Curried Chicken with Fresh and Dried Cranberries

I can hear the non-curry fans among you groaning but honestly that's akin to saying you're not into coffee, or chocolate. There's a ton of different kinds of curry, all with very unique flavors so if you give me enough time I'll surely find one that you like.

This particular version adapted from Eating Well makes use of curry powder along with cardamom, mustard seeds, ginger and garlic to spice up ordinary old skinless boneless chicken thighs and really make 'em fly. Just how good is it? Well, when the big guy came in the back door last night he said "what are you cooking - it smells so good in the garage". So what does that tell ya? From someone that used to be a non-curry lover I'd say it's something of a miracle. I said used to be! Much like salmon, curry has entered into the realm of "love it". Justice!

The moral of the story is there's got to be a curry out there that you'll like - just give it a chance. This one has very mild curry flavor, with plenty of heat and tang from the mustard seeds and sweetness from the cranberries. One thing I've found is that curry has to "bloom" so when it's treated to some heat and given a little time, it takes on a whole new complexity of flavor. We had this one topped with basmati rice cooked in a little coconut milk and garnished with shredded coconut, but you could also try chopped cilantro, or a little mint, or some Major Gray's chutney....or nothing at all. The best part is it made a huge pot and like most braises it'll taste even better today. Download Curried Chicken with Fresh and Dried Cranberries

Oh...about the garage. It seems to be the collection area for kitchen aromas around here which is kinda' confusing since it is at the front of the house and absolutely opposite and about as far away from the kitchen as you can get. As soon as that garage door goes up the big guy gets hit with the anticipatory aromas and makes tracks to the kitchen PDQ. Boy, is he well trained or what? 

Other curries you may enjoy

     Chicken Curry          Indian Yogurt Chicken   Trinidad Lamb Curry

Comments

[Mags]

I like curry, I think. What I mean is I like the sweet, non-hot curry. I like bringing in the heat with something else, but for the curry part, I just want the curry flavor. Does this make sense?

[tasteofbeirut]

I am incredulous when I hear people who don't like curry! This curry sounds wonderful and I love the addition of cranberries, how original and inspired.

[June]

The cranberries really add some "oomph" to this pot of golden goodness - sweet from the dried ones and tart from the fresh...and I was right. It was fabulous for lunch today in fact I've half a mind to make another pot.

[Nanan]

I need to start exploring curries again...

[June]

Lea - this was really wonderful but then again, so were the other 3 posted above....I guess I just haven't found one that I didn't like....except one that I had during a visit to London, England and it was bloody awful, but it was the cook's fault. Ha.