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Chicken Breasts With Curry
![Chicken Breasts With Curry](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/06/27/dining/27COOKING-CURRY-CHICKEN-BREASTS2/27COOKING-CURRY-CHICKEN-BREASTS2-articleLarge.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 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
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a saucepan. Add onions, garlic, apple and celery. Stir until wilted.
- 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.
- 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.
- Step 4
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
- 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.
- Step 6
Pour sauce over chicken, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro, serve.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
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.
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.
Very good. I cut up the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and toss with another tablespoon of the curry powder before browning.
Cilantro is the American English word for the stems and leaves of coriander. "Cilantro" is the Spanish translation of coriander. Here in the US we only use "coriander" for the seeds. In British English the word "coriander" is used for stems, leaves, and seeds. "Cilantro" does not exist in British English.
Sublime! I I switched out the chicken breasts for thighs which I prefer in curries and stews (far more moist and flavorful). I therefore added in about fifteen more minutes of simmering and as suggested by other reviewers (thanks!), added in fresh grated ginger during the vegetable wilting step. For the curry powder, I used Penzey's Spices newest curry blend, The Now Curry, which was perfection (I did add in about a 1/4 teaspoon of hot cayenne chili pepper for a little extra kick).
I used coconut milk instead of chicken broth.
I cooked as written except that I cubed the chicken and cooked it right in the sauce after blending with an immersion blender (skipping the separate cooking process for the chicken). Easier. Just as good. If you made a double batch of sauce for freezing half of it, just remove half the sauce before adding the chicken.
My prior comment referenced a banana, which is not in the NYT version of the recipe. I had the original 60 Minute Gourmet cookbook, and that version of the recipe called for both the apple and 1/2 a banana, and that's how I made it. Very good!
Can the sauce be prepared a day earlier..then heated and added later?
This dish is so delicious! I use cut up chicken cutlets to make it faster to cook the chicken (2 min per side), and we prefer the smaller pieces vs. The full breasts. I also do not bother to puree the sauce, I just chop finely all the sauce ingredients. The chunkiness is good!
Easy and delicious. I cut my chicken breasts into equal size pieces of about 1 1/4 inches wide and tall. The cooking time in the recipe was spot on for this size - a perfect 165 degrees. I left out the apples and celery (didnt have them). For a side I added broccolini to the pan while the chicken cooked for the last five minutes. For those who found this dish bland, of course it is important to use a good curry powder. If you don't have a tasty curry powder on hand, don't cook this.
This chicken not only tasted great, it was very tender for boneless, skinless breasts, which can be as tough as a shoe. My four half-breasts totaled 1 1/3 pounds, so the cooking times in this recipe were perfect. But be very attentive to how much your chicken weighs, and adjust carefully. You'll be glad you did.
Same thing
I've made this a half dozen times now. I took Mon's advice and added some fresh ginger. This is a total winner recipe.
Whether you call it "cilantro" or "coriander," I leave it out. HATE the stuff.
I was intrigued by the apple and was not disappointed that it added a sweetness to the heat. I added more garlic (always) and some ginger paste with a serrano chili. Absolutely loved it. Hubby would have appreciated the raita so recommend that for those who are on the edge about spicy food. Served with a green salad. Definitely will make again!
I guess I was expecting more curry flavor but maybe my curry powder is not the best. I will make this again using thighs - cubed, as well as ginger and more garlic. It definitely will be on the rotation.
Added one of my smoked cayenne peppers for some heat and smokiness. Really worked well.
Wonderful and delicious- but must double the recipe for the sauce.
Great sauce! Great dish! Cut heat with raita next time. Yogurt, cucumber, dill. Served with brown rice and green veg. Lovely dinner, definitely make again.
I also made it with thighs and sauteed them after coating with chili and curry powders, S and P. I used 3 bay leaves, more garlic and curry-mine may have been old but it was too mild before adding extra. My family LOVED it and want it in our regular meal rotation.
Delicious! Need to have the chicken stock handy for a bit of thinning.
Didn’t have an apple so used unsweetened apple sauce - perfect! Also added a banana, carrots, garam masala, and a bunch of Thai chili flakes. Delicious!
Enjoying all the notes about coriander/cilantro! I learned via a genetic test for revealing my heritage that one’s love or hatred of cilantro is genetically linked. No in-between there! You really can blame it on Mom :< ).
I used canned tomatoes from the garden, cooked down. I added only half a cup, but in hindsight should have added more since I ended up needing more broth to make the sauce horrible.
Doubled recipe: used about an inch fresh ginger, minced. Plus,had no canned crushed tomatoes other than a giant can, so I used fresh tomatoes and crushed them using my citrus squeezer tool. I used my immersion blender after the first simmer, then added the chicken which I cut into largish pieces. Finally, served over rice with a small sprinkling of crushed almonds on top. VERY TASTY!
Read the recipe and realized that this (plus a dollop of peanut butter) is the chicken curry I had cobbled together in the ‘80s as a sort of homage to the “chafing dish curry” that was the centerpiece of ‘60s dinner parties, surrounded by little bowls of condiments. Made it again after seeing this (great with rotisserie chicken, btw), and my adult daughter went crazy for it. Served with shredded coconut, green onions, slivered almonds, and chutney - and of course rice. Don’t omit the apple!
This is an easy weeknight dinner that’ll be fun to riff on. Followed the tips to cut chicken smaller, add ginger to the sauce, and skip the blending. I also added about 1/2 tsp tamarind paste and 1 T brown sugar to up the sweet/tangy factor. I might skip the sugar and add currants next time. And or dredge the chicken in flour before browning.
everyone loved it. I followed the advice of adding a banana and ginger. I used chicken tenderloins
This is amazing, simple and easy peezy. We added ginger paste per the recommendations of everyone else. Served with white rice and kale. I plan to add chunks of red bell pepper and potatoes next time. Maybe serve with indian rice and naan too. Highly recommend.
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