Chicken Chickpea Curry Bowls

I think one of the secrets to my marriage is that I make a passable curry recipe.  I'm still afraid of raw ginger (I will conquer this in 2010, I swear), most of the spices that are typically mentioned in "authentic" Indian recipes have me scratching my head, but I'm not afraid to buy curry powder and use it.  And my husband loves curry - he loves curry even when I screw up the recipe, so he was particularly happy one night when I announced I was making Rachael Ray's Chicken Chickpea Curry Bowls.

One of the blog sites that I have bookmarked is Everything Rachael Ray and they've been kind enough to link to me on a couple of occasions.  This recipe was featured and I knew that I had to try it:

Rachael's Chicken Chickpea Curry Bowls
Adapted from Rachael Ray and Everything Rachael Ray

1 T. EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 baked chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 large red pepper, sliced
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 cup plain yogurt [I used Greek yogurt - the full fat, thick and wonderful stuff.]
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 14.5-ounce can chick peas, drained and rinsed
Green onions, sliced (optional)
Brown rice to serve

Yields: 4 servings


Editor's Note: In an effort to save time, I cooked up a large batch of rice and kept it in the fridge to use throughout the week.   Dishing out the rice and having to heat it up separately also keeps hubby and I from eating inordinate amounts of rice at dinner (we love us some brown rice - we're slightly addicted to carbs).  But if you need to make rice, here's the recipe:  In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine rice, water and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed.

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan EVOO and warm the chicken. Add the peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes.

Sprinkle with the curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the yogurt and simmer gently for 3 minutes, adding a splash of water if it needs to loosen up a little (I used some of the juice from the diced tomatoes for this.)  Stir in the tomatoes and chickpeas then remove from heat.

When trying this, I felt like there was something missing (something I feel frequently when I'm making my own curry ...), so I added a dash of cinnamon for some warmth and a bit of cayenne for some heat.  And damn - it was good.

Divide the rice and chicken mixture among individual bowls and garnish with the green onion.

A few more notes ... the original recipe called for ground chicken, which I'm sure is really good.  There had been a sale on chicken breasts (bone-in, alas!) but I bought them and baked them at 400 degrees until they were done and then took the meat off the bone, stashed some in the freezer for future dishes and left the rest in the fridge.   I also had the brown rice cooked and on hand.  I do this when I'm working on other stuff in the kitchen, because it saves time later in the week when I'm fracking exhausted and would rather eat cereal than actually cook dinner.