GREEN COCONUT CHICKEN

Green Coconut Chicken image

While there is a nice dose of red curry powder in the braise, it's certainly not the dominant flavor. For something that might seem exotic and boldly-spiced, this a surprisingly mellow dish.

Provided by Chef John

Categories World Cuisine Recipes Asian

Time 1h50m

Yield 4

Number Of Ingredients 20

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Ingredients

4 whole chicken legs
salt to taste
vegetable oil
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 ¾ cups water
6 cloves garlic, peeled
3 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 bunch cilantro
½ bunch green onions, white and light green parts only, chopped
vegetable oil
1 onion, sliced
6 slices fresh ginger
1 tablespoon red curry powder
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 cups 1-inch sweet potato chunks
1 ½ cups 1-inch eggplant chunks
1 bunch fresh Thai basil leaves, torn
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Steps:

Season chicken legs with salt on all sides.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat; place chicken legs in the pan and cook until golden brown on each side, about 4 minutes per side. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
Place coconut milk, water, garlic, jalapeno peppers, cilantro, and green onion into a blender. Cover and puree until smooth. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in sliced onion and ginger; cook until sizzling, 1 to 2 minutes.
Sprinkle red curry powder over onions and ginger; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 1 minute.
Place chicken legs in a single layer on top of onions and ginger. Pour pureed coconut mixture, lime juice, fish sauce, and brown sugar over the chicken.
Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, skimming off any fat, until chicken legs are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove chicken from the Dutch oven.
Stir potatoes into coconut milk mixture, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Stir in eggplant; cook until potatoes and eggplant are tender, about 20 minutes.
Stir basil into coconut milk mixture; season with salt and pepper to taste.
Return chicken to coconut milk mixture; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 715 calories, Carbohydrate 31.4 g, Cholesterol 127.7 mg, Fat 48.1 g, Fiber 7 g, Protein 42.9 g, SaturatedFat 25.1 g, Sodium 804.7 mg, Sugar 9.7 g