Creamy Chicken Curry In A Hurry

Jenny brought this simple recipe into our lives years ago. It has always been a favorite for everyone.  Family Fun magazine was the original publisher, but I don't know what changes have been made since then. It's simple, easy, and delicious. I usually double the recipe with the intent of freezing the leftovers, but there are rarely leftovers when I serve a group.

1 1/2 TB oil (I prefer coconut oil)
1 medium onion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder
1 can (12-14 oz.) unsweetened coconut milk
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
2 TB tomato paste
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes (chicken thighs work wonderfully)
3 cups packed, fresh, baby spinach

In a large skillet, saute the onion and salt in oil until the onion is translucent. Add the curry powder and continue to cook and stir for 1 minute more to encourage the fragrant spices.

Stir in the coconut milk, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Continue cooking mixture, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.

Add the chicken, stir well, and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Add the spinach and cook until wilted (about 3 minutes). Serve over rice. Makes 4 servings.

Variations:
I love to replace the spinach with chard from our garden when it is in season.
I have used whole canned tomatoes and blended them for the sauce.
Fresh tomatoes can also replace the canned variety during their season. Peel and dice them.
Our favorite rice with this dish is jasmine rice, but many varieties work well.
This is a nice way to use leftover cooked vegetables, too: peas, carrots, potato chunks, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, corn, cabbage, green beans. Just add them after everything else is cooked to warm through.
I will open a can of tomato paste and then freeze the leftover paste in prepared portions for future curries.

Spicy Honey Chicken

This post is for Joe in his new apartment. I'm reluctant to post it because I like to have incentives to entice my children home for visits occasionally. But I also love the fact that they take care of themselves and they are all good cooks.
This recipe comes from the wonderful site that Kali introduced me to: Our Best Bites. I'm becoming a frequent visitor there.

                                 Honey Spicy Chicken

Holiday Chicken Salad

This is the chicken salad from our beach trip to Stanley Lake. My only real modifications from the original allrecipes version were adding dried blueberries and using a red bell pepper instead of green. Enjoy!

4 cups cubed chicken breast

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon paprika

1.5 cups dried cranberries

1 cup chopped celery

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup minced bell pepper

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon seasoning salt

pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise, paprika, seasoning salt, and pepper. Mix remaining ingredients, then fold in the mayonnaise mixture. Chill for an hour before serving. Ellie thinks this is best eaten with wheat thins on a blanket as part of a "picnic."

White Chicken Chili

2 cups great northern dry beans
1 quart chicken stock, or bouillon and water equivalent
1 can of cannery chicken or turkey, with broth
2 TB dried onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 7 oz. can diced green chili
1-2 TB jalapeno (optional)
2 tsp ground cumin seed
1 tsp dried oregano
additional dairy ingredients below

Rinse and sort the dry beans. Soak beans overnight in a generous amount of water.
The next morning, drain and rinse the beans. Return them to the pot and cook them in the chicken stock on low heat until the beans are tender. Add more water as needed to prevent scorching; stir occasionally. (This will take about 2-4 hours, depending on the freshness of the beans.)
Break up canned chicken or turkey and add it with its liquid to the pot. Add all remaining ingredients and cook until the onions are tender.
Just before serving, remove from heat and add:
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Stir to incorporate and enjoy.

Terrific Options:
A faster edition will use canned great northern beans.
We also prefer to use the gorgeous, frozen chilies that Kali and Bobby have sent from New Mexico!
Be sure to grate your own cheese for this recipe; don't use prepared cheese that may contain cellulose (to prevent clumping).
This is a good way to use left-over, cooked poultry.
One chopped, sauteed onion is good for the dried onion.
The crock pot produces a soupier version and perfect for busy days.

Chicken Chilaquiles Casserole

This yummy casserole is from my latest issue of Cuisine at Home. It's supposed to be for two, but it could have easily fed three or four. It's so yummy!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 lb tomatillos, peeled and quartered
• 2 Tbsp minced jalapeño
• 4 corn tortillas (6 inch)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack
• 1/2 cup shredded Manchego*
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1/2 cup minced bell pepper
• Fresh cilantro leaves, torn

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Coat 2 shallow casserole dishes** with nonstick spray.

Boil water, broth, onion, and garlic for the chicken in a sauté pan over high heat. Season chicken with oregano, salt, and pepper; place in boiling liquid. Cover pan, reduce to medium-low heat, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken to plate to cool.

Add tomatillos and jalapeños to broth mixture; return to a boil over high and reduce to 1 cup, about 7 minutes. Mash tomatillos with a spoon or potato masher.

Shred chicken with two forks once cool enough to handle. Stir chicken back into tomatillo mixture, then remove from heat.

Brush tortillas with oil and toast in oven until crisp, 5 minutes.

Combine cheeses in bowl and sprinkle a thin layer into each prepared dish. Top cheese layer with a tortilla, divide chicken mixture evenly between dishes. Continue layering with remaining cheese and tortillas, ending with cheese on top. Scatter bell peppers over cheese.

Bake casseroles until cheese melts and sauce is bubbly, about 10 minutes.

Garnish each casserole with cilantro.

*I couldn't find Manchego, so I used an extra ounce of Monterey Jack and Queso Fresco.

**I don't have individual casserole dishes, so I just put the whole thing in my small Corningware casserole dish and it worked great.

