A Pleasant Chicken Surprise

My husband and I rarely have a weekend day off together so when we discovered earlier this past week  that we had yesterday free we planned to go to the beach.  Michael had introduced me to this wonderful spot on Sullivan's Island down near Fort Moultrie.  There is plenty of parking and rarely is it crowded.  You get the best of the beach, some of the ocean waves but a wonderful view of the harbor and downtown Charleston.

We had a wonderful day!  The breeze off the ocean kept us comfortable and we frolicked in the water.  Dolphins frequent the area and I hope one day to swim with them or at least get close enough to touch one.
We met some great folks, had some laughs and just relaxed.

Home we came later in the afternoon with not a clue as to what was going to be for supper.  Into the freezer I went and what came out but.....more chicken.  Now, you know we eat a lot of chicken and frankly it is starting to tire us out.  We have been cooking it pretty much the same way for the last few weeks and as much as I love taking spices and putting them on the chicken, it's getting dull.  Our initial thought was perhaps some Chicken Cacciatore but I was going to have to make pasta to go along with it and I just didn't feel like it.  So while the husband took a nap onto the Internet I went.  What an amazing tool!  You can type in a few ingredients and viola you have recipes.  So there I was...some sweet potatoes and the dreaded chicken.  This recipe comes from http://myrecipes.com/ and is definitely a winner! In place of chicken breasts, I used thigh meat that i cut off the bone,the magic spice cabinet did not contain any coriander and, neither of us really cares for chick peas so we left them out.  Don't be put off by the length of the ingredient list.  One note is that really need to plan your time for this one though, I think my total cooking time was about 2 and a half hours but much of that is just simmering.  We had it over brown rice and you really can't tell it is chicken since there are so many wonderful spices in it.

Sweet Potato Chicken Curry

• YIELD: 7 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
• COURSE: Main Dishes

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 cups vertically sliced onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
• 3/4 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Combine curry powder, coriander, turmeric, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and bay leaf in a small bowl

2. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until browned, stirring occasionally. Remove chicken from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium-high; return chicken to pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Stir in ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add curry powder mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Stir in potato and chickpeas. Cook, uncovered, 30 minutes. Add peas; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Discard bay leaf.

We have plenty of curry left over for supper this evening and I suspect this would freeze well.  Also, this would be wonderful on a chilly winter evening over some egg noodles!

Enjoy!