Easy Coconut Chicken Curry with Vegetables

This delicious, healthy coconut chicken curry is easy enough for a weeknight and loaded with fresh veggies!

I was just thinking about how Alex and I used to eat before we had kids. Dinner was at 8pm, and I typically made three dishes: a main, a side, and a big salad. Then we had Owen. Dinner was still at 8pm (after he went to bed) but I only made two dishes: a main and either a side or a salad. 

Now we have June and meal time is basically chaos. Last night we ate between Owen’s bath and story, while he sat at the kitchen table with us, having dessert and watching an episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on a portable DVD player. We took turns bouncing June in her seat until she was inconsolable, and then I nursed her while I ate, praying I wouldn’t spill food all over her head. (Full disclosure: I dropped a crumble of blue cheese in her ear last week while doing this. OMG.)

Most nights, making two separate things is a pipe dream, so I’ve been expanding my repertoire of one-dish meals. This easy coconut chicken curry with vegetables is definitely a new favorite.

I love it for so many reasons:

1. You can easily make it ahead and then add the finishing touches just before serving.
2. It’s delicious with whatever veggies you have on hand (I used a red bell pepper, some cremini mushrooms, snow peas, and a few handfuls of baby spinach).  
3. You can serve it over anything. White rice is the most traditional, but I think it would be great over quinoa or cauliflower rice, too.
4. Leftovers! It reheats like a dream. (What you see here is actually only half of the recipe. We ate the other half for dinner last night.)

Forgive me for only having two pictures to go with this post. I wanted to show this curry plated with rice, but I’m still figuring out how to work on my blog while taking care of June. She was freaking out as I shot this dish so I only managed to snap a few pics.

Weeknight chicken dinners, FTW!

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Easy Coconut Chicken Curry with Vegetables

You can use any veggies you like in this easy, flavorful weeknight curry!

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 - 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
• Kosher salt
• 1 onion diced
• 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 Tablespoons curry powder
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 13.5 ounce can full-fat coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken stock or water
• 1 cup snow peas
• 2-3 handfuls baby spinach
• Juice of one lime
• White or brown rice for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt. Working in two batches, brown the chicken on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate. 

2. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms to the skillet. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Add the curry powder, sugar, and red pepper flakes (if using), and stir to combine. 

3. Stir in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Return the chicken and any juices to the skillet. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the snow peas and spinach and cook until the snow peas are bright green and the spinach has wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice.

4. Serve over rice.