I’ve been perfecting my Yellow Chicken Curry recipe for the past two years, waiting for the moment it was ready to share with others.
I finally received the sign two weeks ago when I received this email from my sister: “Hey Sis, When you have the time can you send me the recipe for your chicken curry…I tried to explore a bit and made different chicken curries, but they never tasted as good as yours.”
So here is my “To Family, With Love” Yellow Chicken Curry recipe, may it also make your loved ones think of you. This recipe makes a pot of curry for family style sharing and can be stored for a couple of future meals.
Loni Stark’s “To Family, With Love” Yellow Chicken Curry Recipe
- 14 oz can of chicken broth (You can also make your own. For me and my current busy schedule, the broth that comes from can or carton works well. If you get the low sodium kind, make sure you salt to taste at the end.)
- 15 medium sized carrots (I use organic carrots. How many carrots you use is a matter of preference. I like a 3 to 1 ratio of carrots to potatoes)
- 8 small/medium-sized red potatoes
- 4 large chicken breasts
- 4 medium-sized onions
- 3 tablespoons of Penang curry paste (You can find this easily at any Asian market.)
- 3 tablespoons of chicken bullion
- 6 tablespoons of corn starch
- Canola oil (Enough to cover the bottom of your large pot.)
- 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons of indian yellow curry powder
- 3 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
- 5 large bay leaves
1. Pour the can of chicken stock into a medium size pot on medium heat.
2. Peel all the carrots.
3. Cut all the carrots into smaller pieces. For aesthetic reasons, I recommend you cut on an angle and twist the carrot on each cut.
4. Place all the carrots in a medium size pot. To make sure I have the 3 to 1 ratio of carrots to potatoes, I fill the pot up to 3/4 full. At this point, the chicken broth in the pot should be at a healthy boil.
5. Cut up the potatoes into small pieces. I don’t peel the potato skins off, I just make sure I wash them thoroughly. If you get potatoes with thin skin, I recommend you keep the skins on since a lot of the potato’s nutrition is present in the skins. I like to cut my potatoes into pretty small pieces so that the curry sauce over time will soak into the potatoes easily and infuse more flavor to the dish.
6. Fill the rest of the medium pot up to the brim with potatoes. Cover up the pot and cook the vegetables for 40 minutes or until they are tender.
7. In the meantime, cut the chicken breasts into small pieces and place in a bowl.
8. In a small measuring cup or microwaveable bowl, place the 3 tablespoons of chicken bouillon powder and 4 tablespoons of water. Microwave for 1 minute or until the powder is fully dissolved.
9. Mix the corn starch with the pieces of chicken until each piece of chicken is covered.
10. Pour the chicken bouillon solution onto the chicken and mix thoroughly. Sometimes I prepare the chicken overnight so it can marinate. However, I have found there is not too much difference in taste so either way is fine.
11. While the carrots and potatoes are cooking and the chicken is soaking, in another larger pot, add enough canola oil so it forms a thin layer that covers the entire bottom of the pot. Turn the heat on medium.
12. Add the Penang curry to the pot just as the oil is starting to heat up. This recipe has a suggestion of how much curry paste to use, but do adjust based on your preference for spiciness. Use a wooden spoon to separate the curry paste so it is spread nicely across the entire surface of the pot.
13. What you want to do is to brown the curry so that it intensifies the flavors without burning it so do monitor the heat levels.
14. While the curry paste is starting to brown, take the 4 onions and cut each of them into 8 pieces.
15. Place the onions into the large pot and separate each of the pieces of onions and mix to make sure the onions are covered by the mixture of curry paste and canola oil. Place the lid on the pot and cook until the onions are tender and a little caramelized. This really gives the curry added depth of flavor.
16. Add half the can of coconut milk to the onions and wait for the mixture to simmer.
17. Add all of the chicken to the mixture and allow for the mixture to heat up and the chicken to cook for about 5 minutes.
18. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and bring the entire contents of the pot to a simmer.
19. Add in the yellow curry powder, brown sugar, and fish sauce and mix these ingredients into the pot thoroughly.
20. Finally, add the carrots and potatoes, which should now be tender, from the medium pot into the large pot and mix everything carefully.
21. Stick the bay leaves into the dish, cover up and cook for another 35 minutes. This is assuming that the carrots and potatoes are hot at transfer time. If you have left them to cool a bit, you will need to cook for longer to allow for the reheating of the carrots and potatoes.
Once you have allowed for the time it takes to cook all these ingredients together, you are ready to make some rice and spoon this delicious “To Family, With Love” Yellow Chicken Curry over it. Make sure you get enough of the sauce. I hope it is as memorable of a dish in your family as it is in mine.
Here’s to family, with love!
