Easy to make with basic ingredients – Tomato Coconut Curry Chicken! All prepped and cooked in one pan in about 30 minutes! Gluten Free + Low Carb + Whole30
HOW TO MAKE: TOMATO COCONUT CURRY CHICKEN RECIPE
Altogether this curry can be made entirely in one pan in about 30 minutes with pretty basic ingredients that you layer in in stages.
Start out by frying up your onion until soft and slightly golden – about 5ish minutes. Once soften, add in the ginger and garlic and cook another minute. Make sure to stir the mixture as it cooks so the garlic doesn’t burn
Moving on, add the spices (cumin, garam masala and salt) along with the two tablespoons of tomato paste. Fry that all up and form a pasty kind of mixture. At this point the pan will start to look pretty dry so do ahead and add in a tablespoon of water just to keep things moving as you cook.
Next, stir in the coconut milk and chicken stock to the spice mixture. Mix and let it all simmer and cook for about 10 minutes to thicken slightly- stir every so often.
After about 10 minutes add the chicken to the pan. Stir well and make sure all the chicken pieces are fully covered in sauce and let cook another 10-15 minutes until it’s all cooked through.
Finally, go ahead and stir in the spinach. Let it cook and wilt – this will only take about a minute and that’s it! Taste and season with a little more salt if needed and add some fresh cilantro for a little added brightness and you’re done.
QUESTIONS & SUBSTITUTIONS
Can I use light coconut milk or coconut milk from a carton?
- Ideally no. At most you can use light coconut milk but I’d stay away from carton coconut milk (like the one you might use in cereal). The creaminess of the full fat coconut milk is really important for adding creaminess and silkiness to this dish.
- You can also use unsweetened coconut cream in place of full fat coconut milk.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?
- Yes! It’s an easy substitute – just use skinless thighs cut up in bite sized pieces as you would with the chicken breast.
What do I serve this with?
- If you’re looking to keep this low carb/paleo friendly then serve this over a bed of cauliflower to soak up all the extra flavour. The sauce really takes over the flavour of the cauliflower rice making it a great way to double up on veg!
- If you don’t need to keep this paleo then serve over rice or maybe another grain like quinoa or buckwheat. It’s up to you!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- ½ large | 1 cup chopped white onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cup full fat coconut milk (from a can or coconut cream)
- 1 cup chicken stock (aim for a low sodium stock so you can control the saltiness)
- 1 ½ pound chicken breasts cut into 1 inch, bite sized pieces (can also use chicken thighs)
- 3 cups spinach
- fresh cilantro for topping
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until golden.
- Add the garlic and ginger and cook another minute, stirring the whole time. Stir in the tomato paste, garam masala, cumin and salt. Mix well for about a minute until the spices are fragrant. Add a tablespoon of water to the pan when it starts to look dry.
- Stir in the coconut cream and chicken stock. Simmer on a low heat about 5-7 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. Add the chicken and simmer another 10-15 minutes until cooked through.
- Stir in the spinach in the final minute of cooking to wilt. Top with fresh cilantro if desired and serve over rice or cauliflower rice and enjoy.