Creamy, golden-hued and Indian-inspired, these chicken thighs are ready in under 30 minutes. Serve with cauliflower rice, white rice or brown with a green vegetable, such as broccoli, broccolini or asparagus. Its hard to give an accurate weight when buying chicken thighs as they vary so much in size. Buy 8 pieces, any leftover are good.
2-3teaspoonsjarred ginger puree or finely grated fresh ginger
Juice of ½ a lime
Pinch of saffron threadsoptional if you have it
2teaspoonsarrowroot starchoptional to thicken pan juices
1tablespoonchopped fresh cilantro for garnishoptional
Instructions
Trim chicken
Turn thighs skin side down and trim chicken thighs of extra skin and fat. See post photo for help.Turn over, skin side up and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic.
Make curry sauce
In a medium bowl stir or whisk together coconut milk, broth, garlic, curry powder, ginger, lime juice, and saffron. Set it near the stove as you cook the chicken.
Cook chicken
Place a medium saute or fry pan large enough to hold chicken in a single layer over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil, then add the chicken thighs skin side down. Turn heat down to medium low. Cook chicken until the skin side is golden, 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate or rimmed baking sheet and pour off fat. Add chicken back to the pan top side up.
Add curry sauce
Pour the milk-broth mixture around the pieces. Bring the pan to a simmer, cover and turn to heat to low. Cook the chicken for approximately another 7-10 minutes, or until they reach 165°F internally. They cook pretty quickly. You can serve the chicken right away or thicken the sauce.
Optional step: thickening the sauce
If you want to thicken the juices into more of a sauce, remove the thighs to a plate and keep warm covered with foil. Whisk the arrowroot starch with 1 tablespoon of water until smooth and add to the pan, stirring until smooth and thickened, about 1 minute. Put the chicken back into the pan and serve family style sprinkled with cilantro.
Notes
Note - If you want a very smooth sauce, pulse in a blender for a few seconds.Bone-in chicken thighs are my choice for this recipe because bones provide moisture and flavor. Buy around 2 ½-3 pounds for 4 people. Leftovers make a good lunch.If you can't stand bones, use boneless breasts or thighs. It still works. Buy 6-8 ounces per person by weight. They will cook at a different rate so watch your time and temperature.