Would this work with chicken breasts?
Yes! I am very biased I know towards thighs, I just think they have a lot more flavour, but yes, you could swap with chicken breasts and treat in much the same way. I would check the breasts more often towards the end of cooking time and once you think they’re cooked through remove them from the pan to prevent them overcooking.

Portions and what to do with leftovers
I wrote this recipe to serve 4 because for this method of cooking you need to have enough rice for it to work and cooking 2 portions like this is just weirdly a bit harder. I don’t know why but it’s just the way of the world. So, even if you are two people, I would cook the full amount of rice. You can do as much or as little chicken as you want, I think 2 chicken thighs per person is a good rule of thumb but you can get large ones and in that case 1 is okay but to be honest I always err on the side of having too much than too little.

People get very worried about reheating rice and there is really no need to be scared. If you have some left over, cool it down, cover it and pop it in the fridge. The next day reheat it and as long as it’s piping hot when you serve it there shouldn’t be a problem. This should also freeze well if you have extra left over.

I love using this rice the next day for an egg fried rice kind of thing. Heat a little oil in a wok, crack in an egg and cook for a minute, break it up with a spoon and then add in the left over rice and heat through. Top with a little chopped kimchi and some chilli oil. Oh my goodness it’s so good. And if you have left over chicken thighs? All I can say is…lucky you. They make perfect leftovers. You could always strip the chicken and stir through the rice when you reheat it as chicken thighs go further that way.

Margie! I have leftover coconut milk, what should I do with it??
Oh this is easy. Pour into an ice cube tray and once frozen pop it out and place in a a freezer bag and then you can add them anytime you’re making a smoothie or curry. A very useful thing to have!

What is korma paste?
Good question! In this recipe we are using curry powder - I use mild because I am a wimp. And then also korma paste - this is just a great short cut to amazing flavour in no time at all. In the same way you might use a Thai green curry paste you can also get Korma paste - just from most supermarkets. I don’t feel very loyal to a brand although I’m sure there are varying degrees of good ones and not so good. In the UK, Patak’s is available in all supermarkets and is v good all things considered. You can make your own, but I never feel inclined to do that on a weeknight. If you are a less slovenly creature than me, here is how you can make your own:

1-2 Garlic cloves, 1 inch Fresh ginger,2 tablespoon Olive oil, 2 tablespoon almonds, small bunch of coriander chopped, 1 tablespoon tomato puree, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 tablespoon Desiccated coconut, 1 teaspoon Garam masala, 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper. Sea salt and ground black pepper

Heat a dry frying pan and toast 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 2 tablespoon desiccated coconut, 1 teaspoon Garam masala, 0.5 teaspoon Cayenne pepper and 1 pinch Sea salt and ground black pepper, about 2 minutes. Be careful it doesn’t burn, you want to bring out the flavour by toasting them but don’t do this for too long or it will burn.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

In a pestle and mortar, put 2 tablespoon almonds, 2 Garlic clove, 1 inch Fresh ginger, the coriander, 1 tablespoon Tomato puree, 1 Green chilli (if using) and 2 tablespoon Olive oil. Grind it all together to make a smooth paste and then add the toasted spices. Give it a good mix and you’re done!

Rice
I’ve tested this with basmati rice so I recommend you use the same. You do want to make sure you rinse it before you use it. Just pop it in a sieve and then run the water through it until it runs clear. This cleans it but you are also washing off the excess starch which should make our rice fluffier.