Green Curry Chicken

*Post by Angela.

I'm very lucky. I don't have kids and I typically have an 8:30 am to 6:00 pm work day, so generally, I have the time and the resources to make most of our dinners at home from scratch. And while I understand other people's affection for the show, and though my feelings on the subject don't quite reach the epic emotions expressed by Anthony Bourdain, I gotta say that Semi-Homemade with Sandra Lee is really not for me - the few episodes I've watched did nothing to convince me to forsake my commitment to using mainly fresh ingredients in my kitchen. 

All that aside, there are a few prepared items that I lean on from time to time to help me make a good meal. Prime example? Green curry paste, available in most grocery stores in the Asian food section. Buying the individual ingredients to make my own can run up the grocery bill quickly, and for the most part, green curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand) is made up of real ingredients (chili, lemon grass, garlic, galangal, salt, onion, pepper, rhizome, lime and peanut oil) rather than artificial/chemical ones. And the result is a practically restaurant-quality Thai curry dish.

List of ingredients:

• 2 tbsp oil
• 4 green onions, minced
• 3 cups coconut milk
• 3 tbsp green curry paste
• 1 tbsp chicken bouillon granules (or 1 cube)
• 3 lbs chicken thighs, cubed into roughly 1" pieces
• 1 large handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped and divided in half
• 1 tsp salt
• Cooked white rice

First, I heated the oil in a wok over medium high heat and tossed in the green onions, sauteeing about 30 seconds.

I added the coconut milk, green curry paste, and chicken bouillon granules, stirred until well combined and brought the mixture to a boil.

I added the chicken, half the cilantro, and the salt, lowered the heat to a simmer and cooked about 12 minutes, until the meat was cooked through.

Then I removed the wok from the heat, stirred in the remaining cilantro, and served the curry over some steaming hot white rice. For me, there was very little difference between this and the green curry we get from the Thai restaurant around the corner - creamy, yet not too heavy, and absolutely delicious on rice. Is homemade green curry paste better? Sure. A little. But I'm probably not gonna give up my store bought paste. If you see me make that kwanzaa cake, though, I give you leave to hit me in the face.

Comments

[City Girl]

A few friends love green curry dishes. I'll be forwarding this to them. Thanks Angela! xoxo

[Angela]

CG-

Yeah, this is a really nice alternative to going out for Thai food! Hope they enjoy.