Chicken and Vegetable Curry Bowls

Imagine… chicken and vegetables nestled in a yummy bowl of sweet and spicy Indian curry sauce over rice? Scrumptious!! So easy too!

Chicken and Vegetable Curry Bowls

Yield: 6 bowls

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (1 – 1 ½ pounds)
1 medium onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups broccoli or cauliflower, chopped
2 cups carrots, sliced
2 cups sugar snap peas, sliced
1 – 12 ounce jar prepared red curry sauce
1 – 13 ounce can coconut milk
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
½ cup shelled roasted peanuts
Garnish: peanuts, fresh cilantro
4 cups cooked rice
Nan bread

Equipment needed:

Cutting board
Chef knife
Large Dutch oven or 4 quart pot with cover
Rubber spatula
Dry measuring cup
Large serving spoon or ladle

First time I had this dish was while visiting my daughter in Seattle and her husband made it. So needless to say it was fairly simple, even though he does do a modest amount of cooking too. Not only is this dish is simple to make, but it is nutritious and the presentation is great too! I love the fact that I can make this for dinner one night and have leftovers for my mom and another meal too! Fairly versatile as well, in that you can substitute vegetables that are in season to change it up a bit. Mostly chopping and then putting it all together. Start making your brown or white rice before you begin the cooking process and it will be ready when the curry is finished. Meal management at its’ best!

Always begin by chopping all the necessary ingredients first. This reduces the chance of overcooking vegetables as your chopping and facilitates the cooking process… I'm all about efficiency in the kitchen! Peel the carrots first and slice then into ½ inch slices. Depending on the size and diameter of the carrots, two larger carrots will produce about 2 cups of sliced or chopped carrots. If carrots are larger than 1 inch in diameter, cut slices in half. Wash and slice sugar snap peas in half or thirds at a diagonal. You want each piece to be about and inch long and the diagonal cut varies the shape, thus improving meal appeal. Broccoli or cauliflower can also be chopped with flowers and stem being about 1-1 ½ inches in size. Need them small enough so a mouthful provides you with a variety of textures, flavors and colors without overloading and making chewing difficult. Remember manners are also a consideration when preparing food as well. No chewing with your mouth open! Chicken thigh meat also needs to be trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 inch chunks. Chicken breast can also be substituted, however, can become dry in the cooking process. Be careful not to over cook it! Thigh meat has a bit more fat so has a tendency to stay moister during cooking.

After the chopping is done you are ready to cook. Begin by placing the Dutch oven or pot over medium high heat for 3 – 5 minutes. Add chicken, onion and garlic and stir to combine using a rubber spatula. I love this step in any recipe due to the amazing aroma it creates! This is why onions and garlic are called aromatic vegetables too! Sauté these together for about 5 – 6 minutes or meat is almost cooked through and onions are slightly yellow in color and translucent. Additional cooking will occur so don't be tempted to over cook the chicken at this point.

Add the broccoli and carrots, saving the snap peas for later. Stir well and sauté for 2 – 3 minutes. Pour the curry sauce and coconut milk over meat and vegetables and blend together until all ingredients, and are covered in sauce. Bring ingredients to a low simmer.

Place the cover on the pot and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. Vegetable colors should have turned brighter and maintained a tender-crisp texture. Give the pot a stir or two and add the sugar snap peas. Replace the lid on the pot and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes to heat through.

Check on your rice to make sure it's almost ready as dinner is about to be served. Also during simmering time, break off leaves for about ¼ cup cilantro and rough chop a few times. Break off a bit more cilantro for garnishing too. Add the chopped cilantro to the yummy pot of curry and vegetables and sprinkle roasted peanuts. My hubby always has a can of Planters dry roasted, slightly salted peanuts in the house, which are perfect for cooking. Adds a little bit of seasoning too! Stir the pot together to distribute the cilantro and nuts.

Grab a larger cereal bowl or pasta bowl and spoon about ½ - ¾ cups rice in the bottom. Place a couple large spoonfuls (or ladlefuls) over top of rice. There should be enough curry mixture and sauce on top to completely cover rice. Might seem a bit soupy, but this is what the Nan bread is for… dipping and scooping all the luscious sauce with the vegetables. Might need a spoon to get every drop! Garnish with a few extra peanuts and cilantro… Enjoy!