Curried Chicken Saute

 

Curry was not something I grew up with.  I don't think I had ever heard of any such thing as a curry when I was a child.  

The first I knew of it was when we had moved to Calgary, Alberta in Canada. We were staying in a motel run by East Indians and the whole hotel smelled like curry.  

I wasn't sure what to think of it.  It wasn't anything I ever thought I would enjoy.

 

The recipe I am sharing today is adapted from a book entitled Casual Cooking by Sara Foster. It is a book I acquired when I worked at the Manor.  

My boss liked Sara Foster's cooking and had several of her books and often would ask me to cook something from them. I came to enjoy her style of cookery and recipes very much.  Fresh, easy and delicious.

 

The first time I actually ever tasted a curry was when we moved to a place called Ralston  in Alberta. It was the housing community for the British Army Services in Canada, situated in Suffield. Alberta.  

We became friends with some British soldiers and their wives via the Ceramics Club there and we had been invited to a party at one of their homes.

 

The hostess, a Liverpudlian Scouser named Kathy, was making a curry for us to enjoy.  She loved to cook and we had dinner at their place quite a few times.  

I can remember her adding a whole bottle of curry powder to this chicken curry she was making.  It about blew your head off, but I remember thinking that it was also very delicious!  

I think I fell in love with curry right then and there. 

 

My mother couldn't stand to be near curry or even to smell it.  She had a boyfriend one time who liked to make curry stir fries and my mother HATED them.  

Absolutely loathed them.   I am not sure which she came to dislike more  . . .  the boyfriend or the curry.  I think they came to be disliked equally by her!

 

That was her boyfriend we called "Garlic George."  He loved his garlic.  He ate 2 or 3 cloves of it peeled and sliced with every meal.  

Lets just say, it was impossible to be in his presence for very long because the smell that permeated the air around him was quite, quite obnoxious, however nice a man he might have been.  

We still scratch our heads and wonder how our mother ended up with him, even for as brief a time it ended up being.  

 

One summer that I spent back home with my mother after moving over here, there was a knock on the door one day and who should have been on the doorstep, but good old Garlic George.  

He was in the area visiting and thought he would stop by.   He still smelled of garlic.  Old habits die hard I guess.

 

Anyways back to this curry.  Its a very simple make.  

You just saute seasoned strips of chicken breast in a mix of butter and oil until golden brown  . . .

 

Onion  is then softened in the drippings.  

You don't want to brown it . . .  you just want it to be soft and translucent.

 

Into those you stir some garlic  . . . of course  . . .  and then aromatics . . .  grated fresh orange zest and juice, curry powder, fresh grated ginger root . . .

 

This mixture smells so nice when it hits the pan . . .  all fruity and curry-ish and exotic . . .

 

Into that goes a cupful of coconut milk and a cup of chicken stock.  

I like to reduce it a bit to thicken it up.  Sara doesn't do that, but I like my curry sauces to be a bit thick . . .

  

Once the sauce has reduced you return the chicken to the pan and heat it through, finishing the cooking of the chicken. 

 

A bit of mango chutney is added, along with some chopped fresh mint and fresh coriander.  

I am lucky I have both of those in the garden.

  

A sprinkle on top of toasted flaked almonds or unsalted cashews (or both, my preference) and dinner is ready.  

All you need on the side is some rice.  The sauce is so rich, I recommend plain rice.  

Curried Chicken Saute

Yield: 4 - 6

Author: Marie Rayner

A quick and easy chicken dish with a rich and tasty sauce.  Serve with some steamed rice for a full meal.  We also like to have crisp poppadoms on the side to scoop up all of that delicious sauce!

ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 TBS butter
• 2 TBS light olive oil
• 1 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 TBS medium curry powder
• 1 TBS grated peeled fresh ginger root
• the finely grated zest and juice from one orange
• 240ml unsweetened coconut milk (1 cup)
• 240ml chicken stock (1 cup)
• 2 TBS mango chutney
• 1 TBS chopped fresh mint
• 1 TBS chopped fresh coriander leaf (cilantro)
• a small handful of lightly toasted slivered almonds or unsalted cashews

instructions:

How to cook Curried Chicken Saute

1. Trim and discard any fat from the chicken breasts.  Cut crosswise into strips.  Season with salt and black pepper.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet until the butter begins to foam.  Add the chicken strips and saute them until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.  Scoop out to a bowl and keep warm.
3. Add the onion to the skillet.  Cook, stirring frequently until translucent and tender. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute longer. Take care that it doesn't brown. Add the ginger root, orange zest, curry powder and orange juice, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any tasty bits.  Add the coconut milk and chicken stock.  Bring to the boil.  Boil for a few minutes to reduce slightly and then add the chicken pieces and any juices collected back to the pan.  Simmer for another 5 to 6 minutes until well heated through and the chicken is cooked thoroughly. 
4. Stir in the chutney and the herbs.  Pour into a serving bowl.  Garnish with the toasted nuts and serve immediately.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

We like to enjoy crisp poppadum's with our curries in this house.  I didn't have any rice, but instead opted for some steamed green and wax beans.  This was fabulously tasty!  Nummity nummity!

 

 

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