For some Indian food is eaten only at a restaurant because the combination of spices may seem a little intimidating. However, most of the seasonings in this recipe you may already have on hand and it is very easy to make not to mention you can adjust the amount of heat to your liking and the seasonings. Red curry paste was used for the heat, but could be replaced with chili powder. However, I highly recommend the paste because it adds more flavor. Normally ghee is used instead of olive oil, which is a clarified butter to sauté ingredients, but olive oil is much more convenient. Ingredient amounts will serve four.
Ingredients
1 lb. of boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup of olive oil divided
1 onion chopped about 1 cup
3 cloves of garlic crushed about 1 tablespoon
1 – 3 inch piece of gingerroot peeled and grated about 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of ground turmeric
1 – 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes (unseasoned)
1/4 cup of chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons of red curry paste or chili powder (adjust according to your heat preference)
A dash of kosher salt
A dash of fresh ground pepper
Technique
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skilled and sauté onion over medium high heat until translucent. Add garlic and gingerroot and sauté until fragrant about 1 minute. Add cinnamon, cumin, coriander and turmeric and stir until fragrant about 30 seconds to a minute. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, red curry paste, salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate and remove from heat. Transfer mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning to your desired level of heat and taste. Set aside in blender. Wipe skillet clean. Be careful if it is hot or use another skillet. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle chicken with a little bit of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and sear the chicken until lightly browned. Add contents of blender and reduce heat to medium low. You may need to a little bit of chicken broth to get the rest of the contents out of the blender. Cook for about 15 minutes or until chicken is done and sauce is warm.
Suggested Side Dish
Round out the meal with basmati rice or Basmati Rice with Dried Figs the heat from the sauce will complement the slight sweetness of the rice.
Suggested Beverage
Try a white wine that is a little on the sweeter side to cut through the spices, such as, Bogle Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (California), Ménage à Trois Folie à Deux California White Wine, Yalumba Viognier (South Australia) or Weingut Joh. Haart Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling (Germany).
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