From Scratch: Green Curry Chicken

So I have a lot of thai basil in the garden right now and it's just perfect for making green curry paste. But what to do with the paste? Here's the obvious solution: green curry chicken.

The brilliant thing about making curry from paste is that it's a relatively quick meal once the paste has already been made. A little meat and vegetable prep plus a short cooking time and you've got an aromatic, fresh, belly-filling curry.

On this particular day, I was a little short on vegetables... i.e. any CSA vegetables that could be frozen were and all I had in the fridge was lettuce, tomatoes and radishes... so we enjoyed our pure chicken curry with some rice and salad on the side.

And guess what? All three kids gobbled down heaping servings of the meal despite the mild heat. Coconut milk really does help mitigate the heat a lot. So the future return of all things spicy is looking bright. Will there come a day when a pack of serrano chiles will once again be a staple in my fridge? I certainly hope so.

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Green Curry Chicken Serves: 6

1 (4 lb) chicken, skinned and cut into pieces
1/2 cup green curry paste
1 can  (400mL) coconut milk
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons fish sauce

1. Heat large wok over medium heat. Add small amount of oil and curry paste. Fry until paste is fragrant and most of the water has evaporated.
2. Add in chicken pieces, turn and fry until all pieces are beginning to turn opaque. At this point you could also add in vegetables that you have on hand. Just be aware that they may take away from the nice green colour of your curry. Best veggies that wouldn't change the colour: thai eggplants, sweet white potatoes, bamboo shoots, green beans, green peppers. Or you could separately cook some veggies until tender and add them at the end to the sauce.
3. Stir in coconut mill, sugar and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer.
4. Simmer until chicken is cooked through, approximately 25 minutes.
5. Garnish with fresh thai basil, lime leaves and/or coriander/cilantro (if you have them) and serve.