Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Simple Suppers: Slow-Cooker Chicken Curry


I'm a huge fan of slow-cooking!  It's a healthy way to cook, needing almost no fat, and it's great for all busy divas.  You throw your dinner together in the morning, and when you come home, presto chango, dinner is ready!  Yesterday, I purchased a brand new crock pot from Target, and I couldn't be more excited to test it out.  The new one is larger, so I can cook whole chickens, and it has a fancy timer!

In celebration of my new purchase, here's one of my favorite slow-cooker recipes for Chicken Curry, one of my favorite dishes in the whole world!  I make this dish at least once or twice a month on average, and maybe even once a week sometimes. Not only do I love chicken curry for its complete deliciousness, I also love it for its health benefits!  First and foremost, curry contains spices like tumeric that have major anti-inflammatory benefits.  You really can't get enough of that stuff in your diet!  Second, this dish has a nice mixture of protein (chicken), vegetables (onions, carrots, peppers, garlic) and carbs (potatoes & rice).  For an extra healthy version, serve the curry over a brown basmati or other long grain rice instead of the traditional white rice.

This is also a great dish to serve for company!  I even made it for my Dad's 60th birthday party this summer.  Allow your guests to serve themselves family style and provide a bunch of fun garnishes for them to choose from, such as chopped peanuts, cilantro, bean sprouts and lime wedges.

Note: For vegetarians & vegans, tofu may be substituted for the chicken and vegetable broth for the chicken broth, making this a perfect meatless recipe!

Domestic Diva's Slow-Cooker Chicken Curry

1 lb organic chicken thighs, excess fat removed
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
6 small yukon gold potatoes, halved
3 carrots, peeled and cut into thick pieces
1 tbsp curry powder
3-4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 can light coconut milk
salt & pepper

rice:
1 cup basmati rice or other long grain rice
2 cups water
1 tsp olive oil

garnishes (optional):
cilantro, chopped
lime wedges
peanuts, toasted & chopped
bean sprouts

Directions:

Place all the ingredients except the coconut milk, salt and pepper into the slow-cooker, stirring to combine.  Make sure that the chicken broth covers all the ingredients.  Cook on high for about 4 hours, or on low for 6 hours.

Once the chicken is tender and cooked through, stir in the coconut milk and season to taste with salt & pepper.

To plate, put some rice in a bowl and ladle the curry on top.  Then, add preferred garnishes & enjoy!

Source for Ingredients:

organic chicken from Trader Joe's

organic bell pepper and organic carrots from Hollywood Farmers Market

organic onion, organic garlic, organic ginger & organic curry power from Whole Foods

Music on Tap:

Steve Martin - The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo



Doesn't it seem like some people have all the talent?  In addition to his comedy and prolific writing, Steve Martin also happens to be an accomplished songwriter and banjo musician!  His new bluegrass album is fantastic, full of warmth, charm and great wit, all characteristics associated with Steve Martin himself.  Tonight, Kuzak and I fortunate enough to be catching his life performancewith the Steep Canyon Rangers at a small venue called Largo, one of our favorite places to see live music in Los Angeles!  It promises to be a real treat!

CLICK HERE FOR AMAZON LINK TO THIS ALBUM!

My other upcoming live shows include Thom Yorke (of Radiohead) at The Orpheum on Sunday night.  He's performing with Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Nigel Godrich (Beck, Radiohead) and Joey Waronker (REM, Beck).  Wow!  And, finally, Pearl Jam at the Gibson Ampitheater, my birthday present to Kuzak.  We'll be sitting in our Ten Club fan seats, of course!

2 comments:

  1. Jen, Tomorrow I am hosting a girl dinner with 8 of my favorie friends and am going to don your chicken curry....I have one question, can't find organic chicken thighs, so thought I would use pulled chicken off slow baked whole chicken. Also have a vegetarian in group, so am going to substitute veg. stock for chicken stock....what do you think?

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