If you need to avoid spicy food because your gut can’t tolerate it (or if you’re allergic to chilies), this recipe will satisfy your intense flavor cravings (or if you miss Indian food) without stressing your sensitive or inflamed gut.
As long as you are at the stage of your healing where you can tolerate some of the stronger spices (like ginger and garlic), this recipe should be fine for you. It’s also a great way to introduce kids to curry! The turmeric in this recipe also has an anti-inflammatory effect.
Jini’s gut-friendly chicken curry recipe – with vegan options
Jini’s chicken curry with peas and pumpkin, garnished with coriander
- 2 large chicken breasts or the equivalent amount of dark meat (or a mixture of both)
- 1 diced onion if you can tolerate it (optional)
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 2 cups chicken broth (or use water with a chicken or vegetable bouillon cube dissolved in it)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp cumin powder
- 2 tsp garam masala (without added chilies or curry powder)*
- 1.5 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger powder
- 1 tsp Himalayan or Celtic sea salt
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp. Grapeseed oil or coconut oil (or ghee) for frying chicken
- 1 cup frozen peas
To thicken the sauce:
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 2 tbsp. Organic corn starch
Dissolve the cornstarch by vigorously stirring it into cold water. When completely dissolved, pour the mixture into the hot curry sauce. Stir as you pour.
1. Using a mallet, pound chicken breast until tender and then cut into bite-sized pieces. If you eat rice with your curry, cook your rice now. Cooked, sprouted quinoa also goes well with this curry.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons oil or ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. If you have a large, high-sided pan or roaster, you can cook the entire curry in the same pan or pot.
3. If using onions, add the diced onions to the hot oil and fry for 7 minutes. Then add the chicken pieces and season with garlic powder and salt. Quickly stir-fry until the chicken is browned, then use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a large bowl.
4. In the pan you just fried the chicken in, add coconut milk, chicken broth, tomato paste, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, ginger and salt. Stir well and whisk until simmering.
5. When the sauce is simmering, stir in the cornstarch and cold water mixture to thicken the sauce.
6. After the sauce has simmered for a few minutes, stir in the honey and lemon juice, add the cooked chicken pieces (and onions) and simmer for another 5 minutes.
7. Add the frozen peas and simmer for 2 minutes. Salt to taste – you may want to add a little more salt if the curry is being eaten with rice. If you can tolerate/like it, you can also add some black pepper.
Serve with steamed/boiled rice, millet or quinoa and garnish with fresh coriander. For 4-5 people.
*You may just have to try a few garam masala mixes to find one without added chilies or curry powder. I find that Gujarati or North Indian spice suppliers usually have a very mild or chili-free blend, while Sikh or South Indian suppliers are more spicy-spicy. Or you can
Make your own chili-free garam masala.
If you are vegetarian or veganYou can replace the chicken with parsnips, potatoes, cauliflower, tempeh, yellow beans or lentils of your choice. Pre-cook your vegetables and add them in step 7. In the photo below you can see that I also added some delicious pumpkin and shiitake mushrooms for extra veggies.
Gut-friendly curry with extra vegetables
Comment below if you would like to try this chicken curry recipe!
Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert in natural healing for digestive diseases. She healed herself from widespread Crohn’s disease and has been medication and surgery free for over 25 years. Jini has appeared on numerous podcasts, TV and radio shows in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, giving people hope and vision on how to heal their colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) using all-natural methods. Her books on natural healing of digestive diseases have been sold in over 80 countries worldwide. Jini is married and has three children, nine sheep, 11 horses, a cat and three dogs.
