Chicken Cooked in Coconut Sauce a Colombian Recipe

May 25, 2020 SouthAmerica

When I heard about this recipe, I couldn’t help it, but think of a Thai Chicken. They cook both dishes in coconut milk, and in red sauce. Except the red sauce in the Thai dish is red curry. The Colombian version gets its red color from tomato paste. I am a fervent believer that food connects us in more ways than we know.

Colombian dishes often use coconut milk because of their Caribbean influence. It’s believed that coconuts came from Africa with the slaves brought to South America. The Indian population was small and quickly adopted Spanish and African influences in their dishes. They usually add coconut milk to; meat, poultry, fish or shrimp stews. Also, some dishes are spicy while others are not as spicy. On the contrary, they are more on the sweet side. We like dishes made with coconut milk. Every time I prepare a dish with a rich flavor, thanks to the coconut milk, is a winner recipe.

This popular dish from Cartagena is no different. It was perfect for some of my family members who don’t like spicy food. This time they got to enjoy a nice dinner with a Colombian flavor.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts cut up in pieces

1 can 13.5 oz Coconut milk

1 small can 6 oz. Tomato paste.

½ tsp. cumin powder

½ tsp. paprika

½ tsp. black pepper

¼ cup chopped white onion

2 garlic cloves finely minced

½ cup of water or chicken stock if available

1 dried Bay (Laurel) leaf

Chicken bouillon

Salt

Olive oil

Preparation:

Rub the chicken with some olive oil, and season with paprika, cumin, and black pepper. In a frying pan over medium-hot heat, pour some olive oil and brown the chicken pieces on both sides. Remove from pan.

On the same pan, add some olive oil, if needed, and cooked the onions for 1 minute or so, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Next add the tomato sauce, mix and add the water or chicken stock, and the chicken bouillon. Bring the chicken back to the pot, pour the coconut milk, add the Bay leaf and cook over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, or until fully cooked.

Remove the Bay leaf, and serve with rice.