#6: Curried Coconut Chicken

So, I'm working from home today and decided to take my lunch break to make my dinner since it takes a little while.  I made this around Christmas for the 1st time and it is a winner if you like coconut and you have to like curry in order to make it.  And you have to be willing for your house to smell like curry for a while.  I found this on allrecipes.com by ROMA.

Recipe #6: Curried Coconut Chicken
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1/2 inch chunks)
1 teaspoon salt & pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used minced garlic)
1 can (14 ounce) coconut milk
1 can (14.5 ounce) stewed, diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce
3 tbsp sugar

Directions:
1. Slice your onion, season chicken with salt & pepper.

2. Heat oil and curry powder in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes (I do 5 min. based on a recommendation on allrecipe.com).  This creates a paste  Stir in onions & garlic and cook for 1 minute more (I do 10 min based on same recommendation).  Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil/paste.  Reduce heat to medium and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the center (about 7-10 minutes).

3. Pour coconut milk, tomatoes, tomato sauce and sugar into the pan and stir to combine.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, approximately 30-40 min (I do recommended 50-60 minutes).

Serve over rice.

This is delicious and is even great re-heated.  I reduced my chicken to about 1 1/4 lbs and it is still enough chicken.

Food Tip: Rice makes a great substitute for pasta in a pinch or if you are decreasing carbs.  Rice is a complex carb which is better for you, especially if you use brown.

Food Blog #1

On Saturday I sat down with all of my recipes and tried to plan out what I would be cooking until my next paycheck. I came up with 7 recipes from my stash to make where I had a good amount of the ingredients or at least the protein part. So I made my shopping list and went on my major shopping trip on Sunday to get everything I would need. Still missing chicken, but got everything else. So Monday night I was determined to make a dish. I had some frozen chicken tenders that I put out to thaw so when I got home they would be ready for me.

Recipe #1: Chicken and Rice (c/o my mom, Cheryl Foster)
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken (I prefer boneless, skinless breasts)
1 can cream of chicken (low sodium if possible)
1 can cream of celery (low sodium if possible)
1 can cream of mushroom (low sodium if possible)
1 1/4 c rice (uncooked)
Melted Butter (I used Brummel & Brown made with Yogurt)

Oven Temp: 300 degrees                                                Cooking Time: 2 hours
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Spray non-stick spray in a 9x13 pan. In a large mixing bowl add all 3 soups and rice, mix well. When mixed pour into pan. Place chicken on top of the rice in rows. Pour melted butter on the top. Bake uncovered for 2 hours.

Serve with your favorite veggies.

Food Tip: Frozen Chicken Tenders are about 1 oz each. If a serving size is 3-4 oz, then 3-4 chicken tenders is your serving.

Enjoy and share any secrets or variations you might try.