Dinner doesn’t have to be overly complicated to be irresistible. Some of the soul-satisfying meals require the least number of ingredients, yet pack a punch in flavor. The Coconut Kale Chicken recipe is one such dish – all golden and juicy, so luscious and filled with comfort flavors. Thinly sliced chicken is pan-fried and showered with a creamy coconut-kale sauce enlivened with the sweetness of shallots and just a faint touch of heat. It is almost like a warm curry meets its more famous cousin “marry me chicken.” And the best thing? It’s so easy in terms of preparation:
That one is a definite keep-repeating-menu: you can have it over and over again every night. The coconut kale sauce is quite simply the star, made up of five fairly common ingredients: curry paste, coconut milk, kale, shallots, and a touch of spice. The flavor is absolutely phenomenal for the relatively few ingredients you will be using. Plus, it being one pot means that you can simply forget about thinking of what to serve with it: protein’s covered by the chicken, vegetables-by the kale. You’re done!
What I love about this recipe is the way the coconut sauce seeps into every grain of rice and makes it so rich and delectable. When plating this dish, be sure to spoon out a little extra creamy sauce for yourself-it’s impossible to get enough! As the luscious sauce soaks into your rice, bliss will envelop you. Believe me: you’ll want to drag it out for as long as possible.
If you have ever worked with Maesri yellow curry paste, then you know how strong this stuff is. I recently bought some from Amazon (gotta love ordering my favorite kitchen staples online), and it is now the paste I reach for when making a recipe such as this one. It is pungent and concentrated, and it imbues the sauce with the loveliest golden hue. If you don’t have yellow curry paste, red curry paste will do just fine; it just won’t be the same color. If you want to take on a culinary challenge, perhaps consider making your own yellow curry paste. It then becomes your kitchen little ninja, and the scent will waft through your home, giving it that warm and cozy feeling. Worth every little ounce of effort, for sure!
My kids are not always big fans of this coconut-kale infusion. I imagine they reject the texture of the kale. Out of courtesy, I often serve their chicken alone, leaving out the kale for them. But me? I adore the creamy coconut sauce and earthy kale combo. They were simply made for each other, and I could honestly eat them every day.
While chicken is the usual protein found in this recipe, it has been haunting my thoughts lately that perhaps shrimp would be a better protein choice. Just picture that very same coconut-kale sauce swirling around a well-heated pan of shrimp gently fried! How good does that sound? The beauty of this recipe is how flexible it is-you can play with shrimp, meatballs, even chickpeas as a veggie option. The sauce works well with so many good proteins that your taste buds can go on an adventure!
You can use this recipe to navigate your simple guide.
How To Make Coconut Kale Chicken
Step 1: Cut Your Chicken
Optional step – most recommended. Thinly slicing chicken breast helps fast and evenly cooks the slices and makes things easy while consuming. I usually season my chicken right on the cutting board – this is easy, quick, and ensures even flavor distribution.
Step 2: Cooking the Chicken
Pan-fro a few minutes per side for an even golden brown, cook thoroughly. That’s it! Nothing fancy for flavor; just that crispy, spicy goodness.
Step 3: Make The Sauce
And the fun part has come here: The shallots are to be sautéed in that same pan (you don’t need to wipe it if it’s just lightly browned), toss in the curry paste, pour in the coconut milk, and put in the kale. Amazing how the sauce comes together so, so quickly. It’s golden and creamy and smells like heaven.
Step 4: Pop the Chicken Back In
When the sauce is thickened, return the chicken to the pan. Allow this simmer for a couple of minutes so that the flavors meld together so nicely.
Step 5: Serve and Enjoy
Top with a bit of cilantro or green onions, serve, then marvel at the gorgeousness and mouthwatering quality of this dish. It’s time to dig in; take a scoop or two of that sauce on your rice — thank me later.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use red curry paste?
You can definitely still use it! It will taste a little different but still awesomely fabulous. If you are going to use a really common brand like Thai Kitchen, I would advise you to use 2 tablespoons instead of just 1 for the maximum flavor.
Is it okay to use curry powder instead of curry paste? Yes, but curry powder will lack the depth of flavors to take the spot of curry paste. If your scheme involves this, consider adding heat with some sriracha or chili paste, or maybe brown it up with some turmeric.
Can I use light coconut milk? Yes, although it will not make your sauce quite so thick. If you are being careful with fats, you could thicken the preparation with cornstarch slurry to whatever thickness pleases you, anyway.
Do I need to wipe the pan clean after frying the chicken? Only really if there is some dark-brown stuff left in the frying pan from the chicken cooking. If there’s just a little bit of fond left behind (that beautifully-colored goodness), leave it! That’s just going to add flavor to the sauce.
What other proteins would work? Shrimp would be wonderful in this dish; any meatballs or chickpeas would make the dish vegetarian. Talk about versatility with the recipe!
Can I use onions in place of shallots? Yeah! Shallots lend a nice mild sweetness, but thinly sliced onion would work perfectly here, too.
Whether you keep it to chicken, or go crazy with some shrimp, Coconut Kale Chicken will now be a regular in your dinner table series. It’s so easy, so comforting, and so rich-flavored that it will make you jiggle with excitement.
