Red Curry Chicken- sooo good!

• 
  
• Red Curried Chicken
• (from allrecipes.com)
• 
  
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection® Red Curry Powder
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection® Garlic Salt
• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose apple (Golden Delicious), cut in cubes
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Gourmet Collection® Garam Masala
• 1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk

Directions

1. In large self-closing plastic bag, combine flour, red curry powder and garlic salt. Add chicken; shake to coat.
2. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add chicken cubes; saute until well browned. Reduce heat. Add apple and onion; cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, garam masala and coconut milk.
3. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice with condiments such as: chopped pistachios or peanuts, golden raisins, sliced green onions, flaked coconut, and mango chutney.
4. Substitution: May substitute 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice for 1 teaspoon garam masala.

I haven't tried red curry powder before, and I was worried it would be a lot more spicy than yellow curry.  Well, it was a little different in flavor, but it was amazing!  Our kids even ate this dish.  Very flavorful and exotic.  We'll add this to our Indian food rotation, definitely.

Mulligatawny Soup- serious GOODNESS

Mulligatawny Soup
adapted from allrecipes.com
serves 2 adults

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots diced
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 T. curry powder (you can take this down a little if you'd prefer)
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 apple, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup white rice
• 1/3 c. golden raisins
• chicken, pre-cooked and shredded (I used about 1 breast)
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch dried thyme
• 1/2 cup half & half

Directions

1. Saute onions, celery, carrot, and butter in a large soup pot. Add flour and curry, and cook 5 more minutes. Add chicken stock, mix well, and bring to a boil. Simmer about 1/2 hour.
2. Add apple, rice, raisins, chicken, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until rice is done.
3. Right before serving, add half & half.

Ok, I know there are people out there that just don't do the curry thing.  But wow- if you were even a little bit tempted- this soup is amazing!  Savory, a little sweet, a little spicy- warm, comforting and flavorful....it is a recipe I am so happy I found!

Indian Butter Chicken

Indian Butter Chicken

• 1/2 cup butter, 2 T which are used to saute onion and garlic
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (I used about 1/3 t. garlic powder)
  
• 1 can tomato sauce
  
• 1 12 oz. can skim or 2% evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 c. whole milk (or 2 %)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used just a sprinkle)
  
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (you find this in the spice aisle anywhere)
  
• 2-3 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1 T. curry powder
  

1. Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a big skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic, and cook slowly until the onion is mostly translucent. Add chicken and heat until no longer pink, stirring regularly.
2. Turn heat to low and add remaining butter to the pan along with the tomato sauce, milks, salt, cayenne pepper, garam masala, and curry powder. Simmer on low until thickened.
   
3. Serve over rice with your choice of vegetables. We liked steamed peas and broccoli.

You just don't know what you're missing until you try this! I know people who think they don't like curry in general aren't going to be convinced, but this is an awesome meal. AWESOME. Even the kids like this one, and they aren't really fans of our other Indian dishes. This one is less spicy, unless you add more red pepper, and it it saucy and delicious with rice. The flavors are just so interesting and delectable! Really- give this one a try.

And here's a crock pot version we love just the same, if not more because pre-prep is wonderful!

Slow Cooker Indian Butter Chicken
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

3 tablespoons butter 4 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used one breast) 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon garam masala 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste (I used one small can tomato sauce) 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk 1 cup plain yogurt salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, garam masala, and tomato paste until no lumps of tomato paste remain. Pour into a slow cooker, and stir in the coconut milk and yogurt. Season to taste with salt.
2.	Cook on High 4 to 6 hours, or on Low 6 to 8 hours until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced to your desired consistency. Shred chicken and serve.

My last curry post for a while, I promise!

Curried Chicken and Couscous Salad
(adapted from allrecipes.com)

• 2 cups cooked couscous (or rice)
  
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (I used 1 cooked breast)
  
• 1/3 cup celery, sliced
• 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons peach or mango chutney
• 1-2 teaspoons ground curry powder (to taste)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

In a large bowl, combine the couscous, chicken, celery, green onions, bell peppers, sour cream, mayonnaise, chutney, curry and salt. Mix well, cover and refrigerate until chilled. This serves 2 adults.

I know I seem to have a one-track curry mind lately! I am trying to use the bottle of mango chutney I bought, since it was a good 4 bucks. Plus we're not bored yet and are still Indian-food intrigued. This recipe is a lot like the chicken salad I made last week, but this is more grain based with the couscous. I like this better, it's a versatile salad! Russell said it tasted like stuffing (I guess a good thing) but I think that was the celery talking. I might just skip that next time. The flavors were good, texture great, red pepper and green onion added a lot. I might add some peas in next time for more veggie power.

