Chicken, potato and spinach curry

Sometimes there’s nothing like a spicy, burn the roof of your mouth, tummy warming curry. Well, this is not that curry. Curries can be tummy warming without the spiciness. And let me tell you, this is a great curry that everyone, even the kids, will love and they’ll ask for seconds! It’s a great introduction to curries for the kids and it’s so easy to make from scratch at home.

Is there anything better than a bowl of comfort food on a cool Winter’s night? In fact a curry can be enjoyed  at any time. While holidaying in Thailand, most days were 30°C+, I lost count of how many curries I ate, from mild to very spicy. Why wait until winter to enjoy curries when we can enjoy a delicious, tasty curry all year round! And what a better curry to enjoy!

The best thing about this mild chicken curry is that you can add freshly chopped chillies for that extra kick of heat. Birdseye or Thai chillies are the best. Working with a mild curry makes room to add your own variations. Not a fan of spinach, add your choice of greens. Trying to cut back on carbs? Replace the potato with sweet potato (this will make the curry sweet and I haven’t tried it). This curry is so versatile that you’ll love having it in your repertoire and adding your own variations.

This recipe has been tried and tested with chicken thighs and breasts, with results of a bland curry or over-cooked chicken. The trusty store-bought roast chicken gave this curry its added flavour. The aromas of coconut, coriander, chicken and potato fill the house, making the tummy rumble and the mouth salivate. The best thing about this curry is that if you bought your roast chook last night for dinner and have leftovers in the fridge, then this curry is perfect for dinner tonight. It’s like killing two dinners with one bird 😉

Doubling this recipe will not only give you extra for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner but enough for everyone to have seconds! And trust me, your family and friends will be putting up their hand for seconds! The other wonderful thing about a great curry is the way it always tastes better the next day, even though this curry tastes amazing on day one!

PREP: 25 minutes     COOK: 45 minutes     SERVES: 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, grated/minced
¼ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¾ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons coriander stalks, finely chopped
1 tablespoon water
2 medium potatoes (365 grams), cut into 3cm cubes
¾ tablespoons ginger, freshly grated
½ teaspoon salt and pepper
1 roma tomato (80 grams), quartered
½ cup chicken stock
1 can (400mls) coconut milk
2 roast chicken breasts (400 grams), sliced (see photo below)
3 cubes frozen spinach or 150 grams baby spinach

TO SERVE:
Cooked basmati rice
Roti bread, warmed
Coriander
Birdseye chillies, sliced

METHOD:
In a saucepan, heat the oil on medium-high heat. Add in the onion and fry until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Stir through the garlic, spices and coriander stalks for 2 minutes. Cooking off the spices helps release natural oils for a delicious curry. Add the water to make a thick paste.

Throw in the potatoes, gently tossing in the spice paste. Add in the ginger, salt and pepper and tomato, cooking until the tomato has broken down, about 3-4 minutes.

Pour in the stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil. Immediately turn down the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

For the last 5 minutes, gently stir through the chicken and spinach. Adding them last keeps the spinach green and chicken in whole pieces.

Serve immediately with rice, roti, coriander and chilli slices.

Enjoy x