Sorry for the delay, but I'm finally posting my 1st CuteChicksCook recipe! Curry Chicken is one of my favorite dishes & is also one that my friends & family request from me a lot for events. I prepared it with white rice, sauteed cabbage & fried sweet plaintains. I will let you know now, it's not a difficult dish to make but it is a bit labor intensive in regards to the prep time. I would definitely suggest chopping your veggies the night before if you plan on making it, it definitely saves time! This is what I would like to call a "Sunday dinner" recipe because it does take some time. Let me also warn you that I certainly don't cook with exact measurements (only when I'm baking) so a lot of the measurements I list are eyeball estimations. I believe in seasoning to YOUR taste, so feel free to modify along the way!! Enjoy :-)
Ingredients
3-4 lbs. of clean chicken w/ skin removed (about 8 pieces, any kind is suitable, i prefer drumsticks & thighs)
juice of about 1 1/2 limes
1 green bell pepper
1 large yellow onion
2-3 scallions (green onion)
3/4 lb. carrots
3-4 potatoes
1 1/2 cup of water
aprox. 5-6 tablespoons of yellow curry powder
Seasonings (ginger,allspice,garlic powder, onion powder, chilli powder, salt,black pepper,thyme)
3-4 cups of white rice ( prepared according to package)
2-3 ripe plaintains
vegetable oil
half a head of cabbage or 1 bag of coleslaw mix
1 stick of butter (I used unsalted)
Pour the lime juice all over your chicken. Season with your salt,pepper,onion/chilli/garlic powder & thyme
Next, you want to season the chicken with about half of the curry powder. PLEASE WEAR GLOVES unless you want your hands to look like they have jaundice for a week,lol. Once this finished just sit the chicken to the side & let it marinate for a little bit.
Let's get these veggies chopped! Since this dish cooks for a while you don't have to do pretty job of the veggies. Wash & coarsely chop your onions, peppers, potatoes & carrots. I recommend letting the potatoes sit in cold water to avoid browning.
SIDENOTE: set aside a small amount of your yellow onion & peppers to saute` with your cabbage, I also had a small piece of red bell pepper leftover that I added as well
In a large stock pot, add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pot, up to about a 1/4 inch. Heat over a medium high setting for a 5 minutes. Now what you want to do is "burn your curry" . Add the remaining curry powder & cook for about 5 minutes. You don't want to literally burn it but you want it to cook a bit. Add your seasoned chicken (w/ tongs or a fork so you won't stain your fingers) to the pot. Brown your chicken on both sides. Once it is browned, remove & place in a pan to the side, you don't want to fully cook the chicken, so I'd suggest about 7 minutes on each side. It should look something like this.....
When cooking one pot meals such as this, it is VERY important that you season in layers! Meaning season every time something new is added to the pot! Once your chicken is removed, added your potatoes,carrots, onions & peppers. Generously season w/ all of the above mentioned seasonings except the curry & chilli powder, you're done with those. Thoroughly stir & let cook for about 10-15 minutes...stir occasionally. Once that has cooked down some you want to return your chicken to the pot. It will look overcrowded, but it will cook down so don't worry. Stir everything well, yes your arm will get tired because it is a lot of food. Use the sturdiest spoon you have! lol. It should look little like this at this point
I also want to mention that you want to maintain a medium high temperature the whole time. Once everything is thoroughly mixed, add the water. Again, you are adding something else to the pot so season everything again. Place a lid on top allowing the steam to escape. At this point, all you are waiting on is for the chicken to finish cooking. You can usually tell that it's done once it starts separating from the bone. This normally takes about 20-30 minutes or more. Once your chicken is fully cooked, reduce to medium low heat & fully cover. You are done!!! It should look similar to this!!
Time for the side dishes!!! I normally don't start this until the chicken is done as curry chicken tastes better the longer it sits. First things first, prepare your rice according to the package. I used white jasmine rice & I just added about a teaspoon of margarine, salt & pepper to the water. While that simmers, lets get our cabbage started. Melt about a 1/3 of the butter over medium heat in a skillet. Once melted, add the small amount of peppers & onions we set aside earlier along w/ some salt, pepper, garlic powder & thyme & saute` until slightly browned. Add another 1/3 of the butter. Once melted, add the cabbage & stir well. Season with salt,pepper,garlic powder,thyme & add about a teaspoon of sugar ( if you prefer). Once your cabbage has wilted, add about a 1/3 cup of water, reduce heat & place lid on pan. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes
Time for our plantains!! These are the easiest part of our meal. Heat about 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat in a skillet. Peel & slice the plantains. Fry until golden brown & drain on a paper towel.
Now for the best part, time to eat!!!! I hope the photos & step by step instructions made making this meal as simple as possible!!!
