Basil, Chicken, and Green Beans in Coconut Curry Sauce

Basil, Chicken, and Green Beans in Coconut Curry Sauce is an easy and delicious one dish meal bursting with fresh flavors and vibrant colors. You gotta love a meal that only dirties a cutting board and a pan (plus a pot for the rice). This whole meal can easily be made in under 30 minutes.

I don’t normally cook stir-fry type dishes with green beans, but they’re one of the few vegetables my daughter really likes and she’s recently become a vegetarian. Hard thing to do when you don’t like beans, tofu, or at least half of fruits and vegetables. I thought she’d just pick the green beans out and eat them, but she objected to the curry part. Oh well. I tried. We’ll see how long she can go living off of pasta, peanut butter, scambled eggs, and strawberries.

Don’t know how I have such a picky eater. Nevermind. Yes I do. She gets it from her father.

Me? There’s only one food I officially don’t like and won’t eat and that’s grapefruit. I’ve never been a huge fan of raisins either, but I’m warming up to them. Will always pefer their prettier cousin Craisins though.

Basil, Chicken, and Green Beans in Coconut Curry Sauce

• 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
• 2 ½ teaspoons curry powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• 2 teaspoons finely minced jalapeno
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
• ½ red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 pound thin green beans
• 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
• ¼ cup basil slivered
• ½ cup cashews, toasted
• Hot cooked rice
• Sriracha sauce

1. Whisk together first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat a large skillet over high heat.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, swirl to coat pan, and add chicken. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Careful not to move chicken except to turn or it will not brown well. Remove from pan and keep warm.
4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to skillet over high heat. Add bell pepper, onions, and green beans and stri fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Add ginger and cook 1 more minute.
5. Whisk reserved sauce mixture well and pour over vegetables in skillet. Cook until sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Stir in reserved chicken.
6. Sprinkle with basil and toasted cashews and serve with rice.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Recipe Source: adapted from Coastal Living