Make-Ahead Japanese Chicken Curry

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A big pot of glossy, mildly sweet Japanese curry loaded with chicken thighs, carrots and sweet potato. The roux-thickened sauce freezes beautifully — no splitting, no watery puddle — so you can pull a block out on a Tuesday and have dinner over rice in ten minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 3 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 lb sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 4 cups water
• 1 box (7 oz) Japanese curry roux blocks, mild or medium
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey

• steamed short-grain rice

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook 5–6 minutes, stirring once or twice, until no longer pink on the outside (it does not need to brown deeply).
2. Add the onions and carrots and cook 5 minutes, until the onions soften. Stir in the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute more.
3. Add the sweet potato and the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 20 minutes, until the carrots and sweet potato are tender when pierced.
4. Turn off the heat. Break the curry roux blocks into the pot and stir 2–3 minutes until fully dissolved. Stir in the soy sauce and honey, then simmer uncovered over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Taste and add a splash of water if it is thicker than gravy.
5. Cool the curry quickly: spread it in a wide shallow pan or set the pot in a sink of cold water, stirring now and then, so it reaches room temperature within an hour.
6. Portion into freezer bags or containers (about 1 1/2 cups each), leaving 1 inch of headspace. Press bags flat, label with the date, and freeze up to 3 months.
7. To reheat: thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm in a saucepan over medium-low with 2 tablespoons water, stirring, 8–10 minutes until steaming hot (165°F). From frozen, microwave covered at 50% power for 6–8 minutes, stirring twice, or tip the block into a covered saucepan with 1/4 cup water over low heat for 15–20 minutes. Serve over hot rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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