Chicken

Teri Turner's Ground Chicken Curry With Bok Choy

by:
June 11, 2021
4
5 Ratings
Photo by Tim Turner
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

"This dish is just bursting with flavorful spices. I know there are a lot of ingredients, but the reality is, it’s absolutely worth it. This dish is all about the prep, but the good news is that much can be done in advance. To keep this dish grain-free, I like to serve it over sautéed bok choy. It’s also lovely over rice, and it happens to make fantastic leftovers." —Teri Turner

Excerpted from No Crumbs Left: Recipes for Everyday Food Made Marvelous © 2019 by Teri Turner LLC. Photography © 2019 by Tim Turner. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.Food52

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Ingredients
  • 2 pounds ground chicken (half dark meat and half white meat, if you can find it)
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus 1/2 cup sliced into ribbons for garnish, if desired
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 8 cloves)
  • 3 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons coconut aminos
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon red curry paste
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
  • 1 (14-ounce) can full-fat unsweetened coconut milk, blended
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
  • 1 tablespoon very cold water
  • 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 4 heads baby bok choy, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Directions
  1. In a large bowl, mix the chicken, the chopped basil, 1 tablespoon of the garlic, the scallions, 3 tablespoons of the coconut aminos, 1 tablespoon of the red curry paste, and the salt until combined well.
  2. In a large skillet with high sides, melt the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Using a large spoon, transfer the chicken mixture, spoonful by spoonful (rather than dumping it in), to the skillet. Using a wooden spoon, cook, stirring continuously and breaking up the chicken as it cooks, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
  3. Return the skillet to the heat and add ¼ cup of the warm stock, stirring and scraping up all the bits of goodness from the bottom of the pan. Pour everything from the skillet over the cooked chicken.
  4. In a bowl, stir together the remaining ¼ cup curry paste and 1 cup stock until the curry paste has dissolved. Set aside.
  5. In the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring continuously, until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add a bit of the curry-stock mixture and stir, scraping up any bits of loveliness from the bottom of the pan. Add the remainder of the curry-stock mixture and stir to combine well.
  6. Add the coconut milk to the skillet and whisk until everything is dissolved and smooth. Add the lime juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut aminos, then stir to combine.
  7. Make a slurry by mixing together the arrowroot and cold water in a small bowl, then add to the skillet and stir to combine well. Return the chicken with the juices to the skillet and add the red pepper flakes and cayenne. Stir to combine, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
  8. In a medium sauté pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy and cook, stirring continuously, until the leaves are bright green and the bok choy has released some of its liquid, about 2 minutes.
  9. Plate the bok choy and spoon the chicken curry over the top. Garnish with the basil ribbons and cilantro, if desired, and serve.
  10. Tips: This makes a lot of sauce, and you will have some left over. Add it to some chicken stock for the beginnings of a great soup. Or pour it over some cauliflower fried rice for a great dish. If the sauce separates, don’t worry, it’s totally fine and tastes the same. Feel free to substitute ground turkey or beef for the chicken.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

9 Reviews

chezjenne June 11, 2021
I just made this and it was WONDERFUL! I steamed the bok choy and I simplified the cooking process. The ingredients (I used ground turkey) and the simmering sauce, it was all truly delicious and pretty healthy overall. Thank you so much for this inspiration!!
Connor H. November 18, 2019
Too much liquid for my taste. Recommend cutting it down to half a cup of stock.
Karen J. October 11, 2019
You are right about the large number of ingredients, but you seemed to have missed a biggie! Where is the "stock" you call for in the directions?? I just decided to use chicken broth.....but it was super annoying to have to re-read this recipe over and over to find some clue about the darn stock!
Bryonna July 29, 2019
Don't have (nor want to buy) coconut amigos. Can I just leave out, or ?
Bryonna July 29, 2019
I typed ami nos but my computer keeps changing it to amigos ... :(
Eric K. July 29, 2019
Hi! You can use soy sauce in its place or leave out!
Eric K. July 29, 2019
'Coconut amigos' sounds like a party waiting to happen. :)
Bryonna July 29, 2019
Thanks Eric ... will use the soy sauce
judy August 1, 2019
Braggs Liquid minos would work as well and are easier to come by. but soy or Tamara works too.