Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Curried Rhubarb Chicken


I love this chicken dish! Truly, it is one of my all-time favorites. It's ideal for Spring, with its abundance of seasonal rhubarb. And it's got curry, one of my most beloved flavors. What more can I say???

Well, let's see:

This is a great family dinner, though it's special enough for an event.

The house smells amazing while it cooks!

You get both protein and fruit in this meal, livened up by the rich flavor of the spices.

It's simple to make, requiring no special equipment or prolonged time frame.

Hmmm ... to paraphrase a line in the fabulous and extraordinary movie "Amadeus": I am passionate. Do I persuade???

I tried making a variation on this with pork one time, and it didn't work at all: the pork was tough, rather than meltingly tender as I'd expected it to be. Odd, but that's what happened. I haven't tried this with chicken breasts, though I imagine that using a different part of the same beast would still result in a luscious dish.

So, go ahead -- try this! And if you can't find all of the spices, just use some extra curry powder. It'll be fine, and your dinner will still be delicious ... :)


Please note that I am NOT ignoring all of my beloved blogging buddies, both new and old!!! Every time I've tried to post a comment, Blogger asks me to pick an identity; I choose "Google Account." I'm then asked to sign in, even though I'm perpetually signed in; then my comment comes back up, it claims to be from someone named "Anonymous" rather than from Yenta Mary, and then when I try to post it anyway I get taken right back to the sign-in page ... oy. Quite the Sisyphean frustration! So if I can ever manage to be myself again, I'll go back to letting all of you know how much I love what you write ....


Curried Rhubarb Chicken

2 tablespoons + 3 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon + 2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ginger
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup white wine (I used Flip Flop Wines Riesling)
1/2 pound rhubarb, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2” pieces
4 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 425F.

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, red pepper flakes, coriander, cumin, ginger and curry powder; saute 1 minute. Add onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion softens a bit. Add wine and rhubarb; bring to a boil, then cover and cook 10 minutes over medium heat. Stir, then re-cover and cook 10 more minutes until rhubarb has broken down into a sauce.



In a 10” skillet, heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with remaining 2 teaspoons of salt and the black pepper. Place chicken into the skillet skin-side down; cook 5 minutes until well-browned, then turn chicken over and cook 5 more minutes. Place chicken skin-side up into a greased 9”x13” baking dish, and pour rhubarb sauce over it; sprinkle with brown sugar.

Place baking dish into the oven and bake chicken for 40-45 minutes.

Serves 6-8.




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12 comments:

MikiHope said...

Hum--I LOVE rhubarb!! Pairing it with chicken sounds intriging--think I will try this!!

Michele aka MikiHope
www.mikishope.com

Cranberry Morning said...

Mary, if this were April 1st, I'd be sure it was a joke. Rhubarb and curry??? My mind is having a hard time wrapping itself around this recipe, but I trust you, I have all the ingredients on hand (this will be the first picking of my rhubarb), and I'm ready to make this for dinner tonight! Thank you. :-)

Anonymous said...

New follower from the Sock Hop!
The Job of Mommy

Unknown said...

Sounds delicious indeed!!! I will admit, I have never actually had rhubarb in a savory dish like this. Come to think of it, that's kind of odd :)
Sorry to hear about your troubles with commenting...blogger seems to be having more and more issues lately.

Unknown said...

I am SO making this today or tomorrow with the rhubarb I got from a colleague. I've never had a curry with wine before, but I imagine it has something to do with breaking down the rhubarb? Or maybe you just like wine :-)

Nicole said...

I never would have thought of that combination!

Candace said...

Yum! Sweet, spicy and all that is wonderful about rhubarb and wine. I've got to try this soon. This recipe is absolutely inspired! Yum! My husband thought that the rhubarb that I prepared for the crisp the other night would be great on pork. I'll bet if you just used your curry sauce on top of a grilled pork loin instead of cooking it in the sauce that it would be fabulous.

lindy said...

Hi! New follower from Wayback Wednesdