Weeknight Chicken Curry Stir-Fry

This quick-ish stir-fry is inspired by a recent dinner with friends.  I prepared a veggie-only side dish of stir-fried zucchini and cherry tomatoes.  It made an easy switch to a weeknight dinner, with added chicken, for an all-in-one skillet meal.

The “weeknight” in the recipe title translates to fast and easy.  Using a prepared curry powder blend provides most of the flavor and marinating the chicken pieces beforehand is purely optional.

I keep a few varieties of curry powder blends on hand; each has a distinct flavor profile.  There are common ingredients – cumin, coriander, turmeric – but each blend brings a nuance to the part of the world that inspired the blend; from India to France, Japan to South Africa.

I’ve mentioned my fondness for fresh, locally milled herbs and spices from my pals Nick and Evelyn at their Local Spicery.  Their approach to sourcing the highest quality ingredients matches mine, and their numerous spice blends are unique and tasty too. Any of their curry blends would be delicious in this recipe.

Stir fry dishes are easily adapted with substitutions. Any combination of meat and vegetables will work.  If time and inclination permits, the chicken pieces will benefit from a quick marinade.  Place the cut pieces in a medium bowl and add 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice and olive oil; 1 teaspoon each of freshly grated ginger root and garlic; and 1/ 2 teaspoon of salt.  Stir to combine thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate until ready to cook.

If adding stir-fries into your dinner rotation, you might want to try my Stir-Fried Beef & Vegetables Thai-Style.

A few advance tips:

1. I prefer chicken thighs to breast meat for more flavor and moisture. But use what you like.
2. The idea is to slice the chicken and vegetables so they will be of similar size for even cooking and ease of eating.
3. Do not over-crowd the pan during the browning steps for both the vegetables and the chicken. If you have more than one even layer in the pan of either, brown them in multiple batches.  The method for stir fry dishes is fast and hot cooking for crunchy vegetables and tender, succulent meat.

Weeknight Chicken Curry Stir-Fry

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

• 1-1/2 pounds boneless chicken sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound tender zucchini, about 5 - 6 young squash sliced into 1-inch cubes
• 15 cherry tomatoes approximately, to taste
• 1/2 large white onion diced in 1/2" - 3/4" pieces
• 2 - 3 teaspoons curry powder to taste
• 2 - 3 teaspoons ghee or vegetable oil that will withstand high heat divided
• Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
• Fresh cilantro chopped, for garnish

Instructions

 

• Use a heavy, 12-inch frying pan.  Heat the pan over medium-high heat for about one minute.  Add 1 teaspoon of ghee or oil and distribute it evenly using a spatula. Add the zucchini in a single-layer, cut-side facing down.  Allow to brown slightly, then turn the pieces over to cook on both cut sides.  Take care to just barely cook through; this should take only 4-5 minutes.  Remove the zucchini to a plate and set aside.
• With the heat still set at medium-high, add the onion and spread into one even layer. Add a bit  of ghee or oil if needed, but there should be enough in the pan so they will not stick.   Cook the onion until brown at the edges but are still barely cooked through, remove from the pan to the plate along with the zucchini.
• Return the pan to the medium-high heat and wait about one minute to assure the pan is hot.   Add the chicken pieces all at once to the hot pan and begin spreading in into one layer as quickly as possible.  Once the chicken is in one layer, leave it alone to brown; about 5 minutes.  Flip the pieces of chicken over and spread them back into a single layer.  Add the curry powder and cook another 5 minutes until the chicken is nearly done.  Add the cherry tomatoes, cooked zucchini, and onions to the pan with the chicken and stir to combine everything.  Cook another 3 or 4 minutes to ensure the chicken is thoroughly cooked and the vegetables are hot.  Ideally the zucchini will retain a bit of crunch when bitten.
• Remove to a serving dish. Sprinkle liberally with chopped cilantro and/or sliced green onions.