One Pot Coconut Chicken

Coconut chicken is one of my childhood favourites. The silkiness of the coconut milk with the tender chicken breast, and the natural sweetness from the veggies...just DIVINE.

 It was a common dish in old-styled Hong Kong "Cha Chen Teng"s. They usually present it with a puff pastry on top, and a bowl of steaming rice next to it. Sadly the taste is no longer original probably because they are using not-as-good ingredients to cut cost.

So why not make my own! It is so easy to make! Even make a large portion and save some in the freezer for quick dinner after a busy day!

Preparation time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
2 cups Chicken breast chunks (about 2 inches thick)
1 Medium sized carrot
1 Potato
1 Onion
1 Large can of coconut milk

1. In a large plate, marinate the chicken breast with generous amount of coarse salt (roughly 2 tbsp) and freshly ground black pepper.Add a 3 tbsp of coconut milk and mix well. Make sure the milk is evenly coated on each piece of chicken. Set it aside.

2. Prep the veggies. Slice the carrots into 3mm slices. Dice the potato into larger cubes of approx. 1.5 itches. Chop 3/4 onions into large pieces and finely dice the remaining 1/4 onions.

3. In a preheating pan (with depth since there will be sauce) at medium-high heat, add in 1 tbsp of light-flavoured vegetable oil, slightly saute the chicken for 1 minute on each side. Spoon out and set it aside.

4. In the pan, add 1/2 tbsp of oil and add the finely diced onions. Saute them for approx. 2 minutes until they turned light brown in colour. Add in the remaining onion pieces, carrots, and potatos. Saute the veggies for 1 to 2 minutes.

5. In the pan, add in the sauteed chicken and its released juice (if any), and the coconut milk. Put on the lid and let it simmer for 4 minutes or until the veggies and chicken are cooked thoroughly.

6. Taste the sauce and season well. Serve and enjoy!

Tips:

1. Season the chicken chunks generously and leave it for ideally 30 mins before cooking to make sure the marinate is fully absorbed by the chicken.
2. Do not overcook the chicken or it will become tough.
3. Try to use a non-stick pan to avoid burnt ingredients.
4. Since the flavourful sauce is the glorious highlight of this dish, bed it with good amount of rice or bread!