Chicken with Coconut Curry (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)
We were on vacation in the Dominican Republic, and we asked the chef to make us her specialty dish. Julissa brought out her "pollo con coco" or chicken with coconut curry, and she was kind enough to share the recipe. I couldn't find one of the key ingredients, a bitter orange sauce, so I improvised and used annatto and lime juice. Annatto gives the dish the beautiful orange-red hue and flavor that you can't put your finger on but feels like a cross between paprika, turmeric, and saffron.
Servings: four BOWLS
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1/2 yellow medium onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons annatto (also achiote powder)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup water
1 lb chicken breast, skinless, boneless, diced
1/2 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1/2 lime, juiced
Cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste
serve with rice or cauliflower rice
PREPARATION
1 Heat sauté pan to medium and add olive oil. Cook the onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper until soft and translucent, about 7-8 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for about another 3 minutes.
2 Add diced tomatoes, annatto, oregano, coriander, salt, and pepper, and cook for 2-3 minutes to get the rawness out of the tomatoes and let the flavors meld together.
3 Add water, bring to boil, then simmer uncovered and cook for 5 minutes. The sauce will reduce.
4 Add chicken to the pan and cook for 3 minutes until brown.
5 Pour coconut milk into the pan, reduce heat, and cook for 5 minutes.
6 Squeeze lime juice on curry. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as desired.
NOTES
The same exact recipe can be used for shrimp curry. Just add the shrimp after the coconut milk and cook for about 3 minutes until the shrimp are pink.
To keep this lower glycemic serve with cilantro-speckled cauliflower rice.
You can also serve this with black beans on the side.
You can find annatto in a specialty grocery stores or online.
