Ellen Hanson’s Chicken Curry {Naptime Tales from the Trenches}

Hand-me-down recipes are often the best of the bunch. Today Ellen Hanson is sharing one of her favorites, her mom’s unique recipe for Chicken Curry. These days Ellen leads the life of a busy New Yorker, heading up Ellen Hanson Designs, her own green and eco-sustainable design firm, and traveling around the country to work with clients. Despite her hectic schedule Ellen still makes time to fit great food into her daily life. As you’ll read, Ellen has fond memories of this delicious meal and still discusses it’s merits with her sister. It is perfect for a cozy dinner at home or for serving a crowd. In her post Ellen eloquently, and accurately, explains how this dish can easily be made in steps throughout the day while dealing with everyday household chaos. And, it brings with it the bonus of leftovers!

I learned this simple and flexible recipe from my Mom.  She has five kids of her own and we were always curious to try her latest dish from cooking class back in the 70’s.  In those days you couldn’t buy a rotisserie chicken, but that’s the secret update to this quick and easy meal.

Purchase an organic rotisserie chicken with no flavoring along with a couple of apples, an onion, and strained Greek yogurt.  First step- put your rice on with whatever method works best at your house, by the time it is ready your meal will be done.

While the kids are doing their homework (or their Lego creations), skin and cube both an apple and an onion. Toss them in a large saucepan along with a little vegetable oil. Saute on medium heat until they begin to soften, but not turn to mush.  If desired, add minced garlic and/or minced ginger. Sprinkle two teaspoons of curry powder and coat all ingredients thoroughly, then turn off the heat and fold in yogurt, salt, and pepper to taste.  You can hold the process at this point if you need to deal with other chaos in the house.

When you are back at the kitchen counter remove and discard the skin, then take the meat from the bone and cut into bite-sized chunks. (Bonus dish: chicken broth! Toss the carcass into a small stockpot along with any appropriate vegetables that might be in your crisping drawer. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer for the rest of the evening.)

Just before serving gently fold the chicken chunks back into the sauce.  Heat carefully over low heat so the yogurt does not curdle.

My sister (with three boys at home) recently emailed requesting this recipe and reminded me why we especially loved this dish as kids. When serving, our mother would provide small bowls with chopped peanuts, shredded coconut, cilantro, and raisins. Passing around the condiments and customizing each of our servings made this a favorite family meal.