Indian Coconut Chicken Curry with Spinach and Quinoa

Taken directly from Clean Eating Magazine, the June 2017 issue. This is one of those dishes you can just throw together in 30 min or less, which is great if you come home from work and need to get dinner for 4 on the table. It’s full of health benefits from the coconut oil, ginger and spices. Delicious and nutritious.

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Serves 4 Hands on time 15 minutes. Total time: 30 min

For this recipe we love the flavor of Vadouvan, a mild French-style curry powder that usually contains shallots and garlic. Look for it in specialty stores and online- but if you can’t find it, any mild curry powder will work. We chose to serve the curry on a bed of quinoa instead of brown rice for quicker cooking.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces (buy the best quality, humanely raised chicken you can afford)
4 teaspoons mild curry powder (such as Vadouvan)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt or to taste, divided
1 cup quinoa, (red or white), rinsed
3 cups loosely packed baby spinach

1 In a bowl, toss the chicken with the curry powder; set aside. In a large saute pan on medium high, heat the coconut oil. Add the onion and saute until softened, 2-3 minutes. The more you brown it the more the flavor will be developed. Add chicken, ginger and garlic, and saute until the chicken begins to brown, 2-3 minutes. Add peas, tomatoes, broth, coconut milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to low and maintain a simmer, partially covered until chicken is cooked through, 15 minutes.

2 Meanwhile, prepare quinoa according to package directions with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fluff with a fork cover and set aside.

3 Stir spinach into curry and heat just until the leaves begin to wilt, about a minute or two.
Divide quinoa onto 4 plates and top with curry.

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