Spiced Curry Chicken in a Ginger Coconut Milk Sauce: Grain Free, Dairy Free

I love this recipe because it is relatively quick and yet it still seems sophisticated.  (I am all about seeming sophisticated.)  It is a delicious combination of warm spices and creamy milk. The meal can be served as is, although it also works wonderfully over rice.  The dish is quite satisfying, even though it is grain free and dairy free.

It is my first time writing a recipe.  So if you try it out, let me know if it works. :) 

Grain Free Spiced Curry Chicken in Milk Free Coconut Sauce

Ingredients:

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

2 tbsp cooking oil of your preference

2 tsp paprika

¼ tsp ginger

½ tsp curry powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp salt

1-2 shakes of a pepper shaker

1 shake chili powder

1 clove of garlic

Heat the oven to 400. Smash and mince the clove of garlic as small as you can make it.  In a large bowl mix the oil with all of the spices and the clove of garlic.  Add the chicken thighs to the spice mixture, and mix together with either your hands or a spoon until every thigh is covered in that spicy goodness.  

Spread out the thighs on a cookie sheet and place in oven.  Cooking times will vary here.  If the thighs are thawed and you lay them flat (sort of unroll them a little) they will cook in about 15-20 minutes.  If they are frozen or partially frozen the cook time will be more in the family of 30-45 minutes depending on size.  Before you serve the chicken thighs, always cut into the largest one, to see if it is cooked through. 

Once the thighs are in the oven, it’s time to make the sauce.

Vegetables in ginger coconut milk

Ingredients:

½ a pepper (I like red, yellow, or orange.  Green is fine, but I feel like it is an overpowering flavor.)

½ a medium onion

1 whole cauliflower

1 small package of baby carrots, chopped

¼ tsp paprika

¼ tsp ginger

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp salt

1 can of coconut milk

So for the coconut sauce I dialed down the spice a little because we have quite a bit of spice on the chicken.  But feel free to add more if you wish.  

Mince the onion and peppers and chop the carrots into small medallions. In a pan, with some oil, sauté the onion, carrot, pepper mixture on medium heat, until the onion begins to become a little translucent.

When I am sautéing onions, I usually add a pinch of salt to help them sweat and a pinch of raw sugar to help them caramelize.  It also helps if you add just a few drops of water once they have been going for a little while.  This will cause just the slightest amount of steam.

While they are cooking, break down your cauliflower into bite-size pieces.  

How  to Chop Cauliflower

How to Chop Cauliflower

Once your onions are beginning to be translucent, toss in the spices.  Let everything cook in the pan for a few seconds and then add the cauliflower.  Stir the mixture until everything is coated.  You can sauté for a minute more here if you like, but the next step is steaming.  

Turning the heat of your pan to high, add about a ¼ cup of water and immediately cover with the lid. This should fill your pan with steam.  Steaming these vegetables takes about 1-2 minutes.  Check every 15-20 seconds, stirring the mixture to keep the vegetables on the bottom from being boiled. After a minute or so, test the carrots and cauliflower to see if they have reached the desired softness.  

Once the vegetables are done, reduce the heat to low and add the can of coconut milk.  

A quick word on coconut milk.  It comes in many different ways.  For the best results and a thick sauce I suggest canned coconut milk with an emulsifier added.  The emulsifier will cause less separation in the can and produce the thick creamy texture we are looking for.  

Once you add the coconut milk, keep on the heat just till the milk is hot.  Then you can take it off.  You don’t really need to let it boil or simmer.

Serve the chicken over the veggies and enjoy!  

Some extras:

If you want to add an extra layer of flavor you can steam the veggies in chicken broth. 

I also like to add about two teaspoons of unsweetened coconut flake to the sauce and a pinch more for garnish at the end.  But I have only found unsweetened coconut flake at Whole Foods or other specialty food stores.  And you may not want to hunt it down.  I usually buy a relatively small amount from the bulk section.   The coconut flake is also good in smoothies.  It adds nice texture to gluten free cookies, which, let’s be honest, need some help. And it also adds nice texture, and flavor, to a bread-free “breading” for chicken.

And you should always cook with a buddy. ;)

Cooking Buddies

I hope you like it!