Easy Chinese chicken curry
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Serves 4
A crowd-pleasing easy chicken curry, packed with the Chinese flavours you'd expect from the takeaway version, but still keeping the calories low and the protein high. The sauce freezes well and is really easy to make using two popular spice blends: curry powder and five-spice.
Each serving provides 487 kcal, 37g protein, 66g carbohydrates (of which 10.5g sugars), 7g fat (of which 1.5g saturates), 4.5g fibre and 2g salt.
Ingredients
- 250g/9oz long grain or basmati rice
- 500g/1lb 2oz skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 brown onions, thickly sliced
- 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
- 1 tbsp finely grated garlic
- 3 tbsp mild curry powder
- 600ml/20fl oz chicken stock
- 200g/7oz fresh pineapple chunks
- 225g tin sliced water chestnuts in water, drained (140g drained weight)
- 2 mixed peppers, thickly sliced
Method
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions and keep warm.
Mix together the chicken with the soy sauce, cornflour and Chinese five-spice. Toss to coat evenly.
Heat the oil in a wide, non-stick wok or frying pan and add the onions. Stir-fry over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned.
Stir in the ginger, garlic and curry powder and stir for 1–2 minutes. Add the coated chicken and stock and simmer for 12–15 minutes. Add the pineapple, water chestnuts and peppers. Cook for 5–6 minutes or until the peppers are just tender and the curry has thickened.
Serve in warmed bowls, ladled over the rice.
Recipe tips
If you want a shortcut feel free to use readymade garlic and/or ginger paste.
You can also use pineapple chunks from a tin, but they will be sweeter than fresh pineapple. Frozen pineapple chunks, available in many large supermarkets, are convenient but more expensive.
This recipe reheats well, though the pineapple will soften. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave until piping hot throughout.
