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Hi, does anyone else feel like food right after Thanksgiving and Christmas is a challenge? Your body is telling you that you need something on the lighter side because have been eating so many of those yummy, heavy holiday foods, as you should. Yet your mind is telling you that you want something hearty and satisfying! Give me all the turkey and the gravy and mashed potatoes!!! I feel like everyone goes right into eating all of the salads right after Christmas and New Year’s Eve – yes I love a good salad and find it is one of the best ways to get a ton of veggies in my diet – BUT sometimes I feel so blah about them, especially right after the holidays. I need a meal that’s a compromise – a balance of a lot of veggies and a little richness, just enough to keep me away from the even heavier leftover holiday foods. The last thing you want is to be sad that you are eating a salad while you wish you were eating all of that pie. Does this make sense? I think we understand each other, right?
My solution: Eggplant Green Curry with Chicken. It’s loaded with yummy veggies, onion, tender eggplant, bamboo shoots, and crunchy red peppers – veggie quota is met! It’s got chicken to keep you full. And a super tasty green curry sauce that’s luxurious because of the creamy coconut milk. All of that goodness is served over some sticky brown rice noodles and topped with some sliced green onion. Healthy, yet slightly decadent meal that’s not too heavy and not too light. It’s just right, Goldie Locks. It’s comforting and warm, everything we’ve been wanting right after the holidays.
Eggplant Green Curry is easy to make and comes together pretty quickly! This is a huge bonus because who wants to spend a ton of time in the kitchen right after the holidays?! I know I don’t. The key to making this recipe come together so fast is to get all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go right by the stove so that you are prepared.
Another note, if you are not into curries green curry is a great way to ease into them. Green curry has a nice mild flavor and isn’t very spicy. Of course you could easily add some sriracha to kick it up a notch, if you’d like. I wouldn’t be mad about that.
I hope you enjoy this Eggplant Green Curry with Chicken as much as we did. Remember to ease into weaning off the holiday foods. We don’t want Christmas withdrawals to happen. 🙂
Eggplant Green Curry with Chicken
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Chicken, Entree, Bowls
- Cuisine: Gluten Free, Dairy Free
Description
Chicken and veggies are in a creamy curry sauce and served over brown rice noodles. This recipe is easy to make and comes together quickly.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, divided
- 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 to 2 inches ginger, grated
- 1 medium sized eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 15 ounce can of bamboo shoots, drained
- 2 teaspoons gluten free soy sauce (can sub coconut aminos if want to avoid soy)
- 4 ounces (3 tablespoons) green curry paste (I like Thai Kitchen)
- 1 tablespoon lemon grass paste (found by the fresh herbs in your produce section)
- 2 bell peppers, cut into strips
- 1 15 ounce can light coconut milk (could sub full fat coconut milk for a richer sauce)
- 2 teaspoons corn starch or arrow root stach
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- Green onions, sliced (for garnish)
- Gluten Free brown rice noodles
Instructions
- Get all of your ingredients prepared: veggies chopped and ready to go.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Melt 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil. Sprinkle the salt and pepper onto the chicken. Add the chicken to the pan and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes per side. You will know the chicken is ready to flip when it releases from the pan easily. Remove the chicken into a dish, cover with foil and set aside.
- Returning to the skillet melt another tablespoon of coconut oil. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and ginger, saute for one more minute. Add the eggplant and bamboo shoots along with the soy sauce. If the pan seems too dry add the third tablespoon of coconut oil. Saute for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender.
- Stir in the green curry paste and lemon grass. Saute for 1 minute to bring out the flavors.
- Add the bell peppers, coconut milk and chicken to the pan. Turn up the heat and allow the coconut milk to come to a simmer. To a small bowl add the corn starch and some water, whisk until no lumps remain. Add the slurry to the skillet. Simmer for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the peppers have softened slightly. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cilantro.
- BROWN RICE NOODLES:
- Follow the instructions on the box for how to make the brown rice noodles. Make sure to salt your water generously, this helps to flavor the noodles. My rice noodles took 5 minutes to cook once the water was boiled. I started boiling the water while the eggplant was cooking, this worked out pretty well timing wise.
- ASSEMBLY:
- Serve the green curry sauce/veggies/chicken over the brown rice noodles. Garnish with sliced green onions. You can also serve with some extra soy sauce and sriracha for topping. Serve immediately.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat the sauce gently and you can reheat the noodles with a little water so they kind of re steam. However I find the brown rice noodles are best when fresh, so I like to make what I need each time I eat the meal.
Nutrition facts are based on 8 servings. It does not include the rice noodles since each person may use a different amount.
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