Chicken Jalfrezi

Hey everyone, Sarah here:

First of all, I apologize for the fact that it has been almost a month since I last posted!  The month of November was crazy and I haven't had a lot of free time lately.  Becca and I threw a Pre-Thanksgiving party with some of our friends and I made an amazing turkey with stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy which I was planning on posting, but of course I was running late and in a hurry by the end and didn't have the time to stop and take a picture at every step, so I only have photos for the first half of the recipes.

Anyways, last night Becca and I made a delicious Indian dinner using one of my favorite recipes, Chicken Jalfrezi.  For those of you who don't have a lot of experience making ethnic food, don't get scared off!  Chicken Jalfrezi is delicious, uses ingredients that are relatively easy to find (you should be able to find both coriander and curry paste in the ethnic foods aisle at your grocery store) and doesn't take very long either.  And it is also very healthy (admittedly unlike many of the recipes I've posted here).

Chicken Jalfrezi

Start by prepping your vegetables.  Finely dice up one medium onion.

Then dice up a red bell pepper

And a green bell pepper.

Mince up a couple of cloves of garlic.

Next, cut off a small piece of ginger root, about 3/4 - 1 inch wide, and peel it.

And...you guessed it...mince that up too.  The fastest and easiest way that I've found to mince fresh ginger is to pulse it in the food processor for a couple of seconds.

Throw all the vegetables together in a bowl as you prepare them, and admire how pretty they look together.

Next, heat some olive oil in a large skillet or wok.

And add in all of the vegetables.  Cook for 5-8 minutes, until soft.

While the vegetables are cooking, grab some skinless boneless chicken breasts.

And cut them up into bite-sized pieces.

Once the vegetables are soft, add in a tablespoon of red curry paste.  Yes, this is Thai curry paste.  It works just fine.

Stir the curry paste into the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes.

Add in 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder.

And 1 teaspoon of ground coriander (please don't mind the fact that my measuring spoon appears to glow in this picture.  Sorry about my photography skills.)

And 1 teaspoon of ground cumin.

Also add in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, but that's not pictured because I forgot.  Add about 1 tablespoon of water to the pan and mix the spices in with the vegetables and cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the chicken into the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until browned on all sides.

Then add in a 14-oz can of diced tomatoes.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, enjoy a glass of wine or a beer or something.  I'd like to give a shout-out here to Heidi, our Wine Fairy.  Heidi is our former neighbor who lived across the hall from us until she moved this past week.  When she moved, she left a whole bunch of loot outside our door, including: Christmas decorations, candles, plates, bowls, laundry detergent, and, our favorite, two bottles of wine!  So thank you, Heidi, Wine Fairy Extraordinaire!  We'll miss you.

After 10-15 minutes, check the chicken to see if it's done.  Here's what it should look like:

Serve over basmati rice, and enjoy!

This recipe is courtesy of our "Around the World" Cookbook, which we sadly under-utilize and need to try out more.

Many thanks go out also to my Aunt Jacqueline's sister Deborah, who sent us these great recipe cards!  We love them so much!

Chicken Jalfrezi
4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp. oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 or 2 garlic cloves, diced
3/4 inch piece of ginger, finely diced
1 tbsp. curry paste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
Basmati Rice, for serving

1. Remove any visible fat from chicken and cut into bite-sized cubes.

2. Heat oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, peppers, garlic and ginger.  Cook until soft, 5-8 minutes.

3. Add the curry paste and fry for 2 minutes.  Stir in the salt, chili powder, ground coriander and cumin, and add 1 tbsp. water, fry for 2 more minutes.

4. Add the chicken cubes and fry for 5 minutes.  Add in the diced tomatoes, then cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  Serve with basmati rice.

Tuscan Chicken Stew with Garlic Bread

Hi everyone, Sarah here -

It's starting to look and feel like fall here in Virginia and I'm not convinced it's ever going to stop raining.  Last weekend I made Tuscan Chicken Stew, which is delicious and comforting and relatively cheap to make.  It was the perfect meal for a rainy Sunday night.  It's a shame that my friend Mike is in Japan and therefore couldn't come over for dinner, because it's his favorite meal that I've ever made him.  So Mike, this one's for you.

Start with a package of chicken thighs.  The recipe calls for skinless, bone-in chicken thighs.  If you can find a package of skinless, bone-in thighs, good for you.  I couldn't find any, so I had to take the skin off of a bunch of regular chicken thighs.

Use a pair of chicken shears to cut away the skin from the thigh.  After making a few cuts, you should be able to peel away the skin from most of the thigh.

You can also use this opportunity to cut away some of the excess fat from the thighs. 

Heat some olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the skillet, rounded side down.

Brown the chicken, in batches if necessary, about 4 minutes per side.  

While the chicken is browning, dice up one large onion.

And a few cloves of garlic. 

Once the chicken is browned, transfer it to a platter.

And add the onion and garlic into pot.

Add in a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.

And a teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning.

Cook the onions, garlic and spices until slightly soft, about 5 minutes.

Add in a tablespoon or two of tomato paste.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook until brick red, about 1 minute.

Add in 1/2 cup of dry red wine.

Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that cling to the pan.

Bring to a boil and cook until syrupy, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, open and drain a can of cannellini beans (or Great Northern beans, they work too), and add it to the pan.

Add in a 14-oz can of chopped tomatoes.

And then add in 3/4 cup of chicken broth.

Bring the mixture to a boil.

Nestle the chicken pieces in the stew, adding any collecting juices to the pan.  Simmer the stew, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

While the stew is cooking, make some homemade garlic bread to eat with it.  Melt some butter in a pan.

Add in a few cloves of minced garlic.

Cut up a loaf of good Italian bread into thick slices.

Brush some garlic butter onto each slice.

Place each of the slices on a sheet pan.

And put in the broiler for a few minutes until it is golden brown.

After it has been simmering for 20 minutes, check the chicken thighs to see if they are cooked through.  Mine weren't fully cooked, so I had to leave them in for another 5 minutes.

Next add in about 4 cups of baby spinach leaves.  

Remember, do not be fooled by the quantity of raw spinach.  It will wilt down to nothing.

Finally, grate some pecorino or Parmesan cheese.

Stir the cheese into the stew and season with salt and black pepper to taste.  

Enjoy the stew!

Serve the stew in shallow bowls with the garlic bread.

Enjoy!  By the way, this recipe comes from "How To Boil Water", a Food Network cookbook that was one of the first ones I ever owned.  I highly recommend it for beginning cooks.

Tuscan Chicken Stew
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
1 15-oz can cannellini or Great Northern beans
8 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine.
1 14-oz can chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 cups baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese

1. Chop the onions, smash and peel the garlic.  Rinse and drain the beans in a colander or strainer.

2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season all over with salt and black pepper.  Add oil to the Dutch oven.  When the oil is hot, add chicken, skinned (rounded) sides down, and brown, in batches if necessary, about 4 minutes per side.  Transfer to a platter.

3. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and herbs; cook, stirring until onions are slightly soft, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste and cook until brick red, about 1 minute.  Add the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that cling to the pan.  Bring to a boil and cook until syrupy, about 1 minute.  Add the beans, tomatoes, and chicken broth, and bring to a boil.  Nestle the chicken pieces in the stew, adding any collected juices to the pan.  Simmer the stew, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

4. Add the spinach to the stew, cooking only until wilted, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the cheese and season with salt and black pepper to taste.    Serve in shallow bowls.