Mild Coconut Chicken Curry with Rice
Chicken breast simmered in a warm, toasty coconut curry sauce with ground coriander, cumin and turmeric, served over fluffy rice. A comforting, high-protein dinner with gentle spice.
- Total
- 45 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 30 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Toasting spices · Simmering
- Savory
- Asian
- Mild
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Rinse the rice under cold water until it runs clear, then drain. Add the rice and 400 ml water to a saucepan with a pinch of the salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
~20 min
Rinsing removes surface starch so grains stay separate; the absorption method lets rice cook evenly without stirring.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the rice cooks, cut the chicken breast into 2 cm pieces and season with the black pepper and half the salt. Slice the red pepper into 1 cm strips.
~5 min
-
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the curry paste, curry powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric and cinnamon. Stir constantly for 45 seconds until fragrant and darkened slightly. Do not let them burn.
~2 min
Toasting spices in oil blooms their fat-soluble flavors and removes raw taste; constant stirring prevents scorching.
Toasting the ground spices in oil for under a minute is what builds the warm depth here; the moment they smell nutty and darken a shade, add the chicken so they do not scorch.
Toasting spices Stir constantly over medium heat for 45 seconds until fragrant and a shade darker. Pull off the heat the instant you smell nuttiness; burnt spices turn the whole dish bitter.
-
Add the chicken pieces to the pan and stir to coat in the toasted spices. Cook for 5 minutes until the chicken is lightly browned on the outside.
~5 min
Coating chicken in spiced oil starts browning and builds a flavor base before the sauce goes in.
-
Stir in the coconut milk and peanut butter, scraping up the browned bits. Add the red pepper strips and remaining salt. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the chicken reaches 74°C/165°F.
~12 min
Simmering reduces the sauce and lets flavors meld; peanut butter emulsifies and thickens the coconut milk.
The peanut butter thickens the coconut sauce and adds a subtle roasted note. Stir it in off the heat if the sauce looks like it might split.
Simmering Keep the sauce at a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally. This thickens the coconut milk without splitting and lets the chicken cook through evenly.
-
Fluff the rested rice with a fork. Spoon it into bowls and top with the chicken and sauce.
~3 min