Chicken Green Curry

This was one of those nights where I knew I needed to to go to the grocery store, but it felt like one more notch in my 'things to do' just might send me to the looney bin with all the other moms who are negotiating multiple tasks on any given evening.  I have told you before about my OCD about vegetables on the plate....and normally, green curry is the perfect carrier of multiple veggies right in the sauce.  But do you think I had anything green worth putting in this?  Not even close.  Only the hardiest of fruits and veggies stood edible in my drawers, and the rest were either consumed over the last week or were destined for my worm bin.  Not wanting there to be no veggies in this at all, I thought I would give a not-so -traditional curry veggie a try: sweet potato.  And you know what?  I'd do it again!  The sweetness of the yam married well with the spicy creaminess of the sauce.  Normally of course, I would also add green beans, bell peppers, broccoli, maybe some eggplant.  So use the veggies YOU like, and give the sweet potato a whirl, quite delicious!!

3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
3 tablespoon Green Curry Paste
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 stalks trimmed lemongrass, cut into 6" pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
12 lime leaves (see note)
1 pound bite size vegetables of your choice (I used sweet potato, cut into tiny cubes)
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons chicken broth (divided)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1-2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons arrowroot or other starch
1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

**Note: Lime leaves are found in any Asian market in the frozen foods section, about a $1.00 for a bag of 100.  If you can't find these, you could try using chunks of lime instead, although I have not tried this myself.  Lime leaves store in the freezer and are great additions to lots of Asian foods.

Rub the curry paste all over the chicken pieces, and season them with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the bottom dutch oven or soup pot.. Smack the lemon grass with a mallet to break the stalk apart a little (this helps impart flavor into the sauce), and add it to the pot along with the onion and lime leaves. Top with the sweet potato.
Shake your coconut milk well, set aside about a 1/2 cup for mixing with the starch for later. Pour the remaining coconut milk into a Pyrex measuring cup and add 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, fish sauce and brown sugar. Whisk to combine. Pour the mixture over the chicken and vegetables that have a long cook time (like eggplant and sweet potato), cover, and cook on low heat an hour (you want tender meat and veggies, so this time could be shortened to accommodate your tastes).  When the simmering time is up, break the chicken apart. In a small bowl, combine the starch and remaining  coconut milk and 3 tablespoons of chicken broth. Add the mixture to the slow-cooker and stir gently to combine. Add the red peppers and any other quick-cooking veggies (like green beans and broccoli), increase heat to medium-low.  Cook until the sauce is thick and bubbly, and the veggies are tender. (I sometimes steam my veggies by themselves and serve them along with the sauce to make sure they are not mooshy).  Serve over a bed of rice.

This recipe was shared on Midnight Maniac Meatless Monday,