Spicy Chicken with Spinach, Tomato, Coconut, and Turmeric Rice — And Some FICTION!

I had so much fun spinning a fiction tale for the Cheesy One Pot Gnocchi with Italian Sausage & Spinach that I decided to try that again for this recipe. 

I have been SO BAD about blogging. A few years ago, I started working at a marketing agency and put freelancing on the back burner. Since I was writing SO MUCH CONTENT at the agency, blogging was not at the top of my to-dos. 

Sadly, the marketing agency ran into some financial setbacks and had to let the staff go. So, I am back building up my freelance career at ChrystalMahan.com and slowly dusting off some things I saved on my hard drive, just waiting to see the light of day in a blog post. 

So, here we are. 

Sadly, my days of wanting to food blog again aren’t there. 

BUT – 

I can spin some mean fiction still. So that part of my writing, while I have hit some huge walls of writer’s block with blogging and my pen name books, I can still share a little tale with you all here. 

FIRST – let me show you a little bit about this Spicy Chicken with Spinach, Tomato, Coconut, and Turmeric Rice

NOW – for the tale of Chef Emma and her amazing experiences with new recipes. 

Enjoy! 

A Symphony in the Kitchen

Once upon a time, in a small kitchen nestled in a cozy home, a young chef named Emma was experimenting with a new recipe for dinner. She craved something spicy and flavorful, so she created a dish with spicy chicken thighs, spinach, tomato, coconut, and turmeric rice.

Emma started by marinating the chicken thighs in a blend of spices that included cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. She let the chicken thighs rest in the marinade for an hour, allowing the flavors to infuse into the meat.

While the chicken was marinating, Emma started preparing the other components of the dish. She chopped up some fresh spinach, diced some ripe tomatoes, and set them aside for later. Next, she cooked the rice in a pot of boiling water with a generous amount of turmeric, giving it a beautiful golden color and a subtle, earthy flavor.

Once the rice was done, Emma stirred in some shredded coconut, adding a touch of sweetness to balance out the spices in the chicken. She also added some chopped fresh cilantro to the rice, giving it a fresh, herbaceous flavor.

As the rice was cooking, Emma heated up a large skillet on the stovetop and added a splash of olive oil. She then added the marinated chicken thighs to the skillet and cooked them over medium-high heat, flipping them occasionally to ensure they were cooked through.

Once the chicken was cooked, Emma added the spinach and tomatoes to the skillet, letting them cook down for a few minutes until the spinach had wilted and the tomatoes had softened. She then served the chicken and vegetable mixture over the turmeric coconut rice, garnishing the dish with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro.

The resulting dish was a symphony of flavors and textures, with the spicy, juicy chicken thighs balanced by the coconut’s sweetness and the turmeric rice’s earthy notes. The spinach and tomatoes added a burst of freshness and color, making the dish both delicious and visually appealing.

Emma enjoyed her meal, savoring each bite of the perfectly seasoned and cooked chicken. She was proud of her creation and knew that it would become a staple in her recipe book, to be enjoyed again and again in the years to come.

This was so much fun!

Maybe we will meet again – another plate of food and another tale.