Yellow Coconut Chicken Curry Recipe

I love a steamy bowl of curry filled with chicken and veggies over sticky rice. It's such a yummy comfort food on a cold winter night. (Or any night, lol.) I've nicknamed this recipe "Sunshine Curry" because it looks like sunshine in a bowl! 

Sunshine Curry

We never ate curry when I was a kid. In fact, the only type of ethnic food we ate was Chinese, Italian, or Mexican food. It wasn't until I was an adult and out of college that I tried other types of foods - Indian, Thai, Greek, Cuban, and Japanese. Back then my mom was timid to try new things so we kept to the basics. Plus, I don't recall seeing restaurants like this in our neighborhoods. There are so many more options now it's amazing. 

Our diet was pretty bland and definitely all-American. Nothing wrong with that. There were four kids to feed and kids can be so picky! But it certainly wasn't adventurous with new flavors or recipes. We ate a lot of casseroles (blech!) They were one-pot wonders but they were mushy. Everything was the same texture.

It wasn't until I started eating out with friends or clients in new restaurants that I really got exposure to new flavors. If you're open to trying new things you'll find your palate will just explode with curiosity. It took me a while to start cooking different things because I honestly didn't even know where to begin or where to find ingredients. Today our grocery stores have so many amazing options it's incredible. And specialty stores are everywhere. 

The great thing about this curry recipe is all the ingredients are from Trader Joe's and it's so easy. If you can buy veggies pre-chopped do it! It will save you time for an easy weeknight meal. You can also substitute any of the veggies with what you have on hand (sweet potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots - add what you like!) You should be able to get this prepped and on the table in about 40 minutes. 

"Sunshine Curry" Yellow Coconut Chicken Curry

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breasts cut into strips

3 T extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 cloves garlic minced

1 yellow onion sliced

1 yellow or red pepper into slices then bite-size pieces

1/2 bag of fingerling potatoes (1/2 pound). Cut potatoes into thirds so you have bite-sized pieces.

1/2 container of zig-zag butternut squash (6 oz)

One 11 oz jar Trader Joe's yellow curry sauce

One 13.5 oz  can Trader Joe's coconut milk

Cilantro for garnish (optional)

Serve with white or brown rice.

Directions:

1. In a large frying pan add 2 T of olive oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the pan is hot. 

2. Add chicken, saute for 3 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove from pan and place in a bowl while you cook the vegetables.

3. Add a little more evoo to the pan and saute the garlic and onions for ~3 minutes until tender. 

4. Add fingerling potatoes and butternut squash and saute for about 5 minutes.

5. Add bell pepper and cooked chicken to the pan, saute for 2 minutes. 

6. Add curry sauce and coconut milk and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. 

7. Cook until potatoes are tender and chicken is cooked through about 10-15 minutes. 

8. Garnish with cilantro and serve with fluffy rice.