Coconut Curry Chicken

I made this for dinner last night and it tasted amazing. It felt like a dish that I might order from a restaurant, but I made it. I have never made a curry before and with this recipe, it was very easy. This recipe was also the first time I made a dish using coconut milk. It made the dish spectacular. 

This recipe makes 2 servings. 

Coconut Curry Chicken

Ingredients

1/2 cup Basmati Rice

1 Bell Pepper

10 oz. Chicken Breast Strips

1.5 oz. Tomato Paste

1 tbsp. Curry Powder 

1 tsp. Paprika

1 tsp. Chili Flakes (optional)

5.07 oz. Coconut Milk

2 tbsp. Sour Cream

2 Scallions

1 tsp. Sugar

1 tbsp. Butter

Instructions

In a small pot, combine rice, 3/4 cup water, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve. 

While rice cooks, wash and dry all produce. Core, deseed, and dice bell pepper. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. 

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5-7 minutes. After 5 minutes, add scallion whites and cook until softened. Turn off heat and transfer to a bowl. 

While the bell pepper cooks, pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and pepper. Once bell pepper is done, heat another drizzle of olive oil in the same pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Reduce heat under the pan to medium. 

Add tomato paste, curry powder, and paprika to the pan with chicken. Add any amount of chili flakes depending on how spicy you want the curry. Cook, stirring until chicken is fully coated and spices are fragrant for about 1 minute. 

Stir in coconut milk, 1/4 cup water, sugar, butter, and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Cook until thickened,  2-3 minutes more. Combine bell pepper mixture and sour cream into the chicken. Turn off heat. 

Fluff rice with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Divide between two bowls. Top rice with coconut curry chicken. Garnish with scallion greens and serve.