Healthy Eating With Diabetes – Crockpot Coconut Curry Chicken Casserole

If you choose, you can use light coconut milk instead of fat free half and half and coconut extract. You get your veggies, whole grains, and lean meat all in one delicious dish. While the chicken is browning on the skillet, you can be adding the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker and everything cooks, including the dry brown rice, over the next 4 to 6 hours.

1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or canola oil)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Ground pepper

Salt to taste (optional)

2 cups fat free half and half

2 teaspoons coconut extract

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons red curry powder

3/4 cup uncooked brown rice

2 small red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed) cut into thin strips or 1-inch pieces

3 cups fresh or frozen green beans (stem ends removed) cut into 1-inch long pieces

Garnish: 2 tablespoons toasted coconut, natural unsweetened or flaked (optional)

Begin heating olive oil in large nonstick skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with pepper and salt (if desired) and place in skillet to brown well on both sides (about 3 minutes a side).

While chicken is browning, in slow cooker dish combine fat free half and half, coconut extract, chicken broth, red curry and brown rice. Add browned chicken on top and arrange bell pepper and green beans over the top of the chicken. Cover slow cooker and heat on LOW for 4 to 6 hours (or until rice is tender).

Serve chicken with some of the rice, vegetables and curry coconut sauce and sprinkle some toasted coconut over the chicken if desired (toast coconut on a stove by spreading the shredded coconut in the bottom of a nonstick skillet or frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the coconut is golden brown.

 

Makes 4 servings

Per serving: 371 calories, 36 g protein, 40 g carbohydrate, 7.5 g fat, 1.7 g saturated fat, 4 g monounsaturated fat, 1.4 g polyunsaturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 5.5 g fiber, 271 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 18 percent. Omega-3 fatty acids = .1 gram, Omega-6 fatty acids = 1.3 grams.