Ah, peanut butter. A very simple foodie pleasure in life. Although, that’s true for ALL nut butters really. I’m a self-confessed nuts, seeds and all related butters addict – so delicious, to easy to make and so many recipe ideas stem from using them as key ingredients! Not to mention nuts are nutritional powerhouses, packed full of heart healthy mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, fibre, protein, plus many vitamins and minerals. In a quest to keep our family dinners interesting, I went for a peanutty twist on a chicken curry classic, with a solid dose of colourful vegetables in there too! I did make my own peanut butter for this curry (recipe for that right here), but you can absolutely just use your favourite brand you buy in the supermarket – I love Meridian Foods and LifeForce!

Recipe (Serves 5)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
• 1 white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, de-skinned and diced
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 400ml tin of chopped tomatoes
• 200ml of water (use the water from rinsing your tomatoes tin!)
• 1 400ml tin of light or full fat coconut milk
• 3 tbsp smooth peanut butter (I have a homemade recipe right here)
• 1 red chilli, de-seeded and diced
• 100g button mushrooms, de-stemmed, washed and sliced
• 1 cup of broccoli florets
• 5 chicken breasts
• Note: You can make this recipe vegetarian or vegan by swapping the chicken for a plant-based alternative like tofu, tempeh or a tin of chickpeas!

Method

1. Prepare your vegetables and chicken by dicing them up (separately of course) and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a pot on medium heat, then add the onions, garlic, ginger and chili, and cook for a couple of minutes until the onion is translucent.
3. Add the veggies next, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Add your spices (cinnamon, cumin, turmeric, and garam masala) and cook for a couple of minutes to coat the onions and chicken.
6. Add the chopped tomatoes, water, coconut milk, and peanut butter, and stir everything up.
7. Finally, pop the chicken breast chunks in, and stir again.
8. Season with a little black pepper, and bring to the boil.
9. Turn the heat down to a simmer (lowest setting) and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring half-way. Check at 25 minutes to ensure the chicken is full cooked (just pop a chunk out and chop it in half to check).
10. If you’re having a side like brown rice or quinoa with this, then pop some water on to boil while you’re simmering the curry! Alternatively, serve with a side of greens for a lighter meal.
11. When the rice/quinoa is ready, turn the heat off, get the pot to the table and tuck in!

Enjoy guys! Tag me if you try this one out – @theirishbalance on Instagram/Twitter/Facebook!

Ciara 🙂 x