Chicken With Curried Cream Sauce

This recipe originally called for turkey, which immediately conjured up a quote from  Bridget Jones’ Diary in my head. “Once again I found myself on my own going to my mother’s annual turkey curry buffet.” But you have to say “buffet” like Renée Zellweger does…”boo-fey”. I have adored Renée since Jerry Maguire, but am I the only one who thought she seemed a little…um, tipsy during her stint as an Oscar presenter last night? I was thinking about her on stage appearance as I sat to do my menu planning for the week this morning – and this turkey curry recipe leapt off the page at me. I wanted to dress like an old couch when making it. I used chicken instead as I already had some out waiting to be turned into something delicious and bumped up the curry (could have even done more), but left the original recipe otherwise intact. It was delicious and easy but a little out of the ordinary. Yummy.

Start by slicing up a yellow squash and a zucchini.

Then an onion. Nice and thin. Every time I slice an onion thinly, I want to sing “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” – just the first line. It’s the only time I wish I had poor eyesight, so I could successfully block the stinging with contacts.

My chicken breasts were enormous, so I only needed these two. Those of you who know me, please refrain from jokes about how ironically different these giant ones are from those attached to the front of me. Yes, I overcompensate by purchasing only the most well endowed chickens. You could also use leftover chicken or turkey for this meal easily. Cut into cubes and cook them up in a frying pan with a little salt and pepper.

While the chicken is cooking, put the rice on to simmer and then we’ll make a curry rue. Butter, flour and curry. I used 1 teaspoon (double the original recipe) and the flavor was still very light. If you like curry at all, I’d bump it to closer to 2 teaspoons. If you aren’t sure if you are a fan of curry, this is a great recipe to try out for your first foray into this gorgeous spice.

Mix in some milk and broth, let it thicken and then set it aside off the heat. I highly recommend tasting the sauce before you set it off the heat. If it has enough spice for you, great – if not, add some more!

The chicken should be done by now and we’ll get started on the veggies. A little oil in a medium hot pan and then in they go.

Cook for just a couple of minutes until they are softened, then add the chicken back to the pan and pour the sauce on top. Isn’t that sauce gorgeous?

Mix it well and zest a little lemon on top to finish it off.

Keep on low heat until your rice is done – should only be a few minutes longer. Unless, you made brown rice (which I cannot stand). I can’t help you for timing out brown rice. It’s just too much of a bother.

Mmmmm. The creamy sauce has just a little spice and beautiful flavor.

A little sprinkle of chopped cashews on top gives a hint of crunch. Very delicious. Even Bridget Jones would approve.

Chicken with Curried Cream Sauce
adapted from Taste of Home

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 small yellow summer squash, sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Hot cooked rice
3 tablespoons chopped cashews

Directions

• In a small saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour and curry until smooth. Gradually add broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; set aside.
• In a large skillet, cook chicken until no longer pink. Remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the squash, zucchini and onion in oil until tender. Add the turkey, lemon peel and reserved sauce; heat through. Serve with rice. Sprinkle each serving with cashews. Yield: 3 servings.