Pumpkin Curry = Perfect Fall Stew. Make it. Eat it. You won’t regret it.
You can make this a vegetarian dish by subbing veggie broth and extra veggies. Lamb or beef tenderloin would also work in place of the chicken. You can sub in any sturdy cruciferous, leafy green, green beans, or asparagus that you have on hand. This stew has a lot of flavor and flexibility, so make it work for you.
Thin out the stew to make more of a Pumpkin Curry Soup by adding more chicken broth to desired consistency.
The best Homemade Garam Masala spice mix is in my first cookbook Eat Happy.
If you prefer a visual recipe tutorial, here’s a video of me making this entire Pumpkin Curry recipe on Instagram. I do these IG Live Broadcasts every Tuesday at 2:30pm pacific, and they remain on my profile for you reference.
If you don’t have Eat Happy Too or can’t afford to grab your own jar of Eat Happy Kitchen’s Pumpkin Marinara, you can sub your fave jar of marinara, 1/2 cup of pumpkin purée, and a dusting of cinnamon.
Want more Eat Happy inspiration? Make sure you sign up for the 31 Days of Meals plan and free recipe sampler here!
Pumpkin Curry
Ingredients
- 1-2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped into 1” pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 sweet onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- 7-10 basil leaves, chopped, plus additional for garnish
- 2 1/2 teaspoons garam masala, divided
- 2 cups chopped rainbow chard, rough ends trimmed and discarded
- 1 jar Eat Happy Kitchen Pumpkin Marinara
- 1/2-1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup coconut cream or heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cinnamon and cumin over chicken pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, flat-bottomed sauté pan to medium high heat. Cook chicken pieces until done through, about 5-7 minutes. Set aside.
- Heat another tablespoon of olive oil to medium high heat in a large Dutch oven or Le Creuset. Cook onion until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and fresh ginger and cook an additional 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Stir in chopped basil and mix. Sprinkle in 2 teaspoons of the garam masala and stir. Toss in chopped chard and stir. Pour in Pumpkin Marinara, 1/2 cup of the chicken broth, and the coconut cream, and stir. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat and add in chicken pieces, including any drippings. Let simmer 10-12 minutes, and if you’d like the stew to be thinner, add more chicken broth until desired thinness is achieved.
- Meanwhile, heat pumpkin seeds in a nonstick pan to medium high heat and toast. Drizzle in remaining tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon garam masala. Remove from heat onto a paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
- Serve curry in a bowl, garnished with a sprig of basil and the toasted pumpkin seeds.
This was seriously one of the easiest and best recipes I’ve made. The sauce is exceptional. Only thing different I did was add some heat. I had some spicy chicken broth and used that. Thank you!