Infused with aromatic warm spices, this easy bok choy and chicken curry is my favorite winter comfort food. And it’ll soon be yours too!
One of the greatest pleasures of home-cooking is how your house fills up with warm and cozy aroma from whatever is simmering on the stovetop. I absolutely love that. Especially during bitter cold winter days…
Besides my all time favorite winter soups, I also love warming up with a big bowl of curry, laced with aromatic spice blend of coriander, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, etc. Ah, imagine that warm and cozy aroma wafting through your kitchen! So irresistibly delicious! From the list of spices, you might have guessed that I’m talking about Indian curry here. But I’m not claiming this is an authentic Indian curry. This is just a simple dish I make using Indian spices. Authentic or not, this is one of the coziest, warmest dishes you crave during cold winter nights.
For the longest time, I used to make my curry loaded with root vegetables only. Then I tried adding other vegetables, like broccoli, bok choy, zucchini, and I’ve been so in love. Especially bok choy for added nutrition and lightness.
Come closer and take a sniff. Can you smell that wonderful aroma? Warm spices and freshly cut cilantro??
And it’s absolutely easy to make. Seriously, I didn’t even need to present step-by-step photos here.
Don’t faint when you look at the ingredient list though! Majority of them are spices. So let’s talk about those spices.
You’ll find 2 unusual spices in the list: garam masala and madras curry powder. What exactly are those, you might wonder? Garam masala is a blend of cumin, nutmeg, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper. Yes, I realize those spices are also called in the recipe individually, but I find it adds a bit more flavor that way.
Madras curry powder is spicy curry spice blend. It’s also made of the same spice blend as garam masala, but a bit more heavy on chili powder. It’s not over the top spicy like Thai curry though, just perfectly balanced.
Also, you see that beautiful golden color? That’s from turmeric powder. Otherwise, it doesn’t have much flavor to it. You can skip it if you don’t have it on hand and color is not an issue. 🙂
Serve the curry over plain steamed rice and enjoy!!
Easy Bok Choy and Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 1 lb 450gr skinless, boneless chicken breast
- 1 medium russet potato washed and peeled
- ½ head of bok choy washed and trimmed
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1- inch cinnamon stick
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 3 whole green cardamom pods
- 2 whole cloves
- 2-3 garlic cloves pressed
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon madras curry powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ – 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1/3 cup 75gr Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Fresh cilantro for garnish optional
- Cooked rice for serving
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Dice the potatoes into small cubes. And cut the bok choy into small pieces.
- In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add cinnamon stick, bay leaves, peppercorns and whole cloves. Cook the spices for a minute, or until it’s nice and fragrant.
- Add pressed garlic, ginger paste and tomato paste and cook for a minute, stirring. Be careful, as hot oil will splatter. Place the lid, if necessary.
- Add the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes, until it’s nicely browned. Then add potato, bok choy, salt and all the remaining ground spices.
- In a small dish, mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir it in to the curry. Add 2 cups of water and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are fully cooked.
- Lower the heat to medium low and stir in yogurt. Cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in fresh cilantro and serve with cooked rice.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Facts:
Mila Bassett says
I love bok choy. I mostly use it used in stir-fries, would love to try it in this curry recipe.
Husband has suddenly become allergic to coconut milk, so I avoid recipes that call for it. Greek yogurt rules:)
Shinee says
Hi, Mila! So glad you found this recipe. Greek yogurt is perfect here. Hope you and your family will enjoy it. Let me know how it turns out.
Debra @ Bowl Me Over says
Your chicken curry looks soooo good!  Love to stop by and grab a spoonful!  😀 I wanted to let you know I did a bit of sharing – stopping by from #FoodieFriDIY
Shinee says
Thank you tons, Debra!!
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says
Did you make this just for me? Seriously, I’ve had curry on my mind and have been feeling like I NEED it – cravings, you know? And we had bok choy the other night and I said to my husband, “Why has it been so long? I need to put this in our regular rotation.” So then, yeah, THIS! Pinning and can’t wait to try it 🙂
Shinee says
Haha looks like you’ll have to make this curry. 🙂 Let me know if you get to try it. Thanks for stopping by, Kathryn!
Jess says
Oh my goodness, drooool!! I must pin this 🙂 Have a great day xo
Shinee says
Thanks, Jess!
ARTantana says
That really looks so tempting. Will have to try it out 🙂 Have a great Thursday!!
Shinee says
Thank you!
JANET VINYARD says
Hi Shinee, This dish looks wonderful and I love curry as well as garam masala. Thanks for sharing this recipe! Blessings, Janet
Shinee says
Thanks, Janet!