Chicken Curry

- contributed by Shar Puskala


Ingredients (I pretty much eyeball the spices so… hopefully this is close)

* 1 Tbsp olive oil
* 2 tsp chili powder
* 1 green hot chili peppers
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 2 tsp ground turmeric
* 1 Tbsp minced garlic
* 1 cup onion(s) – 2 medium onion or around ¾ of a large onion
* 15 oz canned diced tomatoes or 6 regular sized tomatoes
* 1 tbsp Garam masala, + a couple pinches for garnish
* 1 1/2 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
* 1 1/2 cup water (adjust)
* 1/2 Tbsp Sugar or SPLENDA Sweetener (or whatever)
* Salt
* 1/4 cup fat-free half and half

Instructions

Heat oil in a deep skillet or heavy-bottomed stew pot. Add turmeric, chili powder, and green chili pepper (you can cut it and toss it in, or take out the seeds and ribs for a milder flavor. SUBS: leave it out entirely, use crushed red pepper flakes – whatever’s on hand – this will just flavor up the oil). Cook for around one minute to let the flavors infuse the oil and let the turmeric cook.


Add garlic and cook for until garlic starts to turn light brown (use a moderate heat to ensure the garlic doesn't burn). Add onions and cook until they start to brown and caramelize/ stir frequently.


Stir in the tomatoes and cumin. Cook tomatoes until they start to break down - around 5-10 minutes.


Add in chicken breast, diced into approx 1/2 in cubes. Stir to combine. Cook chicken breast until all the liquid that's drawn out of the chicken is dried up.


Stir in the garam masala. Then, add water to the skillet until the chicken is barely covered. Turn the heat on low. Cover and simmer the chicken until the chicken is completely tender (30 – 45 minutes or longer). Stir the chicken every 10 to 15 minutes. The longer it stews, the more the chicken/ tomatoes break down and the flavors combine.


Uncover the skillet. Stir in the sugar/ substitute. Salt to taste.

Keep at a low heat - Stir in the half and half. Cook until the half-and-half heats through - around 5 to 10 minutes more.


Top each serving with an extra sprinkle of garam masala just before serving.

NOTES/ VARIATIONS:

Serve with Rice, naan, or pita

Traditional way - with potato sticks on top

Substitutes for the half and half:

1) Light Coconut Milk

2) Coconut Milk

3) Light Whipping Cream

4) Milk (whole)

**You can leave out the milk entirely too – it tastes fine. If you don’t have any at home, don’t bother.

**I use a ¼ cup of cream, but a creamier stew will require more (I like a dark orangey look to the curry).

Traditional Parci variation: Leave out the milk/ cream and garam masala during cooking. Add chopped dried apricots to the pot around 5 minutes before removing from heat. Add a couple pinches of garam masala as garnish right before serving.

On spices: Above noted are my assumptions on what I use. Feel free to adjust the spices to taste.

Cumin = Smokey flavor

Red Chilies & Green Chili = heat

Turmeric = color (yellow)

Garam Masala = Spice blend that includes a combination of cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, cumin, bay leaves, curry leaves, nutmeg (mace), chilies, turmeric, pepper, ginger, etc, depending on brand (add a little, then if you like it, add more). I use what my mom makes or Indian food stores, but even Dominick’s or Jewels carries it (McCormick’s brand).

Splenda = to round out the heat and add a little bit of twist

Cream = to round out the heat/ texture