Vietnamese Coconut Chicken Curry

Ingredients

3 pounds bone-in chicken, dark and white meat

1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning the chicken

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 large shallots, finely chopped

4 large cloves garlic, finely minced

1 (3-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely minced

3 tablespoons Vietnamese or Madras curry powder

1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, divided

2 stalks lemongrass, bruised

2 tablespoons fish sauce

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 can coconut milk

6 small russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into thick even slices

8 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thick even slices

2 cups whole milk

Baguette, or cooked rice noodles, optional

Instructions

1. Gather the ingredients.
2. Cut the chicken into bite-size portions. Season each piece of chicken with a little salt and ground black pepper and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot. Add the onion and shallots and sauté until they are soft and translucent.
4. Push the chopped onion and shallots to the side and add the chicken pieces, cooking the meat until it begins to brown.
5. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the curry powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and half of the sugar. Stir well.
6. Add the lemongrass, fish sauce, chicken broth, and coconut milk. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through.
7. Add the potatoes, sweet potato, and carrots. Stir well, cover, and allow to simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.
8. Pour in the whole milk and simmer uncovered for about 8 minutes. Before serving, taste the broth and, if needed, add more curry powder, salt and/or pepper. Remove the lemongrass stalk and discard. Serve to your liking over the optional cooked rice noodles and/or baguette slices.

Customize Your Curry

Our recipe has a lot of room to please all palate preferences:

For a more coconutty flavor, replace 1 cup of whole milk with 1 cup of full-fat count coconut milk.

For a bolder flavor, add 1 additional tablespoon of curry powder.

If lacking salt, add fish sauce, 1 teaspoon at a time, and taste test again.

If you like spice, try adding 1 teaspoon of red chile flakes.

If too salty, add the juice of half a lime. Taste test, and if needed, add 1 additional teaspoon of sugar.

If you'd like a thicker sauce, allow the liquid to evaporate further. To naturally thicken the curry, blend 1 cup of the cooked russet potatoes with some of the liquid. Pour it back in the pot and mix well.