Indonesian Chicken and Vegetable Stew

First off, don’t be overwhelmed or turned away by this lengthy looking recipe! This Indonesian chicken and vegetable stew may have a lot of ingredients, but it’s easy — I promise. Sure, it’s not as quick as some of the other simple meals I’ve posted, but it’s still straight forward, easy and flavorful (spicy too!). It makes a big pan of food, so there’s ample leftovers too, which is always a bonus!

Enjoy!

Indonesian Chicken and Vegetable Stew

Spice paste ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 shallots, quartered
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp raw honey
• 1.5 tsp ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Stew ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups julienned carrots
• 1.5 cups julienned celery (I used the celery leaves too)
• 1 seeded, chopped jalapeño pepper
• 3 cups Romano beans (aka flat Italian green beans, regular will work too), trimmed & cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened almond butter
• Chopped cilantro, optional
• Chopped raw cashews, optional

Directions:

1. Place all the spice paste ingredients into a food processor or blender. Cover and blend until smooth.
2. In a wok or large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and spice paste. After about 5 minutes, once the chicken has browned a bit, add in the carrots, celery, jalapeño and Romano beans. Mix together well and let cook about 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, add the coconut milk and almond butter to the food processor or blender (no need to rinse or wash the container from making the spice paste). Cover and blend until well combined.
4. Add the coconut milk and almond butter mixture to the pan and stir well. Season with a dash more sea salt, if desired. Cook, covered, 3 – 5 minutes or until the vegetables reach the desired consistency.
5. Serve on its own or over cilantro cauliflower rice (see recipe below). Garnish with chopped cilantro and a few chopped cashews, if using.

Cilantro Cauliflower Rice:

• 1 small head of cauliflower (I used an orange one)
• Sea salt to taste
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

1. Chop cauliflower into large florets and place in the food processor with cilantro. Process until cauliflower reaches a rice-like consistency.
2. Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Add cauliflower mixture and season to taste with sea salt.
3. Saute in pan about 5 minutes or until cauliflower browns a little bit.