Pan-Fried Curry Chicken with Raisin Rice and Yogurt Sauce

March Break was a busy one for us!  My sister, brother-in-law, and nephew came to visit early and stayed for a week!  My daughter and my nephew love, love each other and they have a lot of fun together.  So much fun, my sister and brother-in-law took my daughter home to Windsor with them, so that the kiddos could keep the celebrating going!  My parents brought her back a couple of days later, when they visited us over the weekend.  With so many mouths to feed, I was able to make many recipes that I have wanted to share with others.

This recipe, I made for my parents. I had a feeling my Dad, especially, would appreciate it.  And he did!  They both did.  The rice is especially lovely.  For me, it’s the star of this recipe.  The yogurt sauce being a close second.

There are many steps to the completion of this dish, but it is very easy.  You’ll want to start making your rice first, as it takes the longest, and while it is cooking, you can finish up everything else!  Here’s what happened..

First, saute 2 small or 1 large shallot in 1 tablespoon of butter until translucent.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt into your onions and then add 1 cup of brown rice.  Get all of the rice nicely incorporated into the onion mixture and then add 2 cups of reduced-sodium chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated.  Turn your element off and let the rice sit, covered, another 10 minutes. While the rice is resting, chop up your cilantro and toast your almonds.

They should look like this.  These were toasted over the stove top, but if you prefer, you can easily toast them in the oven.

Fluff your rice.  Add the raisins and cilantro and mix together.  Replace lid on the rice and let sit until ready to serve, so as to give the raisins some time to plump up. Just before you are ready to serve, mix in the almonds, so that you maintain that needed crunch.

Your rice should look like this in the end.  Mmmm…

Now for the yogurt sauce.

Easy peasy.  1 cup of yogurt, juice of one small lemon, a bunch of cilantro, and salt and pepper.  Be sure to taste this and add more lemon or salt as you see fit.  I had a really juicy, big lemon and used about 1/2 of the lemon.  Set aside till ready to use.

The chicken is also very easy.

My little sous chef helped me sprinkle on the dry rub of curry powder, coriander, salt, and pepper.  Wherever it fits to let your littles help you in the kitchen, it’s a great idea.  My littlen loves to watch me cook and she’s usually close by to help out.  Just this morning, she was sitting and playing at the dining room table, waiting for breakfast, and I told her, “Leila, your porridge is almost ready!”.  She said to me, in her sweet 3 year old voice, ‘Ok, Mom! Let me know when I can help!”.  My heart fluttered.  Doesn’t get much cuter than that!!

Back to the recipe…

You’ll want to sear your chicken on either side for about 4 minutes a side and then finish in a 350 F oven for about 15 minutes.  Let the chicken rest at least 5 minutes before serving.

TA-DAH!

This is a healthy, quick and satisfying meal.  It will become a rotation night meal, I guarantee it!

Here’s what you need to do….

Preheat oven to 350 F.

RAISIN RICE

1 tablespoon butter

1 large shallot, diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup of brown rice

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

3/4 sliced almonds, toasted

Saute the shallots and salt in butter over medium heat until onions are translucent. Stir in rice to coat and add the broth.  Bring to a boil and cover, reducing temperature to a simmer for 20 minutes, or until liquid has evaporated.  Remove from heat and let the rice set for 10 minutes, with the lid on.  Fluff the rice and add the raisins and cilantro.  When ready to serve, add the toasted almonds and stir to combine.

YOGURT SAUCE

1 cup plain greek yogurt

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

3 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients.  Set aside.

CURRY CHICKEN

2 teaspoons curry powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

Combine all of the the spices together. Sprinkle all over the chicken.  Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium heat and sear each side for 4 minutes.  Transfer your skillet to the oven until your chicken is no longer pink.  About 10-15 minutes.  Remove your chicken from the oven, transfer to a plate and cover with tin foil for at least 5 minutes.

Enjoy!!

(Source: Adapted from Canadian Living Magazine November 2012)

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