Healthy Recipe, Golden Coconut Chicken

This saucy chicken stew, adapted from one in Sandra Gutierrez’s “Latinisimo: Home Recipes from the Twenty-One Countries of Latin America,” is loaded with protein and micronutrients. It’s also free of dairy, gluten, lactose, and soy. Best of all, it’s easy to make, full of soothing flavors, and sure to warm you up on a chilly autumn evening. Serves 4 to 6.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (optional)
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped white or yellow onions
• 1 cup stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped bell peppers (any color)
• 1 cup chopped plum tomatoes
• 2 or 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 (13.5-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Hot, cooked rice for serving, optional

Instructions

1. Place thighs in a medium bowl and sprinkle with bouillon powder. Add vinegar, mustard, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Toss to coat all chicken. Marinate 15 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, place a Dutch oven or wide, deep pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp oil. When shimmering, add onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic, stirring for 6 or 7 minutes or until vegetables are soft and no longer juicy; remove to bowl and set aside.
3. Add remaining tbsp oil to pan and chicken, turning the pieces until golden on all sides. Add coconut milk and reserved vegetables. Stir, making sure to scrape up browned bits at the bottom of the pan. 
4. Bring to full simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Allow mixture to simmer slowly until the chicken is cooked, about 15 minutes, or until juices run clear when pierced with a fork. 
5. Uncover, raise heat to medium, and bring liquid to boil. Continue cooking for 5 minutes or until sauce has thickened slightly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and ladle into bowls over rice if desired; sprinkle with cilantro.

Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.