Mango Chicken Curry

When you grow up among the snowy, blustery cornfields of Minnesota, comfort food becomes a staple rather than an indulgence on a dark and stormy night. Of course, anyone from that area would immediately think of casserole (or hotdish if you speak Minnesotan), because we all grew up on the noodle based one-pot wonders glued together with Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some chicken noodle casserole from time to time. But, once I broke out of my snow globe and experienced the culinary wonders of other worlds (and states, for that matter), comfort food took on new meaning. Now, when I think of comfort food, of course casserole sits front and center (you can’t erase 20 years of Campbell’s soup from your slate), but my go-to food is Indian curry. From the moment I tasted mango chicken curry, I was hooked. I really have to pace myself on how often I make it during the fall and winter, but today marks the kick off of my curry filled autumnal bliss. I make this dish insanely spicy, but I make a separate version for my daughter with almost no curry in it, since the mango chutney has a hint of heat. You can find some very decent naan in the markets; so, unless you have a tandoor or a stone hole in your floor that heats up to uber blazing degrees, I recommend store bought naan as an accompaniment. To jazz it up a bit, drizzle olive oil on the naan and sprinkle with crushed garlic and a dash of kosher salt (or brush with melted garlic butter) prior to heating.

Mango Chicken Curry

Note: As much as I ordinarily prefer chicken breasts, this dish begs for thighs.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 diced onion

4 tablespoons hot curry powder (reduce amount for a less spicy curry); use mild curry powder for the kids’ version and use ½ - 1 teaspoon

1 pound chicken thighs

2 cups chicken stock

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons mango chutney

Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about five minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger and sauté for one  minute. Add curry powder and sauté for one to two minutes to coat the onion mixture.

Add the chicken thighs and sauté until cooked through.

Add chicken stock and tomato paste. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Stir in the mango chutney and simmer for five minutes. Best served over rice with warm Naan.

Yields four servings.