I fell in love with Indian food last year and have craved it ever since. I’ve experimented here and there but it’s still completely uncharted territory to me. I recently discovered the show Spice Goddess on the Cooking Channel and I watch it whenever I get a few spare minutes.
Last week I saw her make this Chicken South Indian Style and was totally inspired. Sure, I didn’t have *any* of the spices called for in the recipe, nor did I have time to go hunt them down, but cooking is all about improvising. My yellow jasmine rice is one of my all-time favorite recipes that I’ve ever made for the blog, so I decided to use a similar mix of spices for this recipe.
And of course, there is the jasmine rice. So simple, so aromatic, SO important. This dish just wouldn’t be the same without the jasmine rice. It’s worth hunting down if your local market doesn’t have it. Ethnic markets or major supermarkets with well stocked ethnic aisles should carry jasmine rice in large, 5 lb. bags, which will be a fraction of the cost of the small “gourmet” rice brands. Check the bottom shelf, it’s usually hiding there.
Turmeric Chicken
Turmeric Chicken
Servings 6Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.22)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.65)
- 2 inches fresh ginger ($0.30)
- 1 Tbsp minced garlic ($0.24)
- 1/2 Tbsp turmeric ($0.07)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1 whole bay leaf ($0.15)
- 2 lb. chicken, breast or thigh ($3.98)
- 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes ($1.17)
- 1 13.5oz. can coconut milk ($2.15)
- salt & pepper to taste ($0.05)
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro (optional) ($0.20)
- 2 cups uncooked jasmine rice ($0.88)
Instructions
- Combine the jasmine rice with 3 cups of cold water in a medium pot. Place a lid on top and bring up to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit undisturbed until you are ready to serve it.
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger using a small cheese grater. Saute all three in a large pot over medium heat with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil.
- When the onions have softened, add the turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and red pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Dice the chicken and add to the pot. Saute until cooked through (7-10 minutes).
- Add the can of tomatoes and the bay leaf. Place a lid on top and let simmer for 30 minutes. Turn the heat off and stir in the coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fluff the rice with a fork. Serve the stewed chicken mixture over a heaping portion of rice. Sprinkle fresh cilantro on top if desired.
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Nutrition
Step By Step Photos
Star the rice first and it will be done by the time the chicken is cooked. Combine 2 cups of rice with 3 cups of water. Place a lid on top and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and let simmer for 30 minutes. Turn the heat off after 30 minutes and let it sit undisturbed until you’re ready to serve.
Dice the onion, mince the garlic (if using fresh), and grate the ginger with a cheese grater. You can peel the ginger with either a spoon or a vegetable peeler.
Saute the onion, garlic, and ginger in a large pot over medium heat with olive oil.
This is the mix of spices that I used: bay leaf, turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Super aromatic and delicious.
Add all of the spices except the bay leaf and saute for about 2 minutes.
Cut the chicken into bite sized cubes and add it to the pot. You can use either chicken breast or chicken thighs.
Saute until the chicken is cooked through (about 7-10 minutes).
Now it’s time to add some liquid and let it simmer. I always forget the coconut milk curdles like cow’s milk so I made the mistake of adding them both at once.
I would suggest only adding the tomatoes at this point and waiting to add the coconut milk at the end. I added both – oops. So, add the tomatoes and bay leaf, place a lid on top, turn the heat down to medium-low and let simmer for about 30 minutes.
After it’s simmered a while, turn the heat off and then stir in the coconut milk. Because mine had been simmering in an acidic solution, it had curdled. It doesn’t taste bad, it just has an undesirable appearance. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Fluff the rice just before serving.
Spoon the chicken along with a good amount of sauce over the rice. Top with fresh cilantro if desired.
Guaranteed to make your house smell good or your money back!
…wait, no, never mind.
I made this dish on Wednesday this week, and made it again on Sat due to some leftover coconut milk.(Glad I bought a big box) Every bit of deliciousness was enjoyed by my family. This is an absolutely marvelous dish. Thank you!
I just made this dish and it is so crazy delicious can’t wait to try out another recipe 👍🏽
Made this tonight – used ABC chicken and leftover Japanese rice (resistant starch), added broccoli. I thought it was too runny, but the rice absorbed it – so no problem. Yum. Doubled the turmeric and cumin for personal taste and nutritional boost. Loved it – thanks – I will be adding your website to my bookmarked recipes tab. ~ from Minnesota :o)
Oops – forgot to mention – I served this w lightly salted cashews – they added a nice crunch and saltiness. Will do that again!
A little bland, I thought but other than that I enjoyed it.
Do you have a substitute for the coconut milk? I’m not a huge fan of coconut milk and wondered what I could use instead.
You could try half and half, which will make it nice and creamy, but that coconut flavor is really what makes this dish so special. :)
Super easy and very yummy!
Sounds great but jasmine rice very high GI so wld go with baskets thks
Hey!
We cooked this yesterday and were all very happy with the result. Very delicious!!! I just added some chilli for an extra amount of spiciness.
For the next time I consider to cook it without the lid so the sauce wont be that runny hopefully which of course is just some personal preference.
I really love your site, keep up the fantastic work.
Greetings from Germany!
I found fresh turmeric for the first time in our local supermarket, so I started to search for recipes. Yours is just perfect, thank you!
Leo
Beth,
Delicious! However, mine came out fairly runny. Any tips to thicken it? Should it be runny?
Yep, it has quite a bit of sauce, which isn’t that thick. But the rice helps soak up all that delicious flavor. :) To make it thicker, you can add just the tomatoes and let that simmer until most of the moisture evaporates away, then add the coconut milk. Using full fat coconut milk will also make it thicker.
Made this tonight using tofu instead of chicken. It turned out so good even the kids ate it!
This was my first time trying Turmeric Chicken, and honestly, it’s delicious!! I used four chicken breasts, split them in half, cut them up into bite sized pieces, and seasoned them. Once I added the unsweetened coconut milk, I seasoned the mixture, since I’m not a huge fan of bland food. My sister and I enjoyed this dish, and it’s definitely a keeper. Thank you, Beth!! :-)
I’m making the Turmeric Chicken for dinner this week, but I do have a question about coconut milk. Did you sweetened or unsweetened coconut milk? Thanks, Beth!! :-)
Unsweetened. The type that is in a can, not the type that is sold as a dairy milk substitute (that is much more watery than the canned variety). :)
Love this recipe! I make it all the time.
Today though, I made a little more than I need. Could this be frozen?
Making right now without coconut milk at all… used coconut oil for health bennies, however, I know that is not the same in the least :) but I’m just going to serve the chicken over the rice. Throwing a fresh tomato over it instead of diced tomatoes when I add the cilantro!! Those are my alterations for the people who have complained about the coconut milk. I may repost and let you all know how it turns out. It smells so inviting!!! Love the cinnamon and turmeric/cumin combo… these are all such healthy spices!!