Description
Coconut Curry Chicken Legs is a creamy, comforting dish that you can put together with easy-to-find ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 chicken legs (about 4lbs)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 inches ginger, finely grated
- 1 lemongrass stalk, trimmed & bashed
- 2 tbsp mild yellow curry powder
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder, or a mild chili powder & a pinch of cayenne
- 14 oz can coconut milk, preferably full fat
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth, or as needed
- Kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper
Toppings (optional):
- Cilantro
- Scallions, sliced or curled
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat pan & season chicken: Heat a dutch oven or heavy bottomed nonstick pan with high sides over medium heat. Pat chicken dry, and season liberally with salt and pepper.
- Brown chicken: Add oil to pan, followed by chicken. Brown on all sides, flipping occasionally, for a total of approximately 12-16 minutes. Cook in batches, if needed, to avoid overcrowding the pan. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Cook onions: Add butter to pot. Stir in onions and season with salt. Cook approximately 10 minutes or until well-softened, reducing heat as needed.
- Cook aromatics: Add garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Stir in spices. Toast approximately 30 seconds, making sure to avoid burning.
- Add liquids & braise: Add chicken back to pan. Pour in coconut milk. Add enough broth to cover the chicken approximately ¾ or so of the way up the chicken. Partially cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer about 45-60 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Thicken sauce: Remove chicken from braising liquid. Cover and keep warm on a plate. Bring sauce to a gentle boil and reduce until thick and flavorful, about 10 minutes. Add chicken back to coat in sauce.
- Serve: Top chicken with cilantro and scallions, and squeeze over lime juice. Serve with rice or desired accompaniment. Enjoy.
Notes
- Feel free to substitute with bone-in chicken thighs or breasts, adjusting the cook time accordingly. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken. In that case, I would simmer the sauce for about 30 minutes without the chicken in it to develop flavor. Then I would add the browned, boneless chicken and simmer until just cooked through.
- If you can’t find fresh lemongrass, look for lemongrass paste in a tube in the Asian section of your grocery store. You can also omit this ingredient, if desired.
- You can try any of your favorite curry blends. Go for something more mild or spicy depending on your personal preferences.
- I like to use a spicy chili powder called kashmiri chili. Feel free to substitute for any chili powder you have. If you use a mild chili powder and prefer a spicier dish, add cayenne pepper, to taste.
- I use full fat canned coconut milk, because it adds a lot of richness and creaminess. For a lower calorie dish, substitute with reduced fat canned coconut milk. I would not use coconut milk from a carton.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Braise
- Cuisine: Asian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 chicken legs
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 590mg
- Fat: 23g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 37g
- Cholesterol: 200mg
