Thai Red Curry Chicken- GF, DF

I have still been in a food funk lately. I haven't felt very creative...maybe it's the heat. :/ The other night I invited some of my siblings over for dinner. I was going to make Braised Short Ribs with Creamy Goat Cheese Polenta, my favorite recipe from The Pioneer Woman. Then I remembered that my sister had been craving Thai Red Curry for about a week. Our favorite local Thai restaurant is closed for several weeks and she has been going crazy. :)

So I decided to make Thai Red Curry, but I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. We have made red curry before that wasn't very good. I discovered a few things; a good, high quality red curry paste and using fresh Thai herbs makes all the difference...and if it's quick and easy red curry it won't be all that authentic or all that good.

This recipe takes about an hour from start to finish, but it is completely worth it. We all ate WAY more than we should have and were stuffed! It is some of the best Thai Red Curry I have had.

(Picture to follow. I need to make it again! :) )

Thai Red Curry Chicken
Serves 6

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" cubes
3 cups chicken broth/stock
2-3 TB red curry paste (I used this one, purchased at Whole Foods. I have used Thai Kitchen brand before, it doesn't even remotely compare)
3 cans full-fat coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen best)
3 TB coconut palm sugar (or 1 1/2 TB jaggery)
3 1/2 tsp fish sauce
1 large (or two small) red bell pepper, cored, seeds removed and cut into 1/4" slices
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4" sticks
2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 can bamboo shoots
2 large Kaffir lime leaves, use the end of a knife to pound the leaves to "bruise" them
1 cup fresh Thai basil, leaves and a few buds, discard stems
1 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

1 lb Thai Brown Basmati Rice, cooked

1. Bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the chicken and par-boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the stock and set aside. Reserve the chicken stock for later.

2. In a large pot combine 1 cup of the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce and sugar. Whisk to combine well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes a thick paste. Add a couple tablespoons of the reserved chicken broth and reduce again for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid it sticking to the bottom and burning.

3. Add the remaining coconut milk and a 1/2 cup of the chicken broth. Bring back to a boil and then add the par-boiled chicken. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the red pepper, zucchini, carrots, bamboo shoots and lime leaves. Cook for an additional 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender, but still slightly crisp. Remove the lime leaves and discard.

4. Remove from heat and stir in the Thai basil and cilantro. Serve immediately over Thai Brown Basmati Rice.

Cherry Compote

I apologize that I don't have a picture for this recipe, but I have been sitting on it for awhile. I keep meaning to make it again so that I could snap a few pics....I figured since it is cherry season I better just get it on the blog! :)

This is great with grilled chicken or pork, and weird as it sound I think it would even be delicious on vanilla ice cream. I'll have to try that next! :) I even eat it straight out of the pot. It really is yummy!

Cherry Compote

2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 cup diced shallots or red onion, very finely diced
1 cup cherries, halved and pitted
1/3 cup concord grape juice
2 TB red-wine vinegar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1. Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 3 minutes, just until soft. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cook until liquids have reduced by half and the cherries are soft, about 10 minutes.

Variation: Cherry Basil Compote - Add 1 TB fresh chopped basil when you add the cherries.

Baked BBQ Chicken

Last week I made this Baked Chicken with Peppers from Saveur magazine. I highly recommend it. I thought that this baked chicken idea could be a starting point for many variations. My first variation experiment was a Baked BBQ Chicken. It was so good! I am not really a fan of BBQ either. :)

Baked BBQ Chicken

*Adapted from Saveur Magazine

4-6 bone-in chicken thighs

salt, pepper and smoked paprika to taste

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2" thick slices

2 cups BBQ Sauce (I made my own based loosely on this recipe)

1 cup chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Pat chicken dry using paper towels. Season liberally with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat oil on the stove in a 4-5 quart cast-iron dutch oven. Place chicken skin side down and cook until skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove the chicken and put on a plate. Set aside.

2. Add the onions to the oil and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in the barbeque sauce. Let cook 1 minute. Add the chicken broth. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and mix in. Place the chicken back in the pot and using a large spoon, spoon some of the BBQ sauce over the chicken. Place the dutch-oven, uncovered, in the preheated oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is browned and cooked through.

Cobb Salad

I am so sick of boring salad and a chicken breast. A couple weeks ago I went out to eat and got a Cobb Salad, so I decided to recreate it for my lunch yesterday. It was delicious, light and refreshing.

Cobb Salad

Serves 1

2 C Romaine Lettuce, torn into small pieces

1 hard boiled egg, diced

2 slices of turkey bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces

1/4 avocado, diced

1/2 small tomato, diced

red onion, sliced

1/4 cucumber, diced

a few crumbles of blue cheese, optional (you could use any cheese you have on hand)

4 oz grilled chicken, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder

I used Bolthouse Farms Olive Oil Vinaigrette for the dressing. Bolthouse Farms dressing are fruit juice sweetened and natural. They can be found in the produce section, by the refrigerated dressings. Or you could make your own, like THIS one.

Chicken Piccata

This is the recipe my mom makes for our family all the time. It is one of our favorites.

Chicken Piccata

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

1.5 T butter

1.5 T olive oil

Flour (we use a GF flour blend)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup drained capers

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 can quartered artichoke hearts

1. Either pound the chicken out thin or butterfly the breasts. Dredge in flour, and set aside.

2. Heat oil and butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, brown the chicken breasts until lightly brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side.

3. To the pan add the lemon juice, chicken broth, capers, garlic and artichoke hearts. Simmer until the chicken is done.

I serve this dish with the Brown Rice with Parmesan, Lemon and Herbs and broiled asparagus.

Chicken Salad w/ Candied Pecans and Apples

This is my favorite new salad. I eat is several times a week!

Grilled Chicken Salad w/Candied Pecans and Apples

1 grilled chicken breast
10 Candied Pecans (recipe below)
1 crisp apple, cut into pieces
1 slice red onion
lettuce
Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe below)

1. Combine all ingredients in medium bowl and toss well.


Candied Pecans
1 C raw pecans
1/4 C agave nectar
2 TB melted butter or oil
dash of salt

1. Set oven to broil
2. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl.
3. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spread the covered pecans over the bottom and place under broiler.
4. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring and flipping the nuts 2-3 times. Check the nuts every 1-2 minutes to avoid burning (if you are like me you burn the nuts 9 times out of 10!)

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
1 TB all fruit raspberry jam
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar
1 TB fresh citrus juice (orange is my favorite)
2 tsp filtered water

1. Combine all ingredients in small bowl and whisk together.