I'm having a really busy week this week, so quick and easy has been the order of the day when it comes to meal planning. Dishes that I can just throw together without a lot of effort and that don't take a lot of time.
I just adore broccoli. It isn't something we had very often when I was growing up. I can't ever recall seeing it until my own children were born and quite young. They used to refer to it as baby trees. I didn't mind because they loved eating baby trees and it was good for them. It's a lot more fun to eat a baby tree than it is to eat broccoli!
Chicken, broccoli and rice are a beautiful combination . . . the flavours and textures complement each other so very well, and in a quick to put together and cook stove top simmer like this one here today, they all shine.
Everything gets cooked in one pan on top of the stove . . . first the chicken . . . sautéed just until it is almost cooked through, then you add the rice and some seasoning . . . a bit of stock, garlic, lime juice . . .
Some curry powder, some cream of coconut . . . and then near the end, (so that it doesn't get over cooked,) lots of lovely chopped broccoli! Quick to make. Easy to do. Simple ingredients. Put together quickly and on the table in less time than it took me to write this post. I love easy meals like that, don't you? They're just perfect for mid-week when I have a lot on and not a lot of time to spare! I do so hope that you will give this delicious stove top supper casserole a go! I think you'll really like it! It may not win any beauty contests for looks, but I am pretty darned sure it would being home Miss Congeniality!
*Curried Chicken and Broccoli Rice*
Serves 4the juice from 2 limes
1 tsp medium curry powder
1 sachet of creamed coconut (don't confuse this with coconut milk. It is not the same thing.
If you cannot get the creamed coconut use about 1/4 cup of unsweetened dessicated coconut.)
2 large chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless and diced
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a 12 inch wide deep skillet. Add the chicken pieces and cook over medium high heat until almost cooked through. Add the rice and saute for several minutes. Add the chicken broth, lime juice, coconut, garlic, garlic salt, and curry powder. Bring to the boil, then cover tightly and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Stir in the broccoli and recover. Cook for a further 5 minutes or so, until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.
Love your recipes and this is a great one ! I prefer to steam the broccoli and then add it as above. Could not find "creamed coconut ", can you describe it a little more ? Thanks !
ReplyDeleteHi, the combination of brocolli,rice and chicken is always a sure winner however this in no way is remotely reminiscent of Thai flavours. Typical Thai flavours are a delicate alamagamation of hot, sour, sweet and salty.
ReplyDeleteAlso your rice looks clumpy in the photos. Properly cooked basmati's grains are separate as they are long and low in starch.This may be due to inferior quality/ mixed basmati( regular rice mixed in), wrong proportion of liquid to rice ratio( 1 to 1 1/2 rice to liquid ratio) is the best for cooking plain rice, however when meat and veg are added it has to be adjusted and they will leach water during cooking) or insufficient rinsing to remove excess starch.
A good effort nonetheless.
Hi Sandy, Creamed coconut is a coconut product. It is the unsweetened dehydrated fresh meat of a mature coconut, ground to a semi-solid white creamy paste. It is sold in the form of a hard white block which can be stored at room temperature. It has an intense coconut flavor.
ReplyDeleteIn cookery it is chopped into pieces or grated before it is added to dishes. By adding warm water it can be made into coconut milk or coconut cream.
Creamed coconut is added to Indian, Thai and Asian recipes to enrich curries and sauces. In the west it is primarily used in confectionery items, ice cream, and sauces.
Not to be confused with the related coconut cream, which is a liquid.
I hope that this helps.
Hi Kailasapathy! I am not Thai and am no expert on Thai cookery. I am not presenting this as a Thai recipe, only stating that I used some Thai Flavours in this such as the tart lime juice and the sweet creamed coconut. Thanks for your input. The rice was cooked in the liquid, so possibly that made it a bit more clumpy than otherwise. I did rinse it well and it was the best quality basamati rice we can buy here in our local shops.
In any case it was delicious, although I am sure you could yourself create a better representation of Thai flavours! For me it was just a tasty and quick weeknight meal that we both enjoyed the flavour of!
My family would love this dish. It should be in the "comfort food" category. It would be that for me. Thanks! VH
ReplyDeleteThanks Val, it is pretty much comfort food. I've been trying to think what I cooked Kyle when he was here and I can't remember. Maybe I should start a Missionary meal journal??? I think I should!
ReplyDelete