Coconut Chicken Curry Kabobs
Cooking with curry is still a somewhat new experience for me. It has always intimidated me until recently, but when my kiddos asked if we could have kabobs for dinner one night last week, I knew exactly what flavors I wanted to have in the marinade.
Cooking kabobs has been a long process for me. Burning the kabob sticks was a regular occurrence in the beginning. Then I saw a tip on Food Network that if you have wooden kabobs, to soak them in water for an hour or so before the assembling of the kabobs. The wood soaks up just enough water to keep from catching on fire, and the food slide easier onto the kabob if it has absorbed some water.
There are kabob skewers that are not wooden so the soaking in the water isn’t necessary, but I haven’t reached that level of coolness yet.
Another thing I have learned over the years is that cooking the meat on separate kabobs than most of the vegetables and fruit. Meat takes longer to cook so making separate kabobs with the meat ensures the meat is cooked through thoroughly and the fruit and vegetable kabobs don’t end up overcooked.
In this recipe, I paired the chicken with the onion slices because onions are more hearty than peppers and pineapple. Additionally, allowing the onions to cook longer with the chicken causes the sugars in the onion to come to the surface more making the onions taste sweet.
Also, this is the Cream of Coconut I use. I found it at my Walmart, and has easily become a staple in my kitchen. I not only use it in recipes, but my husband likes to steal it to add flavoring to his sodas. I also love using it in cake and cupcake recipes.
Coconut Chicken Curry Kabobs
Ingredients
- 4 medium chicken breasts cubed
- 2 medium red bell pepper cubed
- 2 medium yellow bell pepper cubed
- 2 medium sweet onions cubed
- 20 oz can pineapple rings
- 1½ cup cream of coconut
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 2½ tsp curry powder less if your powder is a hotter strength
- 2 tsp curry paste
- 13.66 oz can Thai coconut milk unsweetened
- ⅓ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1 cup couscous
- 32 oz low sodium chicken stock
- cooking spray
- sesame seeds
Instructions
Marinade
- In a large bowl, combine the ginger, garlic, curry paste, curry powder, olive oil, soy sauce, cream of coconut, and the pineapple juice from the can of pineapple. Whisk together until combined.
- Add the chunks of chicken into the marinade, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refigerator while you prepare the vegetable kabobs.
Assembling Kabobs
- I prepare the fruit/vegetable kabobs while the chicken marinates. Take a skewer and layer the bell peppers and pineapple chunks in any fashion. Another tip is I have two foil lined baking sheets, one for the vegetable kabobs and one for the meat kabobs. It makes for easy clean up and keeps the raw meat separated from the vegetable kabobs. Once the pepper and pineapple kabobs are assembled, set aside.
- Assemble the meat and onion kabobs the same way as the pineapple and pepper kabobs, alternating between chicken and onion slices. Place in a separate foil lined baking sheet.
Cooking Kabobs
- Cook the meat kabobs first because they will take longer. Cook the chicken kabobs, turning occasionally to evenly cook on the grill. When chicken is finished, place on a plate or baking sheet and cover with foil tightly so the chicken stays warm.
- Before cooking the vegetable kabobs, lightly spray with cooking spray so it won’t stick to the grill. Then grill, rotating occasionally, until the sides of the pineapple and peppers are charred. It’s really up to you how long you want to cook the vegetables. Do you like your vegetables soft? Cook longer. Do you like your vegetables to still have a crisp bite to them? Don’t cook as long.
Couscous and Quinoa
- If you aren’t a fan of either of these grains, then go ahead and prepare your chosen rice according to the packaging.
- In a large sauce pan, add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling add in the quinoa and let simmer for 7 minutes. The quinoa takes a little longer to cook than couscous.
- Once the quinoa has cooked for 7 minutes, add in the couscous and let simmer for 4-5 minutes. Stir occasionally. After 5 minutes remove from heat and place lid over the pot. Let stand to allow the grains to soak up the rest of the liquid. When I make this I actually do this step right after I assemble the vegetable kabobs. That way the grains are ready to serve right when the kabobs are finished grilling.
Turning the Marinade into a Sauce
- After the chicken kabobs are assembled, pour the leftover marinade into a sauce pot and add in the can of Thai coconut milk. Place on stove, whisking often. Allow the sauce to come to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer for 20 minutes or so, whisking often, to let thicken. Don’t add any thickener, the coconut milk is a thickener. Just be patient and let the sauce thicken up. It will reduce to at least half of the amount.
Assemble
- To plate, place the quinoa/couscous on the plate. You can take the food off the kabob skewers or leave them on. My kids love eating straight from the skewer. Either way place one vegetable skewer and one meat skewer over the grains. Then drizzle the sauce over the top. Sprinkle sesame seeds over top.
Notes
Nutrition
Do you like curry? Or have always wanted to create a curry dish, but have been hesitant like I have been? I am telling you, this recipe is SO easy! Yes, there are a lot of steps, but honestly it is not hard. My oldest was by me the whole time I was making this dish, helping along and he kept saying it was so easy to make. Give it a try! The grilled curry flavors have become some of my most favorite. My kids are already asking when we are going to remake this recipe.
Hope y’all are having an amazing week. Stay safe, be kind, and hug your loved ones.
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