Curry Chicken With Spinach.. a classic Caribbean combination (in my humble opinion). A dish which screams flavor, simple to put together and done in under 20 minutes. I’m not a huge fan of chicken breast as I much prefer the texture and flavor of darker meat, especially with bones. However, if there’s one time you can make chicken breast stand out in a curry, it’s now. Be sure to use baby spinach leaves for best results.
You’ll Need…
1 lb chicken (1 inch pieces)
3/4 lb baby spinach
1 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1 shallot (diced finely)
2 cloves garlic (sliced or crushed)
1/4 scotch bonnet pepper (sliced)
1 heaping tablespoon Caribbean Green Seasoning
8-10 grape tomatoes (any tomato will work)
2/3 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon black pepper
Important! If doing this dish gluten free, please go through the entire list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs. Especially the curry powder you use as some may contain flour as a filler. Also, keep in mind that you must wash your hands with soap and water after handling such hot peppers as scotch bonnets.
Season the chicken with the salt, black pepper and Caribbean Green Seasoning and set aside. No need to marinate as we want to get this tasty dish done asap. I used boneless chicken breast but you can certainly use chicken thighs. To be 100% honest, you will get better results with chicken thighs.
Wash the baby spinach with cool water and set aside to drain.
Heat the coconut oil in a wide pan over a low heat, then go in with the shallot and garlic. Allow this to cook on that low flame for 2-3 minutes, then add the slices of scotch bonnet pepper. Don’t use any of the seeds or white membrane surrounding the seeds if you’re overly concerned about the raw heat. Then add the curry powder and cook for 3-5 minutes. This step will do two things. Cook out the rawness of the curry and help to bloom the spices which makes up the curry blend.
Crank the heat up to med/high and start adding the season chicken to the pot. Mix well to coat the chicken with that curry goodness. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
Your kitchen should have the lovely aroma of a good curry being cooked. There should be no liquid in the pot and the chicken pieces properly coated with the curry. Add the washed spinach to the pot and stir well. The remaining water on the spinach leaves (from washing) will help to deglaze or release the flavor bits on the bottom of the pan.
The spinach will wilt down so after about 2 minutes you may now go in with the tomato and stir well. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Then taste for salt and adjust to your own liking. You may crank up your heat if you have a ton of liquid on the bottom of the pan. In my case it was done to my liking at this point.
Feel free to add a couple tablespoon of coconut cream if you’d like to add a bit more flavor to this curry dish. I never covered the pan if you’re wondering.
Do you own a copy of my cookbook ?- The Vibrant Caribbean Pot 100 Traditional And Fusion recipes Vol 2
Just made and ate this. Used coconut powder (1/4 cup or more with H20) as out of cream of coconut. Dish ended up with some delicious sauce in the bottom. Used almost all of the “Caribbean Green Seasoning” instead of 2 heaping tbsp, Used tin foil over the chicken to cook faster and took off near end to dry up the liquid. Used the whole bag of baby spinach.
REALLY GOOD TASTE ! A keeper recipe.
i was wondering if you could make this recipie with tofu instead of chicken breast. if you could would you need to change any of the ingredients?
I’m sure you could. I’d use a medium firm tofu I’ve made a similar dish (tofu
and spinach). It will be just fine.
Hi Chris, I made this dish the other night and I just have to say it was absolutely phenomenal. This 20 minute curry chicken with spinach is fast and easy to make. This dish is perfect for summer because it’s so light. The taste is a party in your mouth. I also want to mention to anyone concerned that the chicken breast will be dry so do not worry it was very moist. I also made your green seasoning to use and it was great. Thank you for the recipe it’s definitely a keeper. I can’t wait to make it for my dad.