Creamy Corn Soup with Chicken and Poblano Chile

This is from a cookbook by Rick Bayless called "Mexican Everyday". I needed more uses for our garden produce and this is a great one for fresh corn from the garden. The roasted chile pepper just seems perfect for New Mexico too.

Ingredients:

• 1 large poblano chile
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
• 1 small white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 cups corn kernels cut from the cob (takes about 5 ears)
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 quart milk
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breats cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• salt
• about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1. Roast the pepper over open flame or 4 inches below the broiler until blackened and blistered all over.
2. Heat oil in pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until golden. Put into blender or food processor.
3. Add corn, cornstarch, 1 1/2 cup milk to the blender too. Process to a smooth puree. (You can strain the puree through a mesh strainer for a smoother soup). Return puree to pan.
4. When chile is cool enough, peel off the blackened skin. Pull off stem and seed pods. Cut into 1/4 inch pieces. Add to the pan.
5. Add chicken to the puree and additional 2 1/2 cups milk. Simmer until chicken is cooked. Season with salt. Ladle into bowls and add the cilantro as a garnish. Serve!

A few variations the author suggests are replacing the chicken with ham; or zucchini or asparagus for a vegetarian meal. Or add shrimp, crab, bacon, etc.

Chicken Salad

Ben and I are busily packing to get ready to go up to the office. Here is a recipe I like that we will be eating on the road tomorrow. I included the biscuits in the picture because we will be eating the chicken salad sandwich style. I hope you guys like it!

2 cups diced chicken
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup cashews
1/2 cup grapes
1/4 - 1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/4 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together. Add ranch a little at a time until moist!

Lemon Chicken Soup

The inspiration for this one came from watching Giada De Laurenttis on the Food Network Channel. She made a lemon chicken soup with carrots and parsley, but I had loftier ideas for lemon chicken soup, so I like to think of this one as a Jesse original. This recipe makes four generous portions.

• 6 cups chicken broth (preferably homemade)
• Juice of 4 lemons*
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 oz spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

In a large pot, add chicken broth, lemon juice, and bay leaves. On med/high heat, add whole chicken breasts and simmer 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from the pot and add the spaghetti. Using two forks, shred the chicken while the spaghetti cooks 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken back in when the pasta is tender. Stir in basil and spinach and cook just until spinach is wilted. Ladle into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese.

I don't usually poach chicken, but in the chicken stock and lemon juice, it becomes super moist and savory. This recipe is quick, easy, and healthy. Try it, love it, then tell me how brilliant I am. ;)

*I like LEMON chicken soup. If you're not that into the lemon flavor, I'd just go with a couple lemons.

Cashew Chicken

No, no I did not take this picture, but thanks for asking. ;) I made this awesome new recipe a couple nights ago for our family and another family in the ward and I'm in love with it! It's from a site called Rasa Malaysia, created by a Malaysian woman who's first cookbook on easy asian cooking is coming out next year. I'm totally sold! This recipe was definitely restaurant quality, but not complicated.

INGREDIENTS:

1 boneless & skinless chicken breast, about 10 oz. (cut into small cubes)
1/2 cup cashew nuts
1 small green bell pepper, about 4 oz. (cut into small square pieces)
5 slices ginger
1/4 onion (cut into small square pieces)

MARINATE:

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon rice wine

SAUCE:

1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
3/4 teaspoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons water
3 dashes white pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice wine
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
Salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Marinate the chicken meat with the baking soda for 15-20 minutes and then rinse the chicken thoroughly. (Please make sure that the chicken is properly rinsed clean of the baking soda.)
2. Pat the chicken meat dry with paper towels and then marinate with the rest of the ingredients for 15 minutes.
3. Mix the sauce together and set aside.
4. Heat up a wok with 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and stir-fry the chicken meat until the color turns white or half-cooked. Dish out and set aside.
5. Add another 1 tablespoon of cooking oil into the wok and add in the ginger slices, bell peppers and onions.
6. Stir-fry until you smell the peppery aroma from the green peppers and add the chicken meat back in.
7. Add in the cashew nuts and do a few quick stirs.
8. Add in the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is cooked and well coated with the sauce. Add salt to taste, dish out and serve the Cashew Chicken hot with steamed white rice.

A little note on marinating the chicken. I didn't read far enough ahead on the directions and I added all three of the marinating ingredients at once and then had to rinse it off and do just the vinegar and corn starch. Marinade in baking soda first! Then rinse off and marinade in the other two ingredients.

I highly recommend putting it in chinese take-out boxes. It makes it taste even better... really!

Spicy Cranberry Glaze

This recipe is derived from a recipe for Bold & Spicy Chicken Wings in issue no. 80 in the Cuisine at Home magazine. I changed the recipe for the glaze slightly, according to our tastes. We haven't actually used it on wings, but it sure is delicious on chicken! And it's so, so easy.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup frozen cranberry juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture becomes syrupy, about 5-8 minutes.

Helpful tip: when you can draw a line through the glaze on the back of a spoon and it doesn't run, it's ready!

The glaze is best applied after the chicken is partially cooked, so that the glaze doesn't burn. Here, my lovely assistant, Scott, grilled the chicken on one side, flipped it over, then applied the first coat. After the second side cooked for a few minutes, he turned the chicken back over and put the glaze on the opposite side. Enjoy!

We have actually found that we prefer the glaze on cuts of chicken with skin. It seems to adhere better to the skin and results in better flavor.