Creamy Weeknight 20-Minute Pumpkin Chicken Curry

This creamy, 20-minute pumpkin chicken curry will be your new weeknight fave!

Curry is one of my definite go-to’s in the kitchen and it’s the bomb on a busy weeknight; just mix some stock and coconut milk with curry powder or curry paste, add in some veggies and protein, and serve over rice.

It’s also fabulous AS leftovers, too!  A huge pot of curry made at the beginning of the week makes for a few days of quickie, easy-pack lunches.

As a leftover lunch, this curry saves my life some days.

Since I work from home, I get a lot of work done in the quiet moments of naptime, early mornings, post-bedtime, and the three half-days a week that my kids go to the babysitter. This means that I have to capitalize on every moment they’re not with me and to be honest, there are a lot of days that i skip lunch or eat it super late.

Thankfully, those rushed lunches are best when there’s a leftover curry in the fridge. It reheats easily and tastes even better the next day or so after it’s made.

Picture this: it’s been a long ass day. You’re tired. You come home and you’ve got ingredients in the fridge… for a different recipe that you do not feel like dealing with right now. What happens next?

Ok, possibly takeout. But what if you don’t want to deal with that, either?

What if you could make something that takes roughly the same amount of time?

Something that uses those languishing ingredients in your fridge, and is stupidly easy to throw together?

The answer, my wonderfully busy friends, is a simple curry sauce.

Curry in a hurry is always the answer on a busy night. And this pumpkin chicken curry is quick and delicious!

If you’ve never made it before, don’t worry! You’ll be shocked at how simple it can be. The building blocks of curry store really well, so they’re an easy backup top keep around for busy nights. it takes as long as you need to cook rice in a pot, and dinner is served.

The best part? It’s even tastier the next day. Double duty bonus time.

20-Minute Pumpkin Chicken Curry

• Author: Ruthy Kirwan

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Ingredients

• 1 cup jasmine rice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 small onion (diced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 teaspoons curry powder or curry paste
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• for garnish: pepita seeds (about 1/2 cup)

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Instructions

1. Combine the rice and 1 1/2 cups water in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
2. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat to low.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, 12-15 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside until serving.
4. While the rice is cooking, heat the oil in a large saucepan until shimmering.
5. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until the chicken has browned on both sides.
6. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and the garlic has become fragrant about 3-5 minutes.
7. Stir in the curry powder or paste and ginger and toss to combine, then slowly whisk in the coconut milk, pumpkin puree, chicken stock, fish sauce, and lime juice.
8. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer 10-12 minutes. Stir occasionally and let the sauce thicken slightly.
9. Remove the sauce from the heat, cutting up the chicken into bite-sized pieces if desired.
10. Serve the chicken sauce over the rice and garnish with pepitas.