Mildly spicy and full of vegetables, this easy green chicken curry is the ultimate take-out fake out. If you’ve never tried fresh lime leaves, it’s worth the effort to seek them out! They add a floral-meets-lime flavor to soups and curries — and they freeze well, so feel free stock up next time you see them in the produce department or find them at Southeast Asian markets.
Meal prep alert! Make this recipe at the beginning of the week and heat up a serving for lunch every day. This meal offers enough carbohydrates to give you an energy boost in the middle of the day, enough protein and fiber to keep you full through the afternoon — and a serving of vegetables that provides essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to keep you healthy.
Active time: 10 minutes Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon safflower oil, divided
- 1 pound (454g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch (3cm) pieces
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons green curry paste
- 1 (13.5oz/400ml) can light coconut milk
- 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
- 8 large lime leaves (see headnote)
- 1 pound (454g) broccoli crowns
- 1/2 cup (28g) toasted coconut chips (such as Dang)
- 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce or reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup (14g) basil leaves (loosely packed), torn into bite-size pieces
Directions
Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk, bell pepper, and lime leaves and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the broccoli “rice.” Slice the broccoli stems, add them to a food processor, and pulse until they resemble small pieces of rice. Pour into a bowl. Break the florets up, pulse in the food processor with the coconut chips, and add to the stalks.
Put the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, broccoli and coconut and cook, stirring frequently, until bright green and crisp-tender, 4–5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Discard the lime leaves, season the curry with the fish sauce, and stir in half the basil. Serve with the broccoli “rice,” sprinkled with the remaining basil.
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 1 cup/250g chicken curry and 1c/105g broccoli rice
Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 459; Total Fat: 31g; Saturated Fat: 19g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 95mg; Sodium: 550mg; Carbohydrate: 22g; Dietary Fiber: 6g; Sugar: 9g; Protein: 26g
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