Fragrant chicken curry

I don't know why I choose Thai/coconut as the theme of my Mother's Day celebration with the in-laws last week, but I'm glad that I did. Justin didn't care what I made as long as  (1) the kitchen wasn't messy afterwards and (2) the menu didn't involve me staying in the kitchen for hours on end. I think he was a bit surprised that I actually found something that met both criteria!

Like most of my cookbooks, "The Cook's Encyclopedia of Thai Cooking" has sat on my shelf for years collecting dust. While I opened it occasionally to gaze at the beautiful pictures, I never got around to making any of the dishes. That was A MISTAKE. One thing I can say about Thai food is that it is delicious, very easy to make, and fast! Even my very picky father-in-law said that he couldn't imagine having a better meal at a restaurant in the area, which made my heart go pitter patter. The hardest thing about this recipe was locating some of the ingredients, although I'm always down for a trip to an international grocery store where I can relax my "Christy style" mode of shopping (i.e. getting in and out as fast as possible) and browse a bit. Anyways, enjoy! Serves four.

Ingredients 

3 tbsp oil
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste (I suggest doing this to taste. I used ~ 2 tbsp)
4 cups coconut milk
2 lemon grass stalks, coarsely chopped
6 kaffir lime leaves, chopped
2/3 cup Greek yogurt
2 tbsp apricot jam
1 cooked chicken
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Kaffir lime leaves, shredded, toasted coconut, and fresh cilantro to garnish
Boiled rice
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over a low heat for 5-10 minutes until soft. Stir in the red curry paste. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk, then add the lemon grass, lime leaves, yogurt, and apricot jam. Stir well. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool slightly. Transfer the sauce to ta food processor or blender and process to a smooth puree, then strain it back into the rinsed-out pan, pressing as much of the pureed mixture as possible through the sieve with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside while you prepare the chicken. (I simmered the sauce a bit longer with the top off (an additional ~20 minutes) to thicken it up a bit more.
3.  Remove the skin from the chicken, slice the meat off the bones, and cut it into bitesize pieces. Add to the sauce.
4. Bring the sauce back to simmering. Stir in the fresh cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Garnish and serve with rice.