Name: Skillet Thai Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon coconut oil, divided; 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces; 1 1/2 cups diced sweet potato, par-cooked (see note); Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste; 1/2 cup light canned coconut milk; 3 tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter; 1 tablespoon red curry paste; 1 teaspoon fish sauce; 2 teaspoons maple syrup; Juice of 1/2 of a lime; 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger; Chopped unsalted peanuts, green onions and cilantro for garnish

Skillet Thai Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry is a healthy, warming, comfort food meal that can be on the table in 30 minutes. Savory, sweet and a little bit spicy, this flavorful gluten-free skillet dinner will be a family favorite!

This Thai Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry is one of my favorite recipes that I made last month and I’m so excited to share it with you today! I’ve been wanting to do a curry chicken recipe for a while now, but kept putting it off for one reason or another. I wish I hadn’t waited this long because it’s so good I’ve made it several times in the last month.

Skillet Thai Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry is a great weeknight meal. It’s all made in one skillet, which if you follow along on my blog, you know is my favorite way to make dinner. I used a cast iron skillet, but non-stick works great too. This skillet dinner comes together in about 30 minutes and if you’re like me, you’ll probably inhale it in about 3 minutes. I really need to work on slowing down when I eat.

The prep for this recipe is pretty minimal. Cutting the chicken and sweet potato into cubes, whisking together the ingredients for the sauce and chopping up a few ingredients for toppings…don’t skip the toppings they add a lot of flavor and crunch.

The sauce is definitely the star of this dish. It’s a combination of coconut milk, red curry paste, peanut butter, fish sauce (optional, but adds a salty umami flavor), lime juice and maple syrup for a little sweetness. There’s also a good amount of fresh ginger in the dish which adds great flavor.

To save time on cooking and to prevent the sweet potato from burning on the outside before it was cooked all the way through, I par-cooked it in the microwave. After approximately 4 minutes of cooking in the microwave you end up with a mostly cooked sweet potato that will finish cooking in the skillet in just a couple of minutes.

The sauce is added in at the end and gives the chicken and sweet potato a wonderful, creamy coating. Serve the curry over brown, white or cauliflower rice for an easy weeknight dinner.

Skillet Thai Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil, divided
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cups diced sweet potato, par-cooked (see note)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup light canned coconut milk
3 tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons maple syrup
Juice of 1/2 of a lime
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
Chopped unsalted peanuts, green onions and cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Whisk together the coconut milk, peanut butter, red curry paste, fish sauce, maple syrup and lime juice together in a bowl and set aside.
Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot add in the cut up chicken. Spread it into a single layer, season with salt and pepper and let it cook for about 2 minutes before stirring it. Continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through, then remove it from the skillet onto a plate.
Add the remaining coconut oil to the skillet along with the diced par-cooked sweet potato. Season lightly with salt and pepper and sauté for about 2 minutes or until the sweet potato is tender.
Add the chicken back into the skillet along with the grated ginger. Stir to combine, then pour in the sauce.
Stir and coat everything in the sauce. Remove from the heat and top with chopped peanut, green onion and cilantro. Serve over brown, white or cauliflower rice.

Notes

To par-cook the sweet potato, cut it in half lengthwise and place it along with 1/4 cup water in a medium microwave-safe dish. Cover with plastic wrap and pierce with the tip of a knife to vent. Microwave for 4-5 minutes. Drain the water and cool for several minutes before peeling off the skin and dicing.