger and with this I recommend peeling with a spoon to avoid  removing too much flesh which is what a regular peeler would do and with the scraps these can be placed into a compost bin if you have one. Let’s now run the peeled ginger across a fine  microplane or grater, the same as we did with the garlic, again ensuring everything is scraped out to avoid the wastage.

For the next ingredient I’m using the green stem from one spring onion or scallion, thinly slicing it on an angle to create nice diamond or oval shaped pieces and this is  going to be used as a garnish for the final product so if you don’t want to use it you don’t have to.  The last bit of knife prep is slicing off the stem from one long red chilli or jk,  placing the stem into a compost bin if you have one then come through and slice the chilli as thinly as you can. Like most of my recipes the chilli is optional so don’t stress if you don’t like heat or simply don’t want to use it as it’s also being used as a garnish.

Now moving forward  place six large chicken thighs with a combined weight of 750g or 1.6lbs into a mixing bowl, to it add in 2 tablespoons or 50g of coconut oil or you can use 2 tablespoons or 40ml of olive oil along with the brown or yellow onion that we thinly sliced, the minced garlic, the minced ginger,  1 teaspoon or 5g of sea salt flakes and of course 1 teaspoon or 10 cracks of black pepper.  Once that’s all in give the ingredients a really good mix ensuring that the coconut oil or olive oil is fully coating the chicken to allow the garlic and ginger to stick and it will also get  those onions nicely lubed up too. Wrap this up in some plastic wrap to lock in the flavours and allow this to marinate and infuse for a minimum of 30 minutes in the fridge or if you wanted to  get yourself prepared leave it overnight but make sure you let it sit out of the fridge for 30 minutes before cooking if you do do it overnight.

Now when you’re ready to cook place a large pan onto your stovetop over a high heat and once hot add in 1 teaspoon or 10g of coconut oil or olive oil allowing it to melt. With the marinated chicken scrape off the sliced onions reserving them in a bowl and sear the chicken flat side down for 3 minutes or until we have a nice beautiful golden crust. After 3 minutes these can then be flipped over to which we can repeat the same 3 minute process getting these nice and golden all over which will lock in all of the flavours and obviously all of this takes about 6 minutes.

Once both sides are golden remove the thighs placing them onto a  plate or in a bowl and allow them to relax and chill out for the time being.

Whilst the pan’s still  nice and hot add in the reserved onions, garlic and ginger scraping it all in there as we do need  the flavour from the coconut oil if you are using it of course and saute this for 1 minute stirring  it regularly and with the chicken being seared first the onion, garlic and ginger can pick up  the delicious flavours that were left in the pan. 1 minute later add in 3 teaspoons or 7g of ground cumin, 2 teaspoons or 3g of ground coriander, half a teaspoon or 1.5g of ground cloves, 2 teaspoons  or 6g of smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons or 5g of ground turmeric and finally 4 whole cardamom pods.

Give this a really good mix for those flavours to become friends and cook stirring frequently  for 1 minute. For a quick breakdown the ground cumin adds an earthy aromatic flavour, the ground coriander adds a sweet citrus flavour, the clove adds warmth and a slight bitterness that counter  balances the sweet spices, the smoked paprika adds sweetness and obviously a nice smoky fragrance,  the turmeric gives a musky bitterness and peppery spice as well as a fantastic colour  and last but not least the cardamom has a complex aroma being fruity, piney and a very slight menthol like flavour.

 The next addition is 3 quarters of a cup or 180ml of chicken or  vegetable stock to add a little depth in flavour as well as deglazing the pan and to help thin the sauce ever so slightly.

With this just give it a good stir through to pull up any flavours that may have been stuck to the pan and simmer for 1 minute stirring every so often. Next add in 2 cups or 500ml of coconut milk and please don’t use coconut cream otherwise the gravy will be way too thick and to this season to taste with some sea salt flakes then mix it well for the flavours to  become friends and bring the sauce to a simmer whilst stirring occasionally. Once at a simmer add in 12g or 0.4oz of desiccated coconut which is optional and we can now reintroduce the seared chicken placing it evenly amongst the sauce and don’t forget to add in any juices that the chicken left behind which adds more delicious flavour.

Let’s now give this a good mix through being gentle with the chicken, bring the sauce to a simmer and once achieved reduce the heat to low  and allow it to simmer away for 25 minutes giving it a stir every now and again.

Storage & Reheating

Freezing:
Allow the chicken curry to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight, freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. For best results, portion the curry before freezing so you can thaw only what you need.

Reheating:
Thaw the curry overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat it gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat until piping hot throughout, stirring occasionally. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave, stirring halfway through. Add a splash of water if the sauce has thickened too much.