Chicken in Yellow Curry - a delicious and hearty dish!

      For those of you that have followed my blog since the beginning (maybe you are out there somewhere...) you may have read about the unbeatable Italian treat: Roasted Balsamic Strawberries.  That recipe as well as the recipe below comes from one of the greatest cook books I own, The World Kitchen. 
     I have made many recipes from this unique and worldly cookbook, but the Chicken in Yellow Curry is my first adventure in trying a recipe from the Thai and Vietnamese region of the book.  I do love curry though, so I had a lot of faith in how this recipe would turn out; plus, Luke and I both were aching for some sweet potatoes!
     This dish is relatively easy to make (although cooking the chicken can get time consuming) but the delight that follows is well worth the wait.  Tender chicken soaked in a sweet, yet slightly spicy sauce...what more could you ask for?

 Chicken in Yellow Curry Deliciousness (makes about 6 servings, allow just over an hour for cooking)
Ingredients:

• 3 T canola oil
• 3 lbs, skinless chicken thighs (recipe calls for bone in, but I prefer boneless)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 3 T curry powder
• 1 T packed brown sugar
• 1 T red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 stalks lemongrass (*Note: Lemon grass can be expensive.  Instead I substituted 1.5t lemon zest and 1/8t minced ginger....thanks to the AmAzInG Food Substitutions Bible)
• 1 T minced ginger
• 1 C chicken stock
• 1 can (13.5 oz) coconut milk
• 2 T fish sauce
• 3 carrots, cut into about 1 inch chunks
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
• Slices of fresh basil leave (to garnish, about 3 T)

Directions:

1. In a dutch oven or heavy pot (3.5 quarts is just big enough), warm the oil over med-hi heat.  Working with about 3 thighs at a time, sear chicken until browned on both sides (about 8 minutes per batch).  Set aside on plate.
2. Add garlic and shallots to pot and saute until fragrant (30 seconds or so).  Add the curry, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, about 1t black pepper, lemongrass (or substitute), and ginger and saute until fragrant and well blended (another 30 seconds or so).  Add the stalk and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot.  Stir in coconut milk and fish stalk and bring mixture to a boil.
3. Once boiling, add all chicken, carrots, and sweet potatoes.  Make sure all are pushed down into the pot to be covered by the sauce.  Partially cover and cook over low heat for about an hour.  Veggies should be tender and chicken cooked through.
4. Spoon mixture into bowls and garnish with the basil.  Serve hot for a heart warming, curry experience!  (*Note: the recipe says to spoon the mixture onto a platter, but as far as I am concerned this would create a terrible saucy mess....so I opted to spoon straight into bowls.  One less thing to clean)!  

Heart Warming Deliciousness in Every Bite!!

This is a nice warm meal, perfect for a fall or winter day.  Please let me know what you think and Happy Cooking!

Bon Appetit!