Coconut Chicken Curry

Name: Coconut Chicken Curry
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: asian
Ingredients: 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 1 tablespoon ground paprika; 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed; 1/3 cup canola oil; 2 yellow onions, finely diced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk; 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more as needed; 1 teaspoon Madras curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne; Cooked rice or noodles, for serving; 1 cup cilantro sprigs, for serving; 1 lime or lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Recipe from Desmond Tan and Kate Leahy

Adapted by Genevieve Ko

Published Jan. 6, 2021

Coconut Chicken Curry — Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(6,475)
Comments: Read comments

Curry powder is stirred into this braise only during the last minute of cooking, delivering a bright hit of spice on top of the paprika and turmeric mellowed into the slow-simmered chicken. This dish from “Burma Superstar” by Desmond Tan and Kate Leahy (Ten Speed Press, 2017), needs time on the stove but not much attention, and gets even better after resting in the fridge, making it an ideal weeknight meal that can last days. There’s plenty of coconut milk broth to spoon over rice or noodles. At his restaurant, Burma Superstar in Oakland, Calif., Mr. Tan also serves this with platha, a buttery, flaky Burmese flatbread, for dipping. —Genevieve Ko

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

2½pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1tablespoon ground paprika
½teaspoon ground turmeric
2teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
⅓cup canola oil
2yellow onions, finely diced
4garlic cloves, minced
1(13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1½tablespoons fish sauce, plus more as needed
1teaspoon Madras curry powder
½teaspoon ground cayenne
Cooked rice or noodles, for serving
1cup cilantro sprigs, for serving
1lime or lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Trim the chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into ½- to 1-inch pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add the paprika, turmeric and salt, and use your hands to mix well. Let the chicken marinate at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients, or cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 2
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high. Stir in the onions, lower the heat to medium-low and cook gently, stirring often to prevent scorching, until tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring often, until most of the water from the onions has been cooked out and a glossy layer of oil has risen to the surface, about 5 minutes more.
Step 3
Add the marinated chicken and stir to release the spices into the onion. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a near boil. Let the coconut milk simmer briskly for about 4 minutes to thicken a bit. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the fish sauce. Stir in 1½ cups water and bring to a near boil. The broth will thin out as the chicken starts to release its juices.
Step 4
Lower to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Droplets of paprika-red oil will rise to the surface. Stir in the curry powder and cayenne, simmer briefly and remove from the heat.
Step 5
If time permits, let the curry sit for at least 20 minutes before serving. This allows the chicken to soak in more flavors as the curry cools. Bring to a simmer again right before serving and taste, adding more salt or fish sauce if desired. Serve over rice or noodles, with bowls of cilantro and lime wedges.

Ratings

4 out of 5

6,475 user ratings

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Comments

Angela4 years ago

A list of ingredients is good, but I also wish recipes were written like this: Trim 2 ½ pounds chicken thighs of excess fat and cut into 1/2- to 1-inch pieces; transfer to a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon ground paprika, ½ teaspoon turmeric and 2 teaspoons kosher salt, and use your hands to mix well. ... In a large pot, heat ⅓ cup canola oil over medium-high. Stir in 2 yellow onions, finely diced ... add 4 garlic cloves, minced, and continue to cook ... add 1 (13-ounce) can unsweetened coconut

WK4 years ago

A Cantonese take on Thai. Very good, very bland. So I doubled & pounded the garlic, grated a 1 1/2" piece of ginger, used 3 tbsp fish sauce, used 2 tbsp of Thai red curry paste (not the cayenne) & 1 full tsp turmeric, added the zest of 1 lime, & sauteed in coconut oil. Also used good chicken stock instead of water, reducing the amount to 1 cup. Served with chopped cilantro & lime wedges. Delicious, though NOT as written.

Elle4 years ago

I also wish that recipe writers were more specific about onions. Yellow onions range widely in size, so cups or ounces or grams would be much appreciated in the interest of following the recipe precisely! Geez!

Joe1 week ago

I also subbed tofu, instead of chicken, and agree that adding fresh ginger enhance the flavor along with the zest of lime. Also tossed in frozen bell pepper strips that I had in the freezer for some extra vegetable and color.

Joe2 months ago

Made some mods to this. But very good recipe. If you want to spin it my way— marinate for a day, add 3/4 cup cashews, tablespoon gochujang paste (instead of the jalapeño), a couple threads of saffron, and about an inch of grated ginger. Soooo creamy, floral, and delicious. I sadly didn’t have any lime, but this would’ve made it perfection.

Theresa2 months ago

This was so good. I didn’t have fish sauce so I subbed tomato paste and it came out so good. Can’t stop thinking about it. Almost like a dairy free tikka masala.

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