Although I consider myself a somewhat adventurous eater (I’ve eaten raw octopus and liked it,) I do not like Asian food.
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Thai, none of it for me, please. Fried Rice is about as far East as I prefer to go.
However, when I gave birth to Ali, a member of our small group, Christie, brought us Curry Chicken. It was unlike anything I had ever had, and it intrigued me greatly. It had a spice and a sweetness to it, another combo I don’t usually like – but in the dish she brought, it was delightful.
She gave me the recipe, and then I modified it to add vegetables to the dish. So this is my modified recipe for Curry Chicken, especially for those who don’t like Asian food (and perhaps for those who do.) It’s easy to make, has simple ingredients, and even my kids like it.
Ingredients:
6-8 Chicken Breasts, thinly sliced
6 tbsp. Butter
1/2 c. Mustard (yellow or spicy, your preference – I’ve tried both and they’re great)
1 c. Honey (it’s best when it comes from your Dad’s bees…but I hear that everyone’s Dad doesn’t have bees, so…)
4 tsp. Curry Powder (There are a lot of different kinds, but I use McCormick Yellow Curry Powder.)
2 tsp. Salt
1 c. Water
1 Bag of Sliced Carrots (or 4 Carrots that you slice yourself)
1 Onion, thinly sliced
What to do with those things:
1. Melt butter in a skillet, then add mustard, honey, curry and salt. Stir over medium heat until boiling, then remove from heat.
2. Roll Chicken in the mixture, then put in a baking dish. Do not pour the rest of the liquid over the chicken – it will keep plenty on its own.
3. Cover the chicken and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until cooked through.
4. While the chicken is cooking, add 1 cup of water to the remaining mixture and bring to a boil again.
5. Add carrots and onions to the mixture, then cover and let simmer for a good while. If the carrots don’t seem to be softening, add more water.
6. Serve the chicken and carrots separately or mixed together, paired with Basmati rice. For more of a kick, add more curry at the table.
And to make it even more alluring, it’s super healthy. Before the rice, this dish has only 370 calories per serving (after 1 cup of rice, it’s a total of 575 – still not bad.)
So enjoy – and without guilt!
(And feel free to scoff at me for my lack of Asian taste buds.)
I can’t believe you don’t like asian food! Besides my 13 year old picky kid, I have never known anyone to not like Teriyaki chicken! Even my 5 year old likes it. lol. However, thanks for the recipe! I’m definitely going to try it, seems so easy.
It is strange…but I blame my parents.
They didn’t eat any Asian food while we were growing up, so my tastes were underdeveloped.
Now they’re all global and stuff and Dad will invite me to meet them at the Chinese Buffet. And I’m like, “Sorry. You ruined me.”
So what do you do with the onions? They were in the ingredient list but I didn’t see them used in the steps. I would love to try this out – never seen a curry recipe like this. Thanks for sharing!
Oops – I fixed it! You put them in with the carrots. But because they cook so much faster, you might want to put them in later if you don’t like nearly cooked-away onions.
So funny, I LOVE Asian food, but don’t like curry! Maybe I’ll have to give this a try and see if I like it. We are training our kids young, and they love Chinese/Japanese food and are starting to like Thai food. Of course, that is the American version. My mom says real Chinese food is NOTHING like what we have. Maybe that’s why I don’t like curry. I’ve only had it made by my SIL who learned to make it from her grandparents who were missionaries in Japan their whole lives.
Yum, that sounds delicious! I’d add peas to the carrot mixture. You could also use red/green/yellow peppers. Some chopped peanuts or cashews would up the calories but go with the mild curry style, I think. Or chopped spring onion on top… or some natural yoghurt stirred into the sauce to make it creamy….
Ooh, I’m hungry. Should go and make dinner for myself now!
And now you just made my Curry no longer for the faint of heart! :-)
I think the peanuts in Thai food makes me uncomfortable. Not sure why. But I could totally do the peas.
I didn’t like Asian food until after I was married – To a man who loves Sushi and all foods Asian. It took a couple years before I let him drag me out and while I cannot say I love it all, I have grown to love Teriyaki Chicken and Orange Chicken, plus a few more. Sushi though is still frowned at. Luckily my kids have taken after daddy and love most all foods. I am still trying to acquire a taste for Greek. I haven’t found a place that has convinced me to love it.
I can understand that – Greek food not done right is ugly and bland. I’m just fortunate to live in a city chock full of Greek Immigrants.
Hmm. I love Chinese food and Sushi, both within what are small repertoires compared to some of my friends. But Indian foods are usually too much for me. Since you say this is for the not-so-much-a-fan-anyway, I am thinking it just might be toned down enough to try!