Crockpot Coconut Chicken Curry

Ah, alliteration. Gotta love it.

So the other week I was watching Iron Chef American (it's a guilty pleasure) and the secret ingredient was coconut. The challenger is a master of Indian cuisine, and he was battling Morimoto (sp?), the Japanese master.

Frequently on the show they'll serve something that makes me go, "Ew!" But this time? All of their dishes looked fabulous, including the seafood, which I've never been able to bring myself to eat.

The dish that most caught my eye was coconut curry. Both challengers created their own versions, and they both looked so sweet-spicy-creamy-delicious that my mouth began to water. I knew immediately that I had to make some.

After hours of searching the internet, I was able to find a recipe that suited my needs. And so, I present you with Coconut Curry Chicken: Crockpot Edition. (I wish I could give someone credit for this recipe, but I lost track of whose it was and where I found it. If you are reading this and it is your recipe, thank you so much for posting it!)

Ingredients
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
* 3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
* 1 medium onion, sliced
* 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder (or to taste)
* 1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional, more if desired)
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas, thawed
* 2-3 tablespoons toasted flaked coconut (optional)

Directions
1.Heat oil in a medium fry pan.
2.Add chicken breasts and brown on both sides.
3.Place potatoes and onion in crock pot.
4.Place chicken breasts on top.
5.Combine coconut milk, salt, pepper, curry powder, hot sauce and chicken broth in a bowl and stir thoroughly.
6.Add to crock pot.
7.Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
8.One half hour before serving, add peas on top of chicken mixture.
9.Just before serving, stir mixture thoroughly and sprinkle with toasted coconut, if using.
10.Serve over rice or Asian noodles, if desired.

I decided not to serve it with the flaked coconut, and it was great. Hardest part was not eating the food before it was ready. The whole house smelled of creamy, coconutty curry. I almost had to leave.

One hint, however - shake your can of coconut milk before you open and pour it. Apparently coconut milk seperates if it sits too long, and trying to mix it once it's in the crockpot is awkward and frustrating. Save your time and your sanity and give the can a good shake before you pour it.