How to Make Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce Recipe
We use chicken thigh meat because of the deeper flavor,
but you can use chicken breast meat if you prefer. This is a mild curry.
You can increase the heat with more cayenne. Please note that jalapeños
vary greatly in heat. Check the spiciness of your jalapeños and adjust
the recipe to taste.
Note that what we usually buy labelled "curry powder" is just a spice
mix, made up of various spices, like those in the following
ingredients, including a good portion of turmeric, which gives the curry
powder its yellow color. Feel free to experiment a little with the
spices listed here to get the taste you like the best.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- A small pinch of ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne, or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 1 large onion, sliced root to tip
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
- 2 Tbsp canola oil, rice bran oil or Indian ghee
- 1 14-oz can coconut milk
- 1 Tbsp lime juice, or to taste
- 12-20 fresh basil leaves, torn roughly
- Hot cooked rice for serving
Method
1 In a small
bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves,
cinnamon, ground cardamom, black pepper, cayenne and turmeric. Set
aside.
2 In a wok or deep sauté pan, heat the oil over high heat. The
moment the oil begins to smoke, add the onions and jalapeños and toss
to coat in oil. Sear the vegetables for 3 minutes, stirring only enough
to keep them from burning, but still allowing the onions to sear.
3 Add the ginger, garlic and spice mixture and toss to
combine, cook for 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and chicken. Stir the
mixture so that the chicken pieces are coated in the coconut milk. Bring
to a simmer, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes.
4 When the chicken is tender, turn off the heat and add the
basil and lime juice. Add more lime juice and salt to taste and serve
over rice.
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