There are 2 options here. Both are great - it depends on you, your energy and how much time you have.
Option 1 - is to throw everything in the pan, raw and let the oven do its work. For this, increase your oven time slightly if you need to, maybe an extra 5-10 minutes.
Option 2 - we work some extra flavour into the dish by cooking our onions, browning our chicken and activating the curry paste before throwing it in the oven.
Once you've chosen the best cooking option for you:
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
In a heat proof frying pan, place on a medium heat on stove, add oil.
Add onion and a pinch of salt. Sautee for 5 minutes, until fragrant.
Add chicken pieces to brown on both sides. About 3 minutes each side.
Move chicken pieces to the side of pan. Add curry paste to cook through and ‘activate’ the spices, about 3 minutes.
Add garlic, ginger, lemongrass, coriander, cinnamon and rice. Stir through and mix well, leave to cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add carrot along with tamari, fish sauce, sugar, water and a crack of black pepper. Mix to combine.
Bring to boil.
Secure foil over pan and place in oven to bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil then bake for another 15 minutes.
In a separate bowl mix together the salad ingredients.
Serve salad scattered over the top of the chicken bake, or in a separate bowl on the side.