This recipe for chicken coconut curry was an entry in our Spring Fling Dairy-Free Recipe Contest, created and submitted by Diane Halferty. To qualify, she used Culinary Coconut Milk by So Delicious Dairy Free.
In this rich and comforting recipe, chicken and sweet potatoes are cooked and baked in one-pot with a rich red curry sauce. To finish, it’s topped with toasted coconut and mustard seeds, and served with lime wedges and jasmine rice.
Special Diet Notes & Options: Chicken Coconut Curry
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, nut-free, optionally peanut-free, soy-free, and generally top food allergy-friendly.
For paleo and grain-free chicken coconut curry, simply skip the rice or serve this dish over easy cauliflower rice.
- 1 (3½ pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 2½ teaspoons Kosher salt, plus additional as needed
- Black pepper, as needed
- 2 tablespoons peanut, safflower or vegetable oil
- ¼ cup finely chopped scallion
- 1½ inches fresh ginger, peeled and grated (1½ tablespoons)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 to 2 jalapeño or Serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2 cups So Delicious Dairy Free Original Culinary Coconut Milk
- 1-2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1½ inch chunks
- ¾ cup coconut flakes
- 1 tablespoon black or brown mustard seeds, optional
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
- 4 cups hot cooked Jasmine or Basmati rice, for serving
- Heat oven to 325°F.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil. Brown chicken pieces, in batches if necessary, until golden all over, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer chicken to a plate.
- Stir scallion, ginger, garlic and chiles into pot and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in curry paste and cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk, brown sugar, and sweet potatoes.
- Arrange chicken pieces on top of potatoes, placing breast meat on top. Pour in enough water to come halfway up the sides of chicken (about ½ cup). Bring to a boil. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Bake until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large dry skillet over medium heat, toast coconut flakes until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Add mustard seeds, if used, and toast until they begin to pop, 1 minute more. Transfer to a bowl and season with a pinch of salt.
- Transfer chicken and sweet potatoes to a platter. Return Dutch oven to the stove and simmer over medium-high heat until cooking liquid has thickened to a saucelike consistency, 5 to 10 minutes.Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Pour over chicken and potatoes.
- Sprinkle with the coconut and mustard seed (if used) mixture and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing. Serve over hot Jasmine or Basmati rice.
3 Comments
This sounds fabulous! I threw together something similar last month, but it came out just a little flat. I think I just missed something in the flavor profile, so I can’t wait to give this recipe a try and get it right!
I hope this one works out better for you Renee!
Absolutely craving curry right now- Love how there is coconut flakes in it too! Making this!