Quick & Creamy Green Curry

Curry is on rotation in our home. It is so versatile and a fantastically delicious way to load up on nourishing vegetables, protein, healthy fat, and antioxidant-rich herbs and spices. Any new curry recipe can be intimidating to try to create at home, especially if you’re new to curries. That’s exactly how I felt when I set out a few years ago to start learning how to intuitively cook asian dishes at home. From that curiosity and slight intimidation, this recipe was born! I use jarred green curry paste to easily add depth of flavor and keep this simple and quick. Use full-fat coconut milk for extra creaminess. If you’d like to keep it meatless, simply replace the chicken with extra veggies, chickpeas, tofu, or paneer. Serve it over steamed rice with a side of fluffy, buttery naan. (Oftentimes I like to double this recipe so that we have leftovers for lunches for a few days.)

For over 3 years every time I make this my husband gobs about how it’s his favorite thing that I make. I hope you and your family love it as much as we do!

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil or ghee

1 large chicken breast, cubed into bite-size pieces

1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (Optional for added spice. Omit if you’re serving to kids or want a mild curry.)

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp green curry paste (I use Thai Kitchen brand, found at Target, Walmart, and most grocers)

1 tsp ground ginger

1 can full-fat coconut milk

1 large head broccoli, cut and rinsed*

2 cups fresh spinach or kale, roughly chopped

1/4 tsp salt, or more to taste

cilantro, to garnish

sesame seeds, to garnish

Instructions:

Heat a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add oil and chicken cubes. Brown the chicken all over. It will mostly cook through, but if it doesn’t get all the way cooked that’s okay. It will finish cooking in the sauce. Once the chicken is nicely browned, add the jalapeño, garlic, curry paste, and ginger. Stir it around and allow the spices to bloom and become fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the coconut milk and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan and get all of the crust off the bottom of the pan to add flavor. Once coconut milk is mixed into the spice mixture, add broccoli and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Cover with a lid and let simmer until the broccoli is fork tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the spinach or kale and stir to wilt. Serve over steamed rice and garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds.

Notes:

*If you usually only use the broccoli florets, use the stems too! I cut off the florets and then peel and dice the stem.

If you are looking to add more veggies to this dish, some that work really well with green curry sauce are bell peppers, cauliflower, zucchini, edamame, and corn.