A little sweet, a little spice: Coconut curried chicken

It wasn’t until I got into dietetics that I started discovering all of the amazing flavors from around the world. As it turns out, I’m a huge fan of both Ethiopian food and Thai. Growing up, I was a very picky eater. I still am but I’m learning to expand my horizons when it comes to food. I’ve come to learn that there are so many better foods out there than just chicken fingers and french fries. I think my diet throughout high school consisted of those two foods and ice cream. Yes, I had quite the healthy diet.

Dietetics has really been such a great positive learning experience for me. I met not only all kinds of great, wonderful people in the program but I also met all kinds of new and interesting foods. So I bring you this amazing curry chicken recipe so you can experience a small sample of the types of foods I’ve been experiencing lately.

I was surprised that this recipe went over so well with my family. I had a feeling my mom would appreciate it but I had no idea my fiance would take to it like he did. He is a super wimp when it comes to spicy food. So I decided it would be better if he didn’t know anything about what he was eating. The less he knew, the better. He ate 3 bowls of this in one sitting. This recipe only lasted us 2 days!

Ingredients

- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

- 1 tsp salt and pepper, or to taste

- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 2 tbsp curry powder

- 1/2 onion, sliced thinly

- 2 cloves garlic, crushed

- 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk

- 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed, diced tomatoes

- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

- 3 tbsp sugar

Directions

1) season chicken pieces with salt and pepper

2) heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. stir in onions and garlic, and cook 1 minute more. add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil. reduce heat to medium and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

3) pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan and stir to combine. cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

4) enjoy

411 on the ingredients:

- chicken is quite high in tryptophan (an amino acid), vitamin b3, protein, selenium (antioxidant), vitamin b6, phosphorus, and choline. I have written posts on these nutrients here (click the links to read these posts):

* protein

* vitamins and minerals

* antioxidants

- recent studies have shown that when it comes to curry, one of the active ingredients (curcumin) in turmeric (which is an ingredient in curry) may inhibit the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation. Other studies published earlier this year suggest that curcumin also prevents angiogenesis, the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth, and may help prevent the initiation and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

- I have also written a post here (<;- click here) about the importance of using herbs and spices in everyday cooking.

- onions are a pretty good source of vitamin c but what they’re really good for is their flavonoid and polyphenol content. The total polyphenol content of onion is not only higher than its fellow allium vegetables, garlic and leeks, but also higher than tomatoes, carrots, and red bell pepper. Be sure to check out my post on antioxidants to read more about these amazing nutrients and what they can do for you.

- garlic is a relatively good source of manganese (an antioxidant). interestingly, it may also have a role in determining the number of fat cells that get formed in the body. Garlic is also responsible for improving iron metabolism.

- tomatoes are a great source of lycopene (an antioxidant) which is important for males especially to consume because it can prevent certain cancers (ahem, prostate cancers). research has also shown that lycopene may help prevent osteoporosis in women. Tomatoes are also a good source of vitamin c, vitamin a, and vitamin k.

- coconut milk contains many vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes such as potassium, calcium and chloride. It also contains a good amount of saturated fat. However, the saturated fat in coconut is made up of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids the body quickly turns into energy instead of storing as fat. Therefore, even though it’s high in saturated fat, coconut can aid in weight loss. In addition, lauric acid is a component of medium chain fatty acids and lauric acid has been shown to be anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti-fungal, meaning coconut milk can also help boost the immune system.

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