Chicken Curry

A Curry Masterpiece Awaits your dinner table

I don’t know about most of you, but I love love love curry. Most people you talk to either love it or hate it, never in between. So which one are you? If you THINK you hate it (because it smells funny) then I challenge you to try it again and you may be surprised. Curry can give any meal a punch of flavor without adding a lot of calories and saturated fat. I add curry when I make butternut squash soup and lentils stews in the winter and in the summer I add it to just about anything from my homemade chicken salad to any vegetable I am roasting. And thank goodness for the internet because it makes it possible for a Cuban girl like myself to cook Indian food.

A year ago I prepared my 78 year old father my homemade Curried Butternut Squash Soup and it was the first time in his life trying curry when my son, Jackson, had it for the first time at 6 months. Look what globalization and making everything accessible with a few clicks of a button can do to you. Embrace it and challenge yourself to cook more worldly meals. When I get bored with my usual repertoire of meals, I look international for new meal ideas. I have cooked Chinese, Thai, Indian, Italian, Cuban/ Other Hispanic cultures, German, Greek, and I plan not to stop there. Can’t afford to go to the Greek Islands? Than have the islands come to you.  Make a Greek salad, grill chicken kabobs and prepare falafel for the fraction of the price. It’s just the same, right?! Ha! A girl can wish, can’t she?!?!

OK, back to the recipe. Most curries are usually filled with coconut milk and creams so as much as I may like to consume them, I don’t like the potential weight I will gain from eating my “big girl” portions of curry. This recipe I am sharing with you all, I have adapted over the years and contains no cream whatsoever. If you miss that creamy texture, feel free to add a dollop of fat free yogurt before serving and prepared to be wowed!

Ingredients:

1 large onion or 2 small onions, finely chopped (2-3 cups)
5 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of fresh ginger (I usually buy fresh ginger in advance and then peel it and freeze by putting it in a freezer bag which keeps for up to 3 months. When a recipe calls for fresh ginger, I just take it out of the freezer and use my zester. It works wonders and the ginger easily zests more than if you were to use fresh ginger)
3 tablespoons of curry powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
3LBS of chicken, cut into cubes or strips
2 (14.5 ounce) can of dices tomatoes
2 (ounce) can of chick peas
olive oil

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat.

2. Once oil is warmed cook onions, garlic, and ginger stirring until softened. This should take around 5 minutes.

3. Add curry powder, salt, cumin, cayenne and cook, stirring for 2 more minutes.

4.  Add chicken and cook, stirring to coat for an additional 3 minutes.

5. Add tomatoes (including the juice) and chickpeas (strained).

6.  Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook on low heat. Simmer gently stirring occasionally until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

7. Before you serve add yogurt, cilantro, crushed cashews, etc. Whatever is your fancy.

Accompaniment: My No Grain Cauliflower Rice

Chicken Curry Ingredients

Ingredients chopped up and ready to cook

Onions, garlic, and ginger Oh my!

Add dry ingredients (spices)

Combine chicken in pan with all the spices and vegatables

After 30 minutes of cooking. I really wish you could smell this through your computer screen

Served it with my no grain cauliflower rice

Chicken Curry Masterpiece

Bon appetit!