Corinn’s Definitely Not Traditional Chicken Curry

Corinn’s Definitely Not Traditional Chicken Curry

Nutrition facts for two generous servings

4 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin removed

1 large yellow or white onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

2 jalapeno chilies, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced finely

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

3 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp Korean red pepper flakes (if you cannot find it in your neighborhood, look for it online as the flavor is essential to Korean cooking!)

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1 tsp brown sugar or palm sugar

1 tbsp Sriracha chili sauce

2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tbsp olive oil

3 1/2 cups of chicken stock (low sodium type, or make your own)

Squeeze of lime juice

Fresh diced tomato, fresh chopped coriander to garnish

Directions:

Start a pot of rice boiling (I find basmati rice to be best for this recipe as it's quite dry and will readily absorb the sauce). Reserve 1 1/2 cups of the starchy rice water when the water starts to become very cloudy and opaque.

Place a large pot on the stove and add olive oil. On medium high heat, place the chicken thighs in to brown in the olive oil (don't let it get too hot). 

Once the chicken is browned on both sides, add prepared chopped vegetables. Stir together and add dry spices, sugar and salt. Fry for about five minutes until the curry powder, paprika, coriander and Korean red pepper flakes become fragrant and start to caramelize slightly. 

Add the cup of starchy rice water and Sriracha; stir to deglaze the pot. 

Add the chicken stock and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer uncovered for 30-45 minutes until the liquid has reduced. 

Turn the heat off and add diced tomatoes, lime juice and chopped coriander. 

Serve immediately over rice or with bread.

Notes:

Personally I like it best in a bowl served with a good baguette for dipping, as I'm not a huge rice fan, but the starchy water from the rice is absolutely essential to getting the sauce to be the correct consistency. If you intend to serve the curry with bread, you still need to cook the rice (you can throw it in the fridge and make fried rice with it the next evening). 

There is really no substitute for the Korean red pepper flakes. They are a very intense deep red in color and if you don't use them, the dish will have a much more yellow color and the flavor will be different. If you don't have Korean red pepper flakes and absolutely cannot get them, adding equivalent of additional paprika will correct the color issue, but the flavor will be altered.