One Pot Basil Chicken Coconut Curry is a mild flavored curry with a bit of a kick from jalapenos that even curry haters with love and it’s a breeze to make in one pot!
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One Pot Basil Chicken Coconut Curry is a curry that we started making in our house as a compromise. My husband is a huge fan of Japanese curries and I love Indian curries. Since we couldn’t find a way to agree on one we both enjoyed together I started working on Thai curries that would keep the similarities to Japanese curries while lightening the thick curry mixtures that are so strongly scented.
Sorry for the delay in this post, I had intended to post it on Friday and here we are the following Tuesday instead! I’m usually so good about staying healthy but with school aged kids now the things they are bringing home are taking me down with them! I hope you all are staying healthy even if we didn’t!
Thai curries are usually lighter in flavor and have more herbs and chilis in the recipes. This One Pot Basil Chicken Coconut Curry has both and the flavors, while light, are fresh and easy with just a hint of a kick from a jalapeno.
Some notes on substitutions/changes you can make to this One Pot Basil Chicken Coconut Curry recipe:
- You’re welcome to use a lite coconut milk in this One Pot Basil Chicken Coconut Curry but I would caution against using coconut water to save on calories. The creaminess of the coconut milk adds quite a lot to the flavor and texture of this dish.
- If you want more heat you can keep the ribs in the jalapeno.
- If you want a stronger curry flavor you can increase the curry powder to two tablespoons.
- The way to get the coloring you’re seeing on the boneless skinless chicken breasts is to use a cast iron skillet, and let your chicken brown without touching it until it is the color you see in the photos. This may take longer than in the directions but the most important thing is the pan and the lack of moving the chicken. The cast iron skillet creates a beautiful crust if you give it time to work.
- Don’t worry about the chicken bits on the bottom of the pan, when you cook the onion and jalapeno and scrape it clean it will come up and mix into the coconut milk to add another dimension of flavor.
Tools used in the making of this One Pot Basil Chicken Coconut Curry:
Cast Iron Skillet: High quality cooking, great browning and the skillet style pan I use on my stovetop almost exclusively, this is a must have in your kitchen. I leave mine on my stovetop since I use it daily (and it is heavy!).
Curry Powder: A nice mild curry powder, perfect for this dish.S
Coconut Milk: This coconut milk is the perfect size and has never let me down (and I am all for original coconut milk in this recipe), but for a lighter version I like this brand’s lite coconut milk better.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts , about 1 ½ pounds total
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil , divided
- 1 red onion , chopped
- 1 jalapeno , de-veined, de-seeded and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil , minced
- 1 can coconut milk , (13.5 ounce can)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- cilantro , for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
- In a large cast iron skillet add 1 tablespoon of canola oil on medium-high heat and sear the chicken on both sides until almost cooked through, 3-5 minutes on each side.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and add in the red onion and jalapenos along with the second tablespoon of canola oil.
- Cook them on medium high until slightly caramelized and the chicken bits from the bottom of the pan have mixed in well with them, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the garlic, ginger, basil and cook for 30 more seconds.
- Add in the coconut milk, cornstarch and curry powder and whisk together quickly so the cornstarch is absorbed before the coconut milk gets a chance to get hot and clump the cornstarch (or if you want to use a second bowl mix the coconut milk, cornstarch and curry in there first before adding to the pan).
- Add the chicken back in and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the chicken is cooked all the way through.
- Garnish with cilantro if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Does it have to b a cast iron skillet?
The cast iron skillet gives the chicken that crisp golden skin you may not get from a heavy skillet. Let us know if you try the recipe in a different skillet and how it turns out!
We liked this dish a lot! It was more like a cross between Indian curry and Thai. It needed some zing, so I zested and juiced a lime. Served it with spinach ravioli and a spring roll. The chicken was tender and the sauce was delicious!
Sounds amazing Kay! Thanks so much for the 5 star review.
I wonder if it is possible to substitute olive, coconut or avocado oil (I can’t use canola, peanut or other nut oils) and to use cassava flour or tapioca flour as a thickening agent since I can’t use either corn or potato starch. I also LOVE my cast iron skillet!
I haven’t tested the recipe with the list of your substitutes; however, if you try it, I would be curious to hear how you liked it!
This is one of my favourite dishes both to cook and to eat. Thanks for sharing! Just an idea….i add some some raisins to make it slightly sweet.
Sounds fantastic! So glad it’s one of your favorites!
I tried it and mine looks creamer then the picture. Tastes OK, seems to be missing something – I’m not sure what yet. Was very easy to prep and put together. I’ll try again another day.
Did you change any of the ingredients or measurements? Glad you still enjoyed the last but I would love to trouble shoot with you and see what might have happened if you’d like? contact @ dinnerthendessert.com
I made this last night for dinner and it was deelish! I actually used boneless skinless chicken thighs and added a diced red bell pepper (for added colour), and it turned out great! There were two parts of the ingredients list that sounded confusing – you mention 4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts about 1 1/2 pounds total, I’m assuming that should read 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (not 4 pounds), as well as with the coconut milk, it reads – 1 ounces can coconut milk 13.5 ounce can. I’m assuming this should be 1 13.5 ounce can. I will definitely make this again!! Thank you Sabrina!
So glad it turned out well! This recipe plugin has been transposing things since the last update and has been driving me batty. I am so glad you could read between the lines well enough to enjoy your meal! I updated it manually to pull that weird data out of it. Thanks for the heads up!
Love everything about this dish! Can’t wait to make it soon!
Thank you Anna!
I love curry everything so count me in on this one.
What a yummy sounding curry! I love all the bold flavors!
Thank you Cathy!
I hope you feel better soon. I love curries and especially ones with a bit of a kick. I can’t wait to try this.
Thanks Sandi!
YUM! This curry just looks GORGEOUS and like a perfect meal! And I feel you on getting sick with whatever your children bring home. My daughter isn’t even 2, but she’s gotten me sick several times this year since she goes to MDO! I hope you’re feeling better.
Thank you! I thought teaching kids to share was a good thing but definitely not in this case!!
Going to try recipe with a thick fish, like Cod.
So good! Love a great one pot meal idea!
Thank you Kelly!
This dish looks and sounds amazing!