Brazilian Curry Chicken

As normal, I can't totally seem to follow a recipe for one reason or another.  This time, I had a valid excuse.  Didn't have all the ingredients.  I almost always have tomato paste, but ran out.  I had 1 can of tomato sauce left and though it isn't a paste, it's still tomatoey and will work for me.  This recipe makes enough to feed at least 9 people:  How I cooked is a little different than Danielle does.  Anyway, this recipe comes from Paleo OMG Brazilian Curry Chicken, with my modifications.

Pictures of the finished product to come.  The chicken has another 9 more hours to cook.

Serves:  9-12

Ingredients:

• 6 bone-in chicken thighs, 6 boneless chicken thighs (that's what I had)
• 2 large yellow onions, sliced
• 2 bell peppers (1 orange, 1 red)
• 2 Tbspns coconut oil
• sea salt & ground pepper
• garlic powder
• cayenne pepper
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 1 regular can of tomato sauce (low sodium)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 Tbspns curry powder
• 2 Tbspns ground ginger
• 1 regular can of low sodium chicken broth

Directions:

• Set a large crockpot aside (I don't know how big mine is, but it's a large one).
• Heat coconut oil on medium high heat in a large skillet.
• When skillet is hot, add chicken thighs spread out as flat as possible.  Sprinkle one side with sea salt, ground pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper.  Go easy on the cayenne pepper as a little goes a long way.

Sprinkled with sea salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper (I forgot the ground pepper)

Some of the thighs had skin, which I left on.  The meat browns better than the skin.

• When that side is browned, turn over using tongs.  Do this with the skillet uncovered.  Browning the chicken gives the chicken much better flavor than not browning it.  I learned this somewhere and have tried it both ways.  Browning before putting the crockpot is well worth it!
• Do this with all the chicken thighs.
• While thighs are browning, mix together in a medium stainless steel bowl the coconut milk, tomato sauce, minced garlic, curry powder, ground ginger with a whisk.  Set aside.

This is a lot of curry powder.  I used the whole container I had.

Look how creamy this is.  Smelled delicious!

• Set browned chicken thighs in a glass or stainless steel dish aside.

• With the fat in the large skillet, add onions and peppers and lightly saute to carmelize the onions.  This also is another wonderful thing that you need to do before putting in the crockpot and does give your dish even better flavor as the sugar in the onions just come out.  This does not take long, maybe 5 min.  I didn't time it.

There is an orange pepper, red pepper, 2 onions

Done cooking, doesn't take long.

• Put the onions & peppers at the bottom of the crockpot.

This smelled so good.

• Top with the browned chicken thighs.

This is a lot of chicken!

• Pour the curry mixture over the chicken.  Using a fork, shift the things so the curry liquid goes all the way to the bottom.

Before the addition of chicken broth.

• Pour the can of low sodium chicken broth over it, making sure all the chicken is covered in liquid.

After the addition of chicken broth.

• Put the lid on the crockpot and set on low for 8-10 hrs.  I'm doing my for 12 hrs, as I want it to be done about the time I'm supposed to wake up for church.
• Serve over Cauli-Rice, brown or wild rice (if you're not a Paleo-ist).