#PumpkinWeek ~ Pumpkin Coconut Curry with Chicken

#PumpkinWeek is here again and we couldn't be more excited. Hosted by Terri from Love and Confections, 21 Bloggers will be sharing 81 pumpkin-filled recipes over the course of the week. Be sure to come back every day to see all the delicious creations - from muffins to cakes, cocktails, breakfast baked goods, savory pastas and stews, and gluten-free recipes too. You can also find these great recipes and more on Love and Confections' #PumpkinWeek Pinterest Board!

I loved, loved this curry. I don't make curry at home nearly often enough and seriously need to add it into the rotation more often. So incredibly versatile, and wonderful warmth and depth to the flavors. The creamy pumpkin blends beautifully into this dish, especially when paired with chunks of fresh, roasted pumpkin. I used a medium sized pumpkin, cubed about 1/4 of it, roasted on a baking tray rubbed lightly in olive oil for about 35 minutes, until the pumpkin was completely tender (I left the skin on). When it was cool enough to handle I quickly and easily cut the outer skin off. Very easy process and well worth the results! Although the larger pumpkins seem to get a bad reputation when it comes to using them in dishes, as they don't have that depth of flavor the smaller "pie pumpkins" do, it worked very nicely in this recipe. The pumpkin chunks were very mild in flavor, but added a lovely texture and color to the dish, and reminded me of having chunks of potato in the curry.

I will absolutely make this again, soon - and add in some carrot chunks next time or sweet potato for some additional "sweet" which I love as a contrast to the savory flavors. 

For the rice I made, I added about 1/2 a cup of pumpkin puree into that as well (for 2 cups uncooked rice) - it added a nice pop of texture and color to the rice and was a perfect accompaniment to this dish! Apparently you can just add pumpkin to everything. 

Yummy pumpkin goodies to browse through today:

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Mug Cake from The Bitter Side of Sweet
Family Favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread from Cooking With Carlee
Nutty Pumpkin Muffins from Family Around The Table
Pumpkin Cinnamon Raisin Bread from The Redhead Baker
Pumpkin Coconut Curry with Chicken from Making Miracles
Pumpkin Donuts from Palatable Pastime
Pumpkin Empanadas from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Pumpkin Magic Bars from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Pumpkin & Sausage Alfredo from They Crumby Cupcake
Pumpkin Scones from Love and Confections
Pumpkin Seed Brittle from Gluten Free Crumbley
Pumpkin Torte from The Freshman Cook
Sopa de Abobora from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Pumpkin Coconut Curry with Chicken adapted from The Wicked Noodle

Ingredients

1 TBS olive oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 TBS Gourmet Garden lightly dried ginger
3 tsp minced garlic
2 plum tomatoes, diced
2 cups pumpkin puree
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 vegetable bouillon cube (optional)
1 cup coconut milk (not sweetened)
2-3 tsp curry powder
1 dash cayenne powder
2 cups fresh pumpkin pieces, roasted
1 TBS lime juice
cooked rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat 1 TBS olive oil in a large dutch oven over high heat. Add chicken and cook on high heat until browned on all sides. Reduce heat to medium-high add onion and ginger.
2. Cook for a few minutes until onion is soft. Add garlic and cook for about one minute more.
3. Add tomatoes and pumpkin puree to pan along with broth, coconut milk, curry and cayenne powder; bring to a low boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the roasted pumpkin pieces and simmer for 10 minutes longer. Taste - add the vegetable bouillon cube if you'd like additional seasoning. 
4. Stir in lime juice. Serve over rice.