Almond Butter Coconut Curry Chicken
One of my favorite things to do in my kitchen, other than pump up the music and chop vegetables while I sip a glass of good wine, is to recreate a dish I have tasted somewhere and can’t stop thinking about. This Creamy Dairy-Free Almond Butter Coconut Curry Chicken is one of those dishes … and the result of one of those favorite days in my kitchen.
When I was crazy busy with my day job earlier in the year, I ordered some already-prepared meals to save me time. And to ensure that I would have healthy lunches, rather than the quick junk I crave when working too much and sleeping too little.
One of the dishes — and I can’t remember the name — was made with chicken, cashew butter, coconut milk, rice and a few veggies. It was divine. I would have ordered it again and again, but with COVID-19 hitting, the options (especially the dairy-free ones, for some reason), became slimmer and slimmer.
So I vowed to recreate that taste. I love cashew butter, but it’s more difficult to find and typically more expensive, so I used almond butter instead. I played with the ingredients until my taste bud memory said: YES, this is it!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Almond Butter Coconut Curry Chicken
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Wild rice
- Chicken broth
- Olive oil
- Canned coconut milk (full fat)
- Almond butter (with no sugar)
- Broccoli
- Red or orange bell pepper
- Onion
- Sliced water chestnuts
- Ground or fresh ginger
- Red curry paste
- Coconut aminos
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Sugar (just a 1/2 tsp)
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- Parsley for garnish (optional)
Directions:
- Prepare the rice as directed (it will usually take 40-45 minutes for whole grain wild rice, so start this first … and boil in chicken broth rather than water for more taste)
- Cut the chicken into cubes
- Wash and chop the vegetables
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pan; sautee the chicken on medium for 5 minutes stirring frequently
- Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and add the broccoli, peppers and onions to the pan; sautee all of it together for about 5 minutes; make sure the chicken is fully cooked (it shouldn’t have any pink in the center)
- Turn down the heat to medium-low and add the water chestnuts, coconut milk, almond butter, red curry paste, coconut aminos and all the spices
- Simmer on low until the rice is ready; add the rice and mix thoroughly
- Taste and add any additional salt, pepper and or red pepper flakes according to your taste
- Serve, garnish with chopped parsley (if desired) and enjoy!
Pin it/save it and make it sometime soon!
Almond Butter Coconut Curry Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup Wild rice (cooked with 1 3/4 to 2 cups chicken broth)
- 1 3/4 - 2 cups Chicken broth
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 14 oz. Canned coconut milk
- 1/4 cup Almond butter (100% almond butter; no sugar)
- 1 cup Chopped broccoli
- 1/4 cup Chopped red or orange bell pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 can sliced water chestnuts
- 1 3/4 tsp Ground or fresh ginger
- 3/4 tsp red curry paste
- 3/4 tsp Conconut aminos
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the rice as directed (it will usually take 40-45 minutes for whole grain wild rice, so start this first ... and boil in chicken broth rather than water for more taste)
- Cut the chicken into cubes
- Wash and chop the vegetables
- Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in large pan; sautee the chicken on medium for 5 minutes stirring frequently
- Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and add the broccoli, peppers and onions to the pan; sautee all of it together for about 5 minutes; make sure the chicken is fully cooked (it shouldn't have any pink in the center)
- Turn down the heat to medium low and add the water chestnuts, coconut milk, almond butter, red curry paste, coconut aminos and all the spices
- Simmer on low until the rice is ready; add the rice and mix thoroughly
- Taste and add any additional salt, pepper and or red pepper flakes according to your taste
- Serve, garnish with chopped parsley (if desired) and enjoy!
