Lemongrass Chicken Coconut Curry

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, chopped (seeded if you want less heat)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 stalks of lemon grass, cut into large chunks and bruised
• 3 tsp Thai red curry paste
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and either sliced thin or grated
• 1 Tb sugar
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into large chunks
• 2 stalks green onion, sliced
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 2-3 cups of water or stock
• 1 cup sugar snap peas or broccoli
• 1 cup carrots
• 1 Tb sriracha
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 Tb coconut oil
• Lime wedges, for garnish
• 1 green onion, sliced for garnish

Directions

1. Saute onion, jalapeno in coconut oil until onion begins to soften. Then add garlic and lemongrass. Toss around in the oil for another minute or so until garlic begins to caramelize.
2. Then add spices (curry powder, garam masala and turmeric), fresh ginger and sugar. Toss to coat.
3. Add cubed chicken and season with salt and pepper. Toss chicken in the other flavors and allow to lightly brown on the outside.
4. Add your veggies. Mushrooms, peppers, peas and green onion. (Note* I added my broccoli until the very end to avoid over cooking). Toss to coat with everything.
5. Add your liquid, coconut milk and 2 cups of stock or water. There should be enough liquid to lightly cover everything, so you may need to adjust accordingly. Also add a few dashes of sriracha.
6. Cover and cook on medium-low until chicken is cooked through. About 20 minutes. When done, add lime juice. 
7. Garnish with green onion and lime wedges.

Orange Chicken with Sriracha

Instead of serving this dish over rice, we used steamed broccoli and it was perfect. Clean and crunchy. We reduced the sugar from 1/2 cup to a few tablespoons. I'd like to try cooking it in coconut oil or possibly broiling it to reduce the fat more. I'm not sure if the coating on the chicken would taste the same. I'll edit this recipe when I cook it the next time. 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• For the Marinade:
• 1 cup regular chicken broth
• ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• zest of one orange
• 2 Tbsp white sugar
• ⅓ cup Asian seasoned rice vinegar
• ¼ cup regular (not light) soy sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2-3 TB Sriracha, depending on desired heat level
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 TB cornstarch, dissolved with 2 TB water
• For the Chicken:
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 cup cornstarch, in a pie pan
• 2 large eggs, beaten, in a pie pan
• 1 cup peanut oil for frying
• Optional: We used sesame seeds, cilantro and green onions for garnish

Directions

1. Make the marinade: Combine all marinade ingredients together in a bowl, and whisk to incorporate well. Combine chicken with ½ cup of the marinade, making sure that all pieces are thoroughly covered with the marinade. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes or longer.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring remaining marinade to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Sauce will thicken as it gets to a boil. Once sauce is thickened, turn heat off. Keep sauce warm while you fry the chicken.
3. Drain chicken and discard used marinade.
4. Dip chicken pieces a few at a time into the pan of beaten eggs. Let excess eggs drip off, and dredge chicken pieces in the pan of cornstarch. Press to coat well. Repeat until all pieces are coated.
5. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high to high heat, until oil is very hot. Add chicken pieces, taking care not to overcrowd, and fry until cooked through, about 1-2 min. Place fried chicken on paper towels, and work in batches until all chicken is fried.
6. Toss chicken with warm sauce and serve immediately. Serve over rice and garnish as desired.