Mango Chicken Curry

I happened upon the book Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist last month, and her writing style and food philosophy totally resonated with me. At one point she describes her dining room table as being the heart of her house, and I just loved that. I ended up ordering a copy for my mom on Amazon, and she finished it in in just a few days. 

While my mom was in town visiting, we cooked this amazing curry from the book. These pictures do not do the dish justice, though I will not apologize as our priority that night was sitting down together around the table, enjoying a great meal, and celebrating our family time. You can see my dad had worked up quite an appetite doing yard work - there is a reason we nicknamed him "the human machete" and we later dropped off 300 pounds of yard brush at the dump! 

Since moving to the new house, I have found myself less willing to push off dinner in order to get a couple of great pictures. I'm sure you understand that real life must take priority over the blog, and this book was a good reminder to live in real time. 

With that being said, DO try this curry and DO read Bread & Wine, it's truly a wonderful read. Here are a few of my favorite ideas from the book - 

* we learn by DOING - not reading magazines, watching the food network, and eating out. Get in your kitchen and cook!

* when in doubt about what to cook for dinner, start with an onion. Even if you don't use it that night, the kitchen will smell amazing. 

* need an easy 30 minute meal - default to salad, or soup, or a rice bowl, or taco night. 

* the goal of entertaining is to be a happy and CALM host that greets your friends with a hug, glass of wine, and smile. Set your menu so that you can be that host, not the frazzled one in the kitchen. 

Mango Chicken Curry

from Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist

¼ cup all-purpose flour 
2 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
2-4 tbsp coconut oil
2-2.5 lbs chicken breasts, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
¼ cups raisins
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1 mango, pitted and diced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (approx ½ a lime)
3 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 cups dry rice (white or brown) prepared according to package directions

1. Mix together flour, curry powder, salt and pepper. Cut chicken into small pieces, and toss with mixture until each piece is well coated.
2. Heat 2-3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until a drop of water fizzles 
3. Cook chicken pieces just until brown and crispy (only a few minutes, it's ok if it's not fully cooked) Set aside.
4. If pan seems dry, add a little more olive oil and let it heat back up. Combine onion and red pepper in pan and cook until onion is softened (about 4-5 min). Add ginger and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, watching carefully to make sure the garlic doesn't burn.
5. Add chicken back to the pan and lower heat.
6. Add 4 cups chicken broth. Simmer until the broth reduces by about ¼. This takes some time...(I let mine simmer for 45 minutes)
7. Add raisins, tomatoes, and mango until they are heated through.
8. Remove from heat, and stir in lime juice, cilantro and basil.
9. Serve over rice.