When I was in high school, both my parents worked, so one or two nights per week, I was in charge of dinner. One of the first meals I learned to cook was chicken curry. Yes, I had to cook chicken, even though I didn't eat it. My family was not about to go vegetarian just because I had. I would cook two pans of curry, one with just veggies for me, and one with chicken and veggies for the family. It was always a hit, and I loved making it because it was so easy. I would brown the chicken, throw in some veggies, add some water, and then add this little box of amazingness:
It looked gross and came in large brown chunks (kind of like a chocolate bar), but it tasted so, so good. But, alas, now that I am grown, have a child with allergies and have been making a concerted effort to feed my family "real foods," gone are the days where I can make sauce from a box, particularly when it contains sneaky ingredients like this:
I see you, monosodium glutamate (MSG). You are so delicious, but make my poor daughter break out into hives. Some sources claim you are harmless, while others claim you cause brain damage (I'd take that last one with a big heaping spoonful of MSG-free salt). Either way, I've got to keep you out of my kitchen.
So tonight, I decided to make a chicken curry meal inspired by my delicious golden curry, only made from real foods and without any dairy, eggs, MSG, or other ingredients that get Sunny's hives a-flaring. I was also inspired by this recipe. From my pantry, I grabbed what I had on hand (cumin, turmeric, Italian peeled tomatoes, organic full-fat coconut milk, ground ginger and curry powder):
Then I chopped half a large red onion, four cloves of garlic (we really like garlic), a few carrots, a red bell pepper, a green bell pepper, and a few stalks of celery. I added a few swirls of olive oil to the bottom of a large skilled, and cooked the garlic and onion for a few minutes. Meanwhile, I chopped up a package of chicken breast (I used Publix's Greenwise chicken...on sale!) into bite-sized cubes, and sprinkled them liberally with salt and pepper. After the onion began to get translucent, I added the chicken.
Once the chicken was nicely browned, I added the rest of my veggies:
Then dumped in the tomatoes and coconut milk, one tablespoon of curry powder (I would have used two, but ran out), then added about one-half a tablespoon each of the turmeric and cumin, then sprinkled on some ginger. Finally, I added some salt and pepper, covered it, and turned the heat to low. I let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes (until the carrots were soft), then added some leftover cooked broccoli, and served over brown rice. You certainly don't have to add the broccoli, but if you have some uncooked lying around, just add it with the carrots and other veggies.
Yummy, nutritious, and took the exact same amount of time as my box mix did. I couldn't ask for much more.
Ingredients
2 TB olive oil
1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 clove garlic, minced
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1-2 TB curry powder
1/2 TB cumin
1/2 TB turmeric
dash of ginger
1 can peeled tomatoes (stewed or diced tomatoes would work great too)
1 can coconut milk (full fat)
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then, once the oil is heated, add garlic and onion and sauté until onion is translucent (above 5 minutes). Be careful not to let the garlic burn! Meanwhile, trim the chicken of fat, and cut the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Once onions are translucent, add the chicken and cook until nice browned and mostly cooked through. There should be no pink spots remaining.
Once chicken is cooked, add the remaining vegetables and the rest of the ingredients. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer until vegetables are cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Serve over brown rice and enjoy!
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