30 Jan Chicken Coconut curry with Butternut Squash

Pretty simple recipe to throw together and toss in the oven on a lazy afternoon. The chicken thighs braise in a rich coconut curry sauce with fresh lemongrass and warm ginger. You can use frozen, or fresh butternut squash that’s been cut into cubes. The squash adds a bit of sweetness while also creating a starchy-creamy curry sauce that can be spooned up on it’s own or served with riced cauliflower.

I’ve made this for dinner several times in the past month, and each time I wish I had made more. I think it actually tastes better as leftovers, once the flavours have more time to mingle. Packed for lunch, with a heaping of cauliflower rice, I can’t wait to dig into it.

Fresh lemongrass can be tricky to find sometimes, look for it near the fresh herbs, or try an asian grocery store. If you can’t find any stalks, you can substitute it by zesting a lime. For this recipe I used the curry paste by Thai Kitchen, their curry pastes are my favourite and have a relatively clean ingredient list (although lots of sodium) and can be found at most grocery stores. I’m amazed at how quickly I go through the little jars, and I’m thinking about trying to make my own curry paste. Let me know if anyone has tried this and has tips or recipes to share!

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Butternut Squash & Chicken Braised Curry

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Oven braised chicken in a coconut curry sauce with roasted butternut squash. Paleo and Whole30 friendly.

Nutrition per portion

Ingredients

• 1 small butternut squash (approximately 1.5 lbs)
• 1 can (400 mL) coconut milk
• 1.5 Tablespooons curry paste
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 2 stalks lemongrass
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• Lime wedges
• Chopped cilantro

Method

1. Arrange a rack in the centre of the oven, and heat to 400F.
2. Peel and cube the butternut squash, scoop out the seeds and discard, or roast separately.
3. In a large baking dish, mix together the coconut milk, curry paste and ginger powder.
4. Chop the lemongrass stalks into 3 to 4-inch chunks, and remove the dry outer layer. Give the lemongrass a good smash with the end of your knife just to get the juices loosened a bit. Toss the bruised stalks into the baking dish with the coconut milk mixture.
5. Add the cubed squash to the baking dish, and give everything a good stir so the squash is coated in the coconut milk.
6. Nestle the chicken thighs into the dish, and spoon some coconut milk mixture over it too.
7. Roast in the oven for 60-75 minutes, giving everything a good stir about halfway through cooking. Once the butternut squash is cooked and can be poked with a fork without much give, remove from the oven. Pick out the lemongrass stalks and discard. Garnish with a squeeze of fresh lime and chopped cilantro when serving.