Crazy Chicken Curry

Cool September winds remind us of hearty meals that warm us from the inside out. I’m not sure where I got the inspiration to make this, but the recipe is solely my own and you’ll have to bear with me on my ingredients list since I really was just slinging things in the pot! The star of the show is the spice – Penzey’s Hot Curry Powder along with some Cinnamon and Tandoori Seasoning. Their spices are nothing to sneeze at (har har) – we had started running out of garlic powder and hadn’t ordered anymore, so I had to grab some from our local supermarket. We did a smell test and we both turned our noses up to chemical smell of the market bottle... quality and freshness really does make a difference!



I cut up 2lbs chicken breast into 3 inch chunks, seasoned with salt and the above spices. I browned them briefly in some olive oil, and then removed from the dutch oven. In went 1 medium onion, and 5 carrots (both sliced thin). After 10 minutes, I deglazed with 1/4 cup chicken stock. At that point, I threw in 2/3 of medium sized eggplant that I had peeled and cubed. I had to add more olive oil at this point because eggplant just soaks it right up!



In another pot, I brought up some chicken stock to a boil and blanched 1/2lb green beans for 3 minutes. After that, I parboiled (8 minutes) 4 white potatoes which I had cubed. After removing the potatoes, I reserved some of the starchy broth to add to my curry as needed.



After the eggplant sautéed for 5 minutes, I added 1cup of the reserved broth and a 32oz can of diced tomatoes with their juices. More of the star spices went in with some salt and the green beans. After bringing up to a boil, I added the chicken back to the pot and simmered covered for 15 minutes. At that point, I added the potatoes, and chcecked the liquid level which should come to the top of the meat and veggies, but not quite covering it. Add the reserved stock if you need more! When the chicken was cooked through (make sure not to overcook!! No one like tough chicken!), I stirred in 1 cup of low fat sour cream and it was finished! You could add plain yogurt or coconut milk, but sour cream was what we had on hand!



The aroma in our house was completely divine, and this was really enough for 3 nights.

Chicken Curry

One medium we've never ventured into is Indian cooking. As we are trying to branch out and expand our cuilinary toolbox, S decided it was time to attempt a curry - even if it was one in which she just took ideas from lots of different recipes.

Cut chicken up into big chunks and season with salt, and lots of curry powder (oh and a little bit of allspice too!) Brown chicken in some olive oil, and then set aside. Saute some onions, garlic and one sweet potato diced up into half inch cubes. After about 8 minutes add in some chopped portobello mushrooms, add salt, red pepper flakes and some curry powder. After another 5 minutes, add in about 1 cup of chicken stock, add chicken back to pan and simmer until potatoes and chicken are cooked through. Finish by adding a couple splashes of cream, half n half, coconut milk or plain milk -- whatever you have. We used half n half.



I served it over a bed of baby spinach b/c I watch my carbs, but it would've been better over rice, I'm sure. (and M wishes I had too!)



For a first pass, this was pretty good (7 out of 10), but it needed more curry powder even though it smelled like it had plenty, the taste wasn't completely there...or maybe try the curry pastes they have at the market.