Chicken Curry

... and the Power of the Dark Side.

"If you only knew the power of the Dark Side."
--Darth Vader, The Empire Strikes Back

This past Sunday afternoon, my wife and I had reached the crossroads of a serious dilemma: the desire to go out and eat at our favorite Indian restaurant, The Clay Pit.  (If you love Indian Cuisine, or you're just curious to try, and live in the Middle Tennessee area, their prices are fair and they offer a fantastic all-you-can-eat dinner buffet for around $10 a person, drink not included.)

Now under normal circumstances, this would not be a problem.  However, we are not currently living under normal circumstances.  Until I am gainfully employed again, going out to eat, whether it's five or twenty-five dollars a meal, is an extravagance we just aren't willing to relinquish.  Which brings me back to our current dilemma, the deep-seeded desire to eat Indian Cuisine.

When we were being budget-conscience a couple of years ago, we decided to avoid the $25 dollar tab and reach desperately for an alternative.  The alternative that we discovered has helped us through the times we had been trying to stretch every last dollar.

Since discovering this alternative, I've played around with the basic recipe and even thought that I had perfected it a while back.  Well, apparently I was wrong because this past Sunday, perfection was had by us both, and let's just say that we'll be having this meal for dinner again very soon.

The first step in creating your very own Chicken Curry is to acquire mild curry paste.  I use Patak's Mild Curry Paste.  If you've ever had Indian Cuisine, you'll recognize the smell the moment you open the jar.  You can find this in most international sections of your local grocery store.  Worst case scenario, the quest for acquisition will send you to World Market.

The second step (and this is crucial) is to purchase boneless skinless chicken thighs.  Now I know what you're thinking: dark meat?  Yes, dark meat.  Dark meat chicken has gotten a bad rap over the past decade, where the only kind of chicken that anyone seems to want to eat is white meat.  Well I have news for you. Don't give in to the white meat superiority complex.  On average, a 3 oz. serving of dark thigh meat compared to white chicken breast meat contains just 9 more calories and only 1 more gram of fat (read here for the facts).

With purchasing the chicken thighs, you benefit two ways:  First, it's considerably cheaper per pound than buying boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Secondly, there's so much more flavor.  The dark meat will provide a fantastic tenderness and moistness that white meat just can't provide for this dish.  So, if you have to choose and you're not choosy, then go for the chicken thighs.  Your wallet and taste buds will thank you.

Additional trimming will be required when cubing the chicken, but what trimming doesn't come with proper preparation, even when buying boneless skinless chicken breasts?

The third step, which is just as important as the first two when composing this dish, is to buy a container of plain Greek yogurt.  Why yogurt you ask?  Because it will take off just the right amount of sharpness that can come with this dish.  If you can't find plain Greek yogurt, and trust me, I've run into the same situation depending on the grocery store, just purchase plain yogurt.  Just make sure it's plain, not vanilla flavored.  Packaging can be deceiving and the last thing you want to do is finish off your very first Chicken Curry creation by adding vanilla yogurt.

Now the recipe on the jar of the mild curry paste will differ from my recipe.  I've altered and adjusted several ingredients to perfect this recipe over the past two years.

CHICKEN CURRY

Ingredients Needed:

• 1 med. onion, diced (1 tbsp minced dried onion can be substituted)
• 2 tbsp oil (canola, vegetable, or light olive oil - doesn't seem to effect taste)
• 1 lb. of cubed boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 3-4 tbsp mild curry paste
• 1 - 14.5 can of crushed tomatoes
• 8 oz. Plain Greek yogurt
• Hot, cooked white jasmine rice
• Pita bread (a decent home substitute for the traditional naan)
• salt
• butter/margarine spread

Cooking Directions:

1. Sauté onions in oil (skip this step if you are using dried minced onions).
2. Add chicken to heated oil on med-high heat.  Lightly salt chicken as it cooks (add dried minced onions at same time).  Cook chicken until lightly brown, or most of the pink is gone.
3. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add crushed tomatoes.
5. Simmer, uncovered on medium heat, until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 25 minutes.
6. Cook 1 cup of rice according to directions (this usually takes approximately 15 minutes).
7. Lower heat on chicken and add yogurt. Mix thoroughly before serving over rice.
8. Toast pita bread and spread with butter/margarine, if desired.

This will serve 2 with either the benefits of seconds (which tends to happen most of the time) or leftovers.  If you desire leftovers, or if you're serving for more than 2, then I would highly recommend adding up to an additional pound of chicken and an additional cup of rice.

This has become a staple meal in our family and one day I plan to introduce it to my parents.  Here's hoping they'll love it as much as Lisa and I do.

Important Side Note: Please be careful while cooking this dish.  The spices used in this curry paste can stain easily along the same lines as yellow mustard, since they both use the spice turmeric.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and please feel free to leave comments.

Stay hungry... and may the fork be with you.