Chicken Breasts With Curry

By Pierre Franey

Chicken Breasts With Curry
Jason Henry for The New York Times
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
5(1,487)
Comments
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Here, standard weeknight chicken breasts are transformed into a dish that's fragrant and spicy. It's very easy to prepare: just make a quick stew of butter, onions, celery, garlic, apple, tomatoes and curry powder. Blend that together in a food processor until it forms a thick sauce, then combine with chicken breasts that have been lightly browned. Simmer until heated through, and enjoy with a snowy pile of rice. It beats takeout curry by a mile.

Featured in: 60-Minute Gourmet

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 3tablespoons butter
  • ½cup chopped onions
  • 2teaspoons chopped garlic
  • 1apple, cored and finely cubed, about 1 cup
  • ½cup finely chopped celery
  • 2tablespoons curry powder
  • ½cup canned crushed tomatoes
  • ¾cup chicken broth, more as needed
  • 1bay leaf
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4skinless boneless chicken breast halves, about 1¼ pounds total
  • 4tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

321 calories; 14 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 726 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan. Add onions, garlic, apple and celery. Stir until wilted.

  2. Step 2

    Add curry powder, stir. Add tomatoes, chicken broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.

  3. Step 3

    Discard bay leaf and put mixture through a food processor or food mill and process to a fine texture. If necessary, add more chicken broth to just reach pouring consistency.

  4. Step 4

    Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

  5. Step 5

    Heat remaining butter in a nonstick skillet and add chicken. Cook over moderate heat until lightly browned. Turn pieces and cook about 5 minutes more. Do not overcook.

  6. Step 6

    Pour sauce over chicken, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,487 user ratings
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Comments

kheminway

Yes, I've done this many times with excellent results. My family loves this dish so much that I make double or triple the recipe of sauce (through Step 3) and freeze the extra amount. Then, on a rushed day all I have to do is pull the sauce out and add the chicken for a quick but delicious dinner.

Mon

A couple of quick enhancements:
Add ginger along with garlic
Make ahead and let it soak a day. Curry is always better the day after.

rach

Very good. I cut up the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and toss with another tablespoon of the curry powder before browning.

drgonzo777

I just made this. Four stars. My intent was to use boneless skinless thighs, but I didn’t have any, so I used a butterflied chicken breast. I was careful not to overcook the bird. I did cover the pan after putting the curry sauce on the bird. Of course, every curry powder is different. I used a vadouvan curry. Could I have added extra curry? Perhaps, even though my mouth was mildly tingling after eating the preparation. Could I have added a touch of cayenne or some other pepper? Yup. At the end of the day, this was good. I want to try it with chicken thighs.

Jessie

This is so simple to make but it doesn't taste simple. I used fire roasted crushed tomatoes, which likely makes the dish less sweet. It has unpretentious yet complex tones and is delicious! I served it over rice and will be making it again for sure!

Sophie

Curry sauce is good. Definitely pay attention to the note about not overcooking the chicken - remember that there is 5 minutes of extra cooking with the sauce on top. Alas, my chicken came out a rubbery because of that.

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