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5 from 5 votes

Coconut Curry Chicken with Spinach and Mushrooms - Gluten Free

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: dinner
Cuisine: Asian, Thai, vietnamese
Keyword: asian chicken, chicken, chicken dinner, chicken dinners, cilantro, gluten free rice noodles, lemongrass, pine nuts, rice, rice noodles
Servings: 4 people
Author: GFchow @ gfchow.com

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1/2 to 1-inch dice. The recipe calls for boneless breasts but if you like dark meat, using boneless, skinless thighs in this recipe would be just as delicious
  • 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh chili or red pepper flakes more or less depending on your taste buds
  • 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass or lemon zest see NOTE section below for instructions on how-to mince lemongrass
  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil such as canola
  • 2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
  • 1 can unsweetened coconut cream or coconut milk
  • 1 package mushrooms, shiitake, baby bello, etc sliced or hand-torn
  • 1 bag baby spinach pre-washed
  • 1/2 bag fresh rice noodles store the remaining half in an air tight plastic bag (Dry rice noodles can also be used but must be cooked before adding to this dish. Follow package cooking instructions.)
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (salted peanuts or cashews can also used)
  • 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro and/or basil optional

Instructions

  • Toss chicken with curry powder, kosher salt, chili, and lemongrass or lemon zest.
  • Place oil in a large skillet and heat on medium-high.
  • Once oil is hot, add chicken stirring occasionally, until it loses most of its raw color, approx. 5 minutes. 
  • While waiting for chicken to cook, bake pine nuts in a parchment or foil-lined tray in toaster oven for approx. 3 minutes or until nuts are golden brown and toasted. SET A TIMER!!
  • At this time if using dry rice noodles, cook them accordingly to package instructions.
  • If adding mushrooms clean, trim and slice (or tear) mushrooms now.
  • Once chicken is almost cooked through, add coconut cream and stir.
  • Then immediately add mushrooms. Once mushrooms have cooked through for roughly 2 minutes, add fish sauce and spinach. 
  • Gently fold spinach into the dish. Once spinach wilts, approx. 60 seconds, the dish is finished.
  • If serving with rice, place the Coconut Curry Chicken on a platter and add pine nuts and cilantro.
  • If serving with rice noodles (either fresh or dry), add the noodles directly to the pan and gently fold in until warmed and soft, approx. 1-2 minutes.
  • Place the Coconut Curry Chicken on a platter and add pine nuts and cilantro.

Notes

The recipe cooks very quickly so read it through before starting.
Lemongrass:  If using lemongrass, use a sharp knife and cut off the dry thick bottom end of the stalk and 1/3 of the skinny, papery top. Peel off the tough layers, as you would peel a scallion, to get to the pale, more tender inner core. Then slice the lemongrass lengthwise to get two halves. Using the flat side of your knife, give the cut sides of the lemongrass a good whack or two to bruise it. This releases the oils in the stalk that provide the lemongrass flavor. Then thinly chop each half.
For vegetarian's, tofu can be substituted for the chicken.
This dish is just as good with rice as with rice noodles.  Vary it up.  
If you're not gluten free, add cooked spaghetti or linguine.
I love cilantro but basil and/or thai basil would be just as delicious in this dish. At the same time, if you don't have fresh herbs on hand just omit and the recipe will be just as good. 
If using mushrooms, use your favorite variety.  If using whole mushrooms, be sure to clean the caps with a damp paper towel before slicing.
Don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients in this recipe.  This is one of the easiest and tastiest chicken recipes I've every made.