Coconut chicken curry with rice

This coconut chicken curry proves a healthy dish can be full of flavour: 33 g of protein, 55 g of carbs and only 13 g of fat for 485 kcal. Chicken breast provides lean protein, rice the carbs, light coconut milk and curry paste a rich aroma without excess fat. A complete meal that breaks the routine.

Coconut milk is the curry's only real calorie item: tasty but fatty. The light version used here keeps the aroma while limiting the fat. To lighten it further, portion it or cut it with a little stock; for a richer bulking curry, use full-fat coconut milk. The curry paste, meanwhile, flavours for almost nothing.

First sauté the onion, garlic and curry paste to awaken the spices, then add the chicken, let it colour, and pour in the coconut milk. Simmer over low heat so the chicken tenderises and the sauce thickens. Fresh coriander at the end. Serve over basmati rice, which soaks up the sauce.

What gives curry its character is its spices — and they do more than flavour. Turmeric, ginger, cumin or coriander bring compounds studied for their antioxidant properties, and ginger is traditionally valued for digestion. All for zero calories: spices are the best way to make a healthy dish genuinely tasty.

In practice, always awaken the spices in a little fat at the start of cooking: the heat releases their aromas far better than adding them at the end. Adjust the chili to your tolerance, and don't hesitate to finish with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime. It is this generosity with spices that keeps a lean chicken dish from ever getting boring.

This curry lends itself to many variations without losing its identity. For the curry paste, red is spicier, yellow milder and green fresher and more herbal: taste a small amount before measuring, as the intensity varies a lot between brands. If you have none, a spoonful of curry powder, a little turmeric and grated fresh ginger give a very decent result.

Vegetables are an excellent way to increase the volume of the dish for few calories. Peppers, zucchini, baby spinach, green beans, thinly sliced carrots or broccoli are added during simmering depending on their cooking time. A handful of fresh spinach is enough: it wilts in a minute in the hot sauce. A small piece of fresh ginger and the zest of a lime bring freshness.

As for the starch, basmati rice remains the classic companion, with 60 g of raw rice per serving here. Brown rice brings more fibre but needs a longer cooking time: start it first. For a lighter version, replace part of the rice with grated cauliflower, or serve the curry with red lentils to gain plant protein.

The first mistake is searing the chicken too long: small cubes cook in a few minutes, and a fierce simmer makes them dry and stringy. Keep a gentle bubble. The second is boiling the coconut milk hard, which can make it split and look grainy. Finally, salt only at the end: curry paste is already salty, and the reducing sauce concentrates the salt even more.

For storage, let the curry cool then keep it in airtight containers in the fridge, where it lasts three days. Freeze it without the rice if possible, in individual portions. When reheating, add a splash of water or stock over low heat to loosen the sauce, and cook fresh rice: that gives the best texture for your weekly meal.

This dish adjusts easily to your goal. When bulking, increase the rice to 80 or 90 g raw per serving, or switch to full-fat coconut milk to add quality calories. When cutting, keep the light coconut milk, reduce the rice to about 40 g per person and fill the plate with vegetables: the chicken keeps supplying the protein. The values shown match the recipe as written; weigh your ingredients to stay accurate.