Honey Curry Chicken

When I was first learning how to cook,(about 10-11 years ago–yeesh) my mom gave me some advice that is still helping me to this day: get really comfortable good at making a handful of dishes so that you can put your own spin on them, and always have a ready meal to ‘whip’ out at and make at a moment’s notice.

I took the advice, and it’s served me very well. Like a lot of home cooks, I too now have a list of ‘go-to’/’old faithful’ recipes that I depend upon and keep in a regular rotation just because #1, They come together pretty easily, #2, They’re pretty popular with the crowd I’m feeding, #3 I’ve made them enough times to where I can put my own spin on them to the point where I don’t really need the recipe anymore, and it’s just more for occasional reminders when certain things slip my mind.

I’ve shared most of those recipes on the blog already, and today I’m sharing another one. Like the majority of the others, it’s chicken breast (which we prefer) as it’s generally inexpensive and so far as proteins go, also pretty good for you. It’s also very much one of those ‘blank canvas’ ingredients that can be adapted for a number of different cuisines.

I hope I don’t piss any purists off by what I decided to call this recipe. I do recognize that a true/traditional curry from pretty much any cuisine takes hours to make and has a long ingredient list of fresh spices. I admit right off rip that this is very much a quick, nontraditional, ‘shortcut’ to a curry. I use jarred, pre-ground curry powder, and from start to finish, it probably doesn’t take much longer than 2 hours to put together.

But, whether you think it should be called a curry or not, it is good.

The honey and the soy sauce are a really great salty-sweet offset to the bite of the spices, and as it cooks, then sits, the flavors get even better. This is far from a conventional curry, both in the method and the ingredients, but they do work well together, and it’s relatively easy to make–thus explaining why it’s now in our regular rotation.

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Honey Curry Chicken

Recipe by Jess@CookingisMySport

Ingredients

4-6 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into medium sized (about 2 inches) cubes
2 large sweet onions
2 cups, plus 1/3 cup flour, divided
2 1/2 tablespoons of your favorite multi-purpose seasoning (I used Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Saute)
40 ounces of chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2/3 cup melted butter or margarine
2/3 cup honey
4 tbsp honey dijon mustard
1 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons turmeric

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Divide the cubed chicken into two 1 gallon sized plastic bags.

In a medium size bowl combine 2 cups of the flour with the multi purpose seasoning and stir together with a fork.

Evenly divide the flour mixture between the two ziploc bags. Seal tightly, then toss to coat thoroughly, so that there is an even layer over meat.

Coat the bottom of a large non-stick stockpot or Dutch Oven with a few tablespoons of canola, vegetable or olive oil. Brown the floured meat over high heat on the stovetop. Don’t worry about it cooking all the way through, just cook long enough to give it some color. When it’s browned, temporarily move the meat to a sheet pan. Don’t overcrowd the pot, you’ll have to repeat/do this in about 2-3 batches to get through all of the meat.

When you’re finished browning the meat, add a little bit more oil to the pot, then add the onions. Cook over medium heat until they’re softened and translucent, 5-10 minutes. Remove the onions from the pot and place them with the browned chicken.

Add about 1/3 cup of flour to the pot/Dutch oven. Stir with a whisk over low-medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, just until you can smell the flour begin to toast.

Pour in the chicken broth, bay leaves, melted butter, honey, soy sauce, honey mustard and the spices.Use a wire whisk to stir, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook for about 20 minutes, tasting and adjusting for seasoning (but also keep in mind, it’s going to develop even more flavor in the oven, so it’s okay if it doesn’t taste perfect just yet).

Spray an 11×13 and an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray. Place the browned chicken and the onions in the dish in an even layer.

When the curry sauce has reached your taste level, ladle it over the chicken so that is is at least half-submerged. (You’ll have extra broth leftover, this is fine) Cover the baking dishes tightly with foil.

Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, until the chicken can be easily pulled apart with a fork.

Serve over white or brown rice.