Lilmem · Ready Time · Flashlights · Software Dev

Japanese Chicken Curry

japan
food

Mild, kid-friendly Japanese curry over rice. Easy crowd dinner for 4 adults + 2 kids, with leftovers.

Total time: ~45 minutes

I’m assuming you already have rice ready, so I won’t go into how to prepare that. Optionally, I like to have some Japanese Cabbage Salad on the side to bring some lighther/acidic parts to the meal.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 large yellow onion
  • 3 carrots
  • 3 Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 6 shiitake mushrooms
  • 2 boxes S&B Golden Curry Mild (3.2 oz each)
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas

Step 1: Prep everything

  1. Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt
  2. Dice the onion
  3. Cut carrots into 3/4-inch chunks
  4. Peel and cube potatoes into 1-inch pieces
  5. Snap stems off shiitakes, halve or quarter the caps

Step 2: Brown the chicken

  1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
  2. Add half the chicken, spread out, cook ~3 minutes, flip, cook 1-2 more minutes
  3. Transfer to plate, repeat with second batch
  4. You want color, not fully cooked through

Step 3: Cook onion and mushrooms

  1. Add diced onion to the same pot, medium heat
  2. Cook ~6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden at edges
  3. Add shiitakes, cook 2-3 more minutes until they shrink down
  4. Scrape up any brown bits from the bottom

Step 4: Simmer everything

  1. Add chicken back to the pot
  2. Add carrots, potatoes, and 4 cups water
  3. Bring to a boil, then drop to a gentle simmer
  4. Cover and cook 15 minutes
  5. Check potatoes with a fork, should slide in easily

Step 5: Add the curry roux

  1. Turn off the heat (important, prevents lumps)
  2. Break all the cubes from both boxes into the pot
  3. Stir gently until fully dissolved, 1-2 minutes
  4. Sauce will thicken and turn glossy

Step 6: Final simmer

  1. Turn heat back to low
  2. Simmer uncovered 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
  3. Stir in frozen peas in the last minute if using
  4. Too thick? Splash of water. Too thin? Simmer longer.

Step 7: Serve

  1. Rice on one side of the bowl, curry on the other (or over top)
  2. Enjoy!