Curry Chicken

Curry is a fascinating dish.  I have heard of curry many times over the years, but the tidbits I picked up from everyone was that it was spicy and wasn't for those with a weak stomach.  For a long time, I was intimidated.  As I've learned through a couple of interesting cooking shows I checked out recently (namely my hero Alton Brown's Good Eats and this other super cool show Inside the Mind of a Chef), curry isn't a specific seasoning but a style. In other countries, you don't order a dish called "curry", but a specific selection. From what I've found, what we know as curry has a bit to do with turmeric and a lot to do with finding the right mix with other ingredients for perfect flavor.



Turmeric is one ingredient I've been encouraged to grab, but I hadn't yet found the right recipe to pick it up for.  And that's where the curry comes in. A new recipe?  Always on my preferred list.

I cut the chicken into cubes and tossed it in a mixture of curry powder, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper.   I sauteed the chicken with the garlic and onion until it was cooked throughout.

Now I added in the coconut milk and tomato paste and heated the mixture to a boil.  I had an extra half a can of coconut milk left over from another recipe, so I poured that in to use it up.

Next, I added in the fresh spinach and chopped tomato.

I let the mixture simmer for a few more minutes to soften the spinach, and that was it!  As you can see in the pictures, the spinach has wilted and darkened in color.

I spooned it over some white rice to finish the deal.

Though I expected curry to be spicy, it actually wasn't at all!  It was more savory than anything.  The turmeric was a unique flavor, but one that I really enjoyed.  Next time, I would definitely use a bit less coconut milk, as this turned out thinner than expected.  For this reason I stuck to 1 can in the recipe below.  The spinach and tomato went very well in the recipe, and the addition of garlic and onion was really good.  This was a fun experiment, and certainly one I will be happy to test varieties of!  I have a feeling adding some spice to this would be great.

Curry Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups spinach
1 cup chopped tomato
2 cups cooked white rice

Instructions:

Boil rice in a medium saucepan until fully cooked. Cut chicken into cubes and toss in curry, turmeric, cumin, salt and pepper. In a large skillet, saute chicken, onion,and garlic in oil until chicken is cooked throughout.  Stir in coconut milk and tomato paste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for
3-5 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in spinach and tomato; cook 2-3 minutes longer or until spinach is wilted. Serve over rice.

Adapted from: creamy curried chicken