Butter Chicken

I’ve had writers block for chicken recipes this fall…but just spotted this recipe on fromaway.com. It has ginger, cayenne pepper, and cream. Doesn’t it look like the perfect winter meal? I cannot wait to try it.

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cubed
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger paste
2 tablespoons coriander powder
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
Salt, to taste
Vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
2 cups water
1/4 cup cashew nuts
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 fresno chile, seeded and diced
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup cream
1 tablespoon garam masala
1/4 cup parsley, chopped, for garnish
Method:

In a large bowl, toss chicken cubes, half the garlic, 1 teaspoon of the ginger, 1 tablespoon of the coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt. Toss until well coated and set aside.
Heat a slash of oil in a large skillet, and add the marinated chicken. Cook for about five minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
In the same skillet add the cumin seeds, the onion and remaining garlic and ginger to the skillet and saute for a couple minutes, until onions soften. Add two cups of water to the skillet, and stir. Add the cashew nuts, the remaining coriander powder, remaining red chili powder, the tomatoes, and the fresno chile, and stir well.
Let the sauce cook slowly over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a blender, and blend until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the skillet, and add the butter, the ketchup, and the sugar, and stir well.
Add the cream and the reserved chicken to the sauce. Cook the chicken for a few more minutes, making sure it’s cooked through. Add the garam masala and stir well. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve over rice.

Maple Roasted Chicken & Sweet Potatoes

i am definitely trying this recipe, because it follows my 2 rules for cooking:
1. nutritious, a dinner with lots of veggies is super!
2. fast! i don’t want to spend my entire weekend in the kitchen. my kids need all my attention and energy!

INGREDIENTS
1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces **see note below
1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons maple syrup
6 sprigs fresh thyme

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. Arrange the chicken, onion, and sweet potatoes in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Drizzle the oil over the chicken and vegetables and season with the salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Drizzle with the maple syrup and top with the sprigs of thyme.
3. Roast, stirring the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour, 15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

(recipe and photo from handletheheat.com

**To cut down on cooking time and make life easier, use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe. roast for about 40 minutes (until the skin is crisp and browned) then let it rest for 5 minutes.