Curry-in-a-Hurry Rotisserie Chicken Salad

(adapted from rachaelray.com)

• 1 pound rotisserie chicken meat, skinned, boned and diced (I used one cooked breast and halved the following ingredients for 2 adults)
  
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots (a couple of handfuls)
• 4 scallions, chopped on an angle (I used green onions)
  
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons curry powder or 2 rounded teaspoons mild curry paste
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons mango chutney, found on condiment aisle
• 1/4 cup sliced smoked almonds (2 ounces)
  

1. Combine meat, celery, red grapes, carrot and scallions. Add curry to the salad and toss to evenly distribute the curry. Add mango chutney and toss. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to your taste.
   
2. Garnish with toasted almonds.
3. Serve with warm rolls or crackers, or over lettuce.
   

We tried it! Way more interesting than regular chicken salad, in my opinion. However, you have to be a person that likes these flavors- curry and mango chutney are not for the dull in taste buds! It wasn't sweet; I thought it might be but mango chutney has a sweet/sour thing going for it that takes away sweetness. Some people use apricot preserves in place of the chutney and that would definitely sweeten it up! A nice, flavorful, cool meal. I got the picture from flickr since I forgot and that is pretty much how it looks!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka Masala
**kids didn't like!**
(adapted from allrecipes.com, photo from flickr)


Marinade:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used 1 t. garam masala instead)
  
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (I used only a dash-it's already spicy enough!)
  
• 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (I cut half a teaspoon)
  
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (I used a dash of ground ginger)
  
• 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 4 long skewers (naah...though probably would taste great!)
  

Sauce:

• 1 jalepeno, chopped fine (I skipped)
  
• 1 T. butter
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 1/2 t. garlic powder)
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 3 t. garam masala
• 1/2 t. salt
  
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 can coconut milk
  
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (we skipped)
  

1. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, and ginger. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side (I put in the crock pot covered in above marinade to save time and loved it).
3. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapeno for 1 minute.
4. Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and garam masala.
5. Stir in tomato sauce and coconut milk.
6. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.
7. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with rice. Feeds 4 hungry adults.

This was a lot like the Crock Pot Indian Chicken I posted a few weeks ago but this is richer and creamier and just a bit longer to make. We had always thought curry was in all Indian food but not this one or the last one I made. Russell loved this, and I thought the flavors were exotic and fun too. But he loved it. He is definitely on a big Indian kick right now. I used the reviews on this recipe from allrecipes to create the right recipe for us, and we were pleased! I still love the Yellow Curry Chicken best, but Russell says this and the YCC both tie for 1st place.

Though the list of ingredients seem long, this really didn't take that long to make. The crock pot did the work, and the yogurt marinade made it really tender and flavorful.

Another unique dish!

Crock Pot Indian Tomato Chicken and Rice
(serves 2 adults well)

• frozen chicken pieces--enough to feed your family (I used 1 big breast)
  
• 1 can tomatoes (I used crushed)
  
• 1/2 diced onion
• 1/2 t ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 t ground coriander (I didn't have, but garam masala has coriander in it)
  
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper
• 1 t garam masala (1/2 t to add now, 1/2 later. You can buy this at the grocery store in the McCormick "gourmet" collection. It's a combination of coriander, cinnamon, cumin, black pepper and cardamom. Used to flavor Indian dishes)
• 1/2 cup plain non fat yogurt (I used sour cream)
• cooked rice

1. Put your chicken pieces into the crock pot and add the can of tomatoes and all of the spices, minus 1/2t of the garam masala.
2. Don't add the yogurt yet.
3. Cook on high for 2 12 hours or until chicken is done.
4. 30 minutes before serving, stir in the yogurt, and taste. Add the other 1/2 t. of garam masala, or to taste.
5. Serve over rice.

This was another good Indian dish! I am really liking these interesting spices. Changes things up a bit. The kids liked dipping rolls into the sauce and didn't think it was too spicy. They are not rice fans. The sauce was good, but I thought it might need a little sugar? I just have taste buds that really like sweet things. But we enjoyed this.

The ultimate curry experience!

Coconut Chicken Curry
(adapted from allrecipes)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed ( or 1/4 t. powder)
  
• 1-2 chicken breasts - chopped
• 1 small head cauliflower, chopped (I use a bag of frozen cauliflower)
  
• 2 potatoes, cubed (I microwaved for 5 minutes until fork-tender)
  
• 2 1/2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt (I just sprinkled a little)
  
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 T lime juice
• dash of cayenne pepper
  
• 1 (14 ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (I used lite)
  
• 1/3 cup chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook until tender. Mix in the chicken, and cook 10 minutes, or until juices run clear.
2. Mix the cauliflower, curry powder, garlic salt, brown sugar, red pepper, lime juice and potatoes into the skillet. Pour in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Serve over rice.
   

We loved this! Not the kids...too flavorful and "spicy", but sometimes you need to make dinners that just the sophisticated eaters can enjoy! Russell said he couldn't believe that we could make curry taste like this at home with easy t0 find ingredients. He has an Indian restaurant he loves and says this is very much the same except the restaurant has more sauce and less chicken/veggies. I can fix that! I've tried a few curry recipes, but this one takes the cake. We will make this again and again!