Curry Chicken Thighs with Carrot Salad

We’ve been cooking quite a bit when we are home lately and I’ve been loving it! Well, at least for the most part. It’s certainly easier to cook when I take a little time on Sunday or Monday to plan things out and order or grab our groceries early on in the week. When I get the week started off with healthy foods, then the rest of the week seems to fall in line and it makes going out all the more enjoyable. Plus, when we eat out for every meal when we travel, it’s really nice to have good, healthy food when we are home! Sometimes, I do fall prey to making the same things over and over. Which is why have been trying to switch it up a little and this is one of our favorite dishes that we made last week.

It combines one of our old favorites (Moroccan Carrot Salad!) in a new way with an easy chicken dish that has tons of flavor. Basically, make a paste, marinate chicken, grill and eat! You can totally make extra for a quick lunch or leftovers later in the week. I am so glad we found this carrot salad! It’s so fresh and there are several ways you can make it. Roast the whole carrots or grate them for a fresh side dish! The salad is great on it’s own, use chickpeas for a vegetarian version or add chopped chicken but we paired it with these Curry Grilled Chicken Thighs to make it feel more like a complete meal.

Curry Grilled Chicken Thighs + Carrot Salad 

Serves two

This recipe for the chicken thighs is inspired by Cooking Light

Curry Paste: 

• this will make extra curry paste that you can freeze or refrigerate for later!

1 large garlic bulb

3in piece of ginger

3in piece of lemongrass

1/2 cup chopped cilantro + more for garnish

3 tablespoons canola oil

4 teaspoons curry powder

2 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 medium jalapeño

 

Chicken: 

1 can coconut milk

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 teaspoon each salt + black pepper

4 lime wedges

 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Wrap garlic and shallot in foil, in a separate foil, wrap ginger and lemongrass. Roast for 45 min to 1 hour or until very fragrant. Let cool.
2. In a food processor, combine garlic pulp, lemongrass, ginger and shallot with cilantro, canola oil, curry, turmeric and jalapeño. Pulse into a paste.
3. Combine chicken with coconut milk and 6 tablespoons of curry paste in a zip top bag. Let marinate for at least an hour or overnight.
4. Heat grill to medium heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Grill chicken for about 4-5 minutes per side or until cooked through.
5. Serve with lime wedges and carrot salad!

 

This carrot salad is a riff off of my Moroccan Carrot Salad! Instead of roasting the carrots whole, grate fresh carrots on a box grater. Then toss with oil + spices and top with feta, cilantro, dates and nuts if desired.