Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

I didn't photograph this meal at all. However, if you need a comical image in your head, I made this whole meal with a one year old on my hip trying to grab everything a picked up and/or sitting on my feet pulling my comfy lounge pants down to my ankles. Twice. For some reason, I couldn't snag the camera! The joys of motherhood...

I've looked at few different recipes for Basil Coconut Curry and I ended up with one from Simply Recipes. It turned out yummy and I will definitely make it again! If you're not familiar with Curry recipes or just with all the spices, don't let it scare you away! There is a lot of flavor in these spices and it makes the chicken SO yummy! It is also calmed down with a bunch of Coconut Milk, so don't skimp on the spices!

Basil Chicken in Coconut Curry Sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt (I used a tad more)

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 lb skinless, boneless chicken thighs (I used breasts)

1 large red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced

2 Tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil

1 14-oz can coconut milk

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger

Hot cooked rice

1. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, ground coriander, cumin, ground cloves, cinnamon, ground cardamom, black pepper, chili powder, and turmeric. Set aside.

2. Rinse chicken, pat dry. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Put into a bowl and sprinkle the spice mix over all the pieces. Coat well and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

3. In a large skillet heat 1 Tbsp oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and jalapeños and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the onions, peppers and garlic from the pan and put into a medium sized bowl. Set aside. Use the same pan for the next step.

4. Add 1 Tbsp oil to the skillet and heat on medium high heat. Add one half of the chicken pieces, spreading them out on the pan so they are not crowded. Brown for a few minutes on each side. When the chicken pieces are cooked through, and no pink remains, remove from pan, add to the bowl with the onions. Cook the second batch of chicken pieces the same way. Remove from pan, add to bowl with onions.

5.  Add the coconut milk, minus a couple tablespoons, to the skillet. In a small bowl, mix the remaining coconut with the corn starch to dissolve the corn starch. Add the corn startch mixture back to the skillet with the coconut milk. Cook on medium heat and stir till thick and bubbly. Mix in the worcestershire sauce. Add chicken mixture, basil, and ginger. Cook 2 minutes more to cook through.

Serve over rice. Serves 4.