Thai Curry Chicken

Michael and I really like Thai food, but unfortunately we haven't found a Thai restaurant near us that we like going to. Finally I've decided to remedy the situation by trying to learn how to make a couple of Thai dishes. The other impetus for figuring out how to cook Thai food is that it doesn't contain soy sauce. Naomi still has an allergic reaction to soy, so if I want to cook something for dinner that she can eat, I can't make Teriyaki chicken, Nagasaki beef, or the other Asian main dishes that we like.

The first recipe that I've been working on and finally gotten so that Michael and I really like it is Thai curry chicken. It has a couple of ingredients that I didn't have on hand, but I found all of them at my local supermarket. It's definitely worth taking the time to buy the special ingredients because the Thai curry chicken turns out so well.

Thai Curry Chicken
serves 4 adults

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. red curry paste. I use Thai Kitchen brand because it's labeled gluten-free.
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce. I use Thai Kitchen brand because it's labeled gluten-free, and at least one other brand that I looked at had an ingredient that could have come from either corn or wheat.
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 14-ounce or 15-ounce can of coconut milk. Buy one that contains only coconut milk and water.
• 3 or 4 boneless, skinless half chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 package of snow peas, rinsed and ends cut off. If you don't have snow peas, use 1 cup frozen baby peas, defrosted.
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
  
• optional: several green onions, chopped, for a garnish
• optional: fresh cilantro, chopped, for a garnish

Instructions:

If you would like to serve the Thai curry chicken over rice, start the rice cooking in your rice cooker.

In a medium-size bowl whisk together the red curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice, salt, coriander, brown sugar, ginger, black pepper, and coconut milk. Rinse the chicken and cut width-wise into thin strips. Rinse the snow peas and cut off the ends.

Place a large frying pan over medium-high heat and let it heat up. When the pan is hot, add 2 Tbsp. canola oil. Then add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is lightly browned. Pour the chicken and its juices into a large bowl. Pour 1 more Tbsp. canola oil to the pan and then add the snow peas. Cook, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes, until the snow peas turn a brighter green and are hot. Pour the snow peas into the bowl with the chicken.

Add the garlic to the frying pan and stir for about 30 seconds. Then pour the red curry and coconut milk mixture into the pan. Let the liquid come to a simmer and then let it continue to simmer over medium-high heat (or medium heat if it's simmering too vigorously) for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Return the chicken and snow peas to the pan. (If you would like to use regular peas instead of snow peas, add them now.) Let the chicken and snow peas simmer in the sauce for just a couple of minutes, until they are hot again and the chicken is fully cooked. Serve over rice with a garnish of green onions and cilantro, if desired.

Below is a picture of the Thai curry chicken with baby peas and cilantro instead the snow peas.