Thai Chicken and Broccoli Curry (Whole 30)

Let's take a walk down memory lane. My food photography is nowhere where I want it to be, but compared to this Thai Curry recipe from 2014, I'd say I've come along way. Now let's just keep that hidden in the archives and focus on this updated Thai Curry recipe. 

One of my roommates, Lindsay and I first made this curry during early fall and we were obsessed. Anything Tieghan from Half Baked Harvest makes is sure to be perfect. Thanks for the inspo HBH!!

I couldn't decide how I wanted to prepare this dish so I took to y'alls opinion. I polled you all on my Instagram story the other night to see if you were still geeking out over crock-pots or if they are old news. Results were 84% "YAS CROCK-POTS," 16% "Crock-Pots are so 2017." Well...I used my trump card and decided we were going old school and using a good old regular stovetop pot for this recipe. From start to finish this recipe takes makes 45 minutes. You can do it people, step away from the Crock-Pot. 

BONUS, this recipe is Whole 30 compliant for all you January Whole 30ers. I mentioned on my Instagram the other day that I am not participating in Whole 30 this month. Whole 30, like Crock-Pots, is also “so 2017,” in my opinion. But, I do love cooking Whole 30 style dishes and plan on posting some to give you all inspiration. 

Thai Chicken and Broccoli Curry (Whole 30)
yields 4-5 servings, adapted from Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, shredded
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup Thai red curry paste
2 Tbsps. fish sauce
2, 14 ounce cans full fat coconut milk
1 bunch broccoli, chopped into small florets
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
packaged cauliflower rice for serving
chopped cashews, pomegranate arils, basil and lime wedges for serving

Directions:
In a heavy bottomed pan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Place chicken in pan and cook on both sides until cooked through. Remove from pan. Add chopped onion, minced garlic and chopped ginger to pan with the remaining oil and browned bits from the chicken. Sauté until onions are translucent. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk and fish sauce. Turn heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Shred chicken using two forks. Add shredded chicken and broccoli florets to curry. Simmer for 20 minutes until broccoli is softened and curry has thickened. Stir in chopped basil right before serving.

Serve each bowl with a helping of cauliflower rice*, a lime wedge, chopped cashews, pomegranate arils and a sprig of fresh basil.

*I let the heat of the curry soften the cauliflower rice. If you prefer to soften it before, just place in a microwave safe bowl with a splash of water, and steam in the microwave for 30 seconds to a 1 minute. 

P.S. I firmly believe the prettier your food is the better it tastes! All those toppings aren’t just for the gram. They help, but they also enhance the dish as a whole! So, invest in the pomegranate, cashew and lime toppings. #worthit

Disclosure: If you are in a loving relationship with your crock-pot, follow Tieghan's cooking method to prepare this dish.

  Annie

Barre3 Chicken Tikka Masala

We are now halfway through week 2 of the Barre3 challenge. I'm feeling so good so far. Good food flowing inside my body and good vibes outside of it. Easily the best part of the Barre3 challenge is the "nourishment" component. The Barre3 website is full of amazing healthy recipes. I've always coveted this tikka masala recipe, so I knew I would be making it during the challenge. 

I have a soft spot for any kind of food outside American. Thai, Ethiopian, Latin, India etc. Tikka Masala is a traditional indian dish made with chunks of chicken in a creamy spicy sauce with tomatoes and indian spices. The original recipe was developed by Andrea of Dishing up the Dirt. No cream just coconut milk, brown rice instead of basmati and skipping the naan help to keep this version of masala a little more health friendly. 

There is no skimp on flavor and it's incredibly satisfying. The tikka masala was last week's B3 recipe, Kathleen made their pistachio crusted tilapia this week, and next week it's my turn again!  

Barre3 Chicken Tikka Masala
yields 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-inch piece of whole ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 Tbs. garam masala
2 tsp. paprika
2 tsp. salt
2 (14-oz.) cans diced tomatoes
1 cup coconut milk (from the can)
1 Tbsp. corn starch (optional)
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 cups brown rice, cooked (1 cup dry)

Directions:
In a medium-size deep saute pan or heavy bottom pan, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the it is tender and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ginger. Cook for about 3 more minutes. Add the chicken and cook until the it begins to brown on all sides, about 5-8 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste, garam masala, paprika, salt, tomatoes, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook, checking often to make sure the curry doesn't dry out (add water if necessary). Cook until chicken is cooked through and tender and the masala is thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. I struggled with my masala being really brothy and not thickening up properly so I added a corn starch slurry. Combine 1 Tbsp. corn starch and a 3 Tbsp. water then pour into your sauce. This thickened my dish perfectly!

Serve with cooked brown rice and garnish with cilantro.

Annie