Green Curry Chicken Chili

Happy New Year!  Hope everyone had a lovely start to 2014, I sure did!  Good friends, good food, good champagne, and lots of opportunities to say the word "boner" over the course of the evening.  Seriously, try the game What's Yours Like.  Cards Against Humanity is so 2013.

I'm sure you've all made your resolutions to be healthier and more organized in 2014.  My resolution this year?  Only eat out when I'm with other people.  I think my slump into kitchen avoidance had a lot to do with how easy it is in my neighborhood to go and get good food.  I love my city but it is too tempting to order greek food through grub hub, grab a croque monsieur at the french bakery down the street, or choose between the 3 pho places in walking distance.  It's time to get back in the kitchen and take away the lazy route!

To start off my resolution on the right foot (the one with all the metal?  Maybe I should start it on the left foot), I created a kitchen inventory on an excel sheet.  I now know everything I have in my kitchen, how much I have, and when it expires wherever I go.  Seriously, I didn't realize how helpful this would be until I made it.  I know a lot of people aren't as ridiculous as me and I'm sure there is an app for this, but I can't shake my excel habit.  True story: I made an excel sheet of everything in my closet in middle school.  Organized by clothing type, brand, and color.  Yup, coolest kid ever.

In my inventory madness, I found a lot of things that I love in the my freezer and pantry that I had completely forgot about.  Namely, a frozen pound of ground chicken, frozen ginger root, a tin of green curry paste, and some coconut milk.  I have never liked the consistency of unfrozen ground meat, I decided to put my own spin of chicken chili.  My mother has been requesting a traditional chicken chili recipe from me for awhile, so sorry this one is a little off the beaten path, Ger.

Green curry paste was used to flavor the chili in lieu of traditional spices.  I added some right before adding the ground chicken and a little extra at the end to amp up the heat.  Completely optional, if you are a spicy food fan then the green curry just at the beginning will have a mild spice with a lot of flavor.  Instead of stock, I simmered the chili in coconut milk and added chick peas at the end as my beans.  Easy weeknight dinner, perfect with a little scoop of rice and a dollop of non fat yogurt.

So what are your New Years resolutions?


Green Curry Chicken Chili
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
1/2 red onion, large dice
1/2 green bell pepper, large dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
2-3 tablespoons green curry paste
1 pound ground chicken
1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
juice of 1 lime
1 15 oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon cilantro, plus a little to garnish
greek yogurt to garnish

Begin by sautéing the onions over medium heat in the coconut oil.  Once the onions start to brown, add the diced bell pepper.  When the bell pepper begins to soften, add the minced garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper

To the sautéed veggies, add 2 tablespoons of the green curry paste and grated ginger and thoroughly combine.  Let cook (and mellow!) for 2-3 minutes

Next, add the ground chicken.  Break up and brown, seasoning with salt and pepper.  Once the chicken is cooked all the way through, add the coconut milk, sesame oil, fish sauce, and lime juice.  Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour, until the chili has thickened.  When almost finished, add the chick peas and a little more green curry paste if you like it spicy.

Finish by stirring in the cilantro.  Serve up with some brown rice, a dollop of greek yogurt, and a little more cilantro.  Enjoy!