Cancel your cold with this Thai chicken curry

What 2020 was in theory, 2024 has been in practice for our family. I’ve rarely gotten sick in my life, but this winter has been penitential to say the least: one illness after another, with a week’s reprieve. Late December brought the stomach flu. Now January brings a head cold.

This recipe is my favorite thing for illnesses other than the stomach flu: flavorful enough to break through a stuffy palate, spicy to clear the sinuses, and full of herbs to clear infection. My kids love it. I make this for postpartum friends, too, and it is a big hit. After the initial dinner, this feeds our family of five for the better part of a week.

I live near a Trader Joe’s and thus rely on its pre-made curry sauce, 11oz per container, which is actually very clean, nutritionally speaking. I’m assuming alternatives can be found at other grocery stores, and if not, here is a recipe for a homemade version.

Ingredients

2-4 packages chicken strips (uncooked) (this may seem like a huge variance. Two work, but my husband is a protein fiend, so I tend to go overboard)

Garlic (to taste)

2 onions

1 package of scallions, chopped (separate the white parts from the green, and leave the green aside with the herbs)

1 package of multicolor carrots

1 head green cabbage or bok choy

1 package of mushrooms

2 32-ounce containers of chicken broth

2 cups jasmine rice

2 containers of Trader Joe’s red curry sauce

1 13.5-ounce can of coconut cream

1 lime

Basil, parsley, and any other herb you like

Preparation

Cook your rice using one of the containers of chicken broth (I’ve mentioned this before, but I always cook my rice in broth and add grass-fed beef gelatin to rice for the added protein and collagen)

In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, on medium-high, sauté all the chicken in olive oil, then set aside

In what’s left in the pan, sauté garlic, onions, carrots, and white parts of the chopped scallion until onions are clear

Throw in one package of chicken broth, turn it up to high and let the contents boil

While soup is boiling, shred or cut up the sautéed chicken

Turn down the heat to medium and add two containers of curry sauce and the softer veggies (mushrooms and cabbage)

After 5 minutes or so (your carrots should be soft), turn it down to medium low and add the chicken, coconut cream, and lime juice, stirring well

Add in chopped herbs and stir gently till incorporated