Baked Chicken Curry Rice with Coconut and Peas

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Everything goes into one baking dish: spiced onions bloom in the oven, then rice, coconut milk and stock go in and chicken thighs sit right on top. Forty-five covered minutes later you have fluffy, golden curry rice with tender chicken and sweet peas throughout. It feeds a family, needs no stovetop, and the leftovers reheat beautifully.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
• 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 3 tbsp mild curry powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp ghee or butter, melted
• 1 can (14 oz) full-fat coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Put the sliced onion, garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of the curry powder, the garam masala, tomato paste and melted ghee into a 9x13-inch baking dish and stir until the onions are coated. Spread level and bake, uncovered, for 12 minutes, until the onions have softened and the spices smell toasty.
2. While that bakes, rinse the basmati rice in a bowl of cold water, swirling and draining three or four times until the water runs almost clear, then drain well. Pat the chicken thighs dry and toss them with the remaining 1 tablespoon curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.
3. Take the dish out and stir the drained rice into the hot onion mixture. Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock, add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and stir well, then spread the rice into an even layer with no grains stuck up the sides of the dish.
4. Lay the seasoned chicken thighs on top in a single layer, spacing them out. Cover the dish tightly with foil, crimping the edges all the way around, and bake for 35 minutes.
5. Lift the foil, scatter the frozen peas over the top, re-cover tightly and bake another 10 to 12 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquid and is tender and the thickest thigh reads 165°F (74°C).
6. Leave the dish covered on the counter to rest for 10 minutes, then uncover, fluff the rice around the chicken with a fork, and scatter the cilantro over the top before serving.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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