Coconut Chicken Curry & Naan

When I was in Paris a few summers ago, one of my favorite things I had there was Indian food. Weird right? Well, I really had never, ever had the stuff before and I found it suuuper tasty, especially the naan. So when I was thinking about something to occupy my time in the kitchen this weekend, I thought about a chicken dish...and realized that no one real makes Indian food all that often, so why not give it a try.

Well both of these recipes had a ton of great reviews on Allrecipes.com, so with a few minor modifications based on positive reviews, I share with you the recipes I used to make this pretty delicious dish. Serve over any kind of rice and enjoy!

Now, I was pretty pleased with this meal, but it wasn't my absolute favorite. I could have done with a bit more spice and little less sweetness. I think coconut chicken curry is a pretty sweet dish in general though, so maybe next time I will try a different Indian recipe to get the flavor I want. Maybe what I am looking for is more along the lines of chicken tandoori? I'm not sure, but either way I'd definitely try more Indian recipes now that I have tried this out. While this wasn't my favorite meal I've made, I still enjoyed it...and Curtis said he really liked it a lot.

The nice thing about this recipe was that it was fairly easy and involved minimal ingredients for such a flavorful meal. With the time the curry needs to simmer and the naan needs to rise, it does involve a bit of time, but the good news is, if you time everything out you can move smoothly between each and have everything warm and ready all at once. I prepared the dough for the naan first and while I was waiting for it to rise the first time around, I prepared what I needed for the chicken dish. After preparing the naan for it's second rise, I started to cook the chicken. Once the chicken dish was simmering, I had time to get the rice boiling and cook the naan, keeping the naan warm in the oven at 200 degrees. 

Coconut Chicken Curry

Ingredients: 

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp. curry powder
• 1/2 onion, sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14 oz.) can stewed, diced tomatoes
• 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14 oz.) can coconut milk
• 3 tbsp. sugar

Directions:

1. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, as desired.
2. On medium-high heat, heat oil and curry powder in large skillet for 5 minutes. 
3. Stir in onions and garlic, continue to cook for 2 more minutes.
4. Add chicken, tossing to evenly coat with curry oil. Reduce heat to  medium, and continue to cook for about 8 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. 
5. Pour tomatoes, tomato sauce, coconut milk, and sugar into the pan. Stir thoroughly and cover. Allow to simmer for approximately 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Naan

Ingredients:

• 2-1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (or one .25 oz. packet)
• 1 c. warm water
• 1 tbsp. + 2 tbsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tsp. salt
• 4 c. flour
• 2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 c. butter, melted

Directions:

1. In stand mixer, combine yeast, water, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes or until mixture is frothy.
2. Stir in 2 tablespoons sugar, milk, egg, and salt. Gradually add flour until dough comes together (this may not take all 4 cups).
3. Knead on lightly floured surface for 6 to 8 minutes or until dough is smooth. 
4. Place dough in oiled bowl, cover with damp cloth, and allow to rise for about 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.
5. Punch dough down and pinch golf ball sized handfuls of dough and place on a tray. Cover with damp towel and allow to rise for about 30 minutes.
6. Melt butter and mix with minced garlic.
7. Roll dough into thin circles, brush tops with garlic butter.
8. On medium to medium-high heat, heat iron skillet. Place naan, buttered side down on hot surface for approximately 30 to 60 seconds. Flip and allow to cook for an additional 30 to 60 seconds.

* Note: The original directions ask for the naan to be cooked on a grill at medium-high heat for about 2 minutes a side; however, the grill we have is pretty unpredictable (and it was cold), so I opted for the iron skillet option. My guess is that they would taste even better on the grill, but they still tasted great this way as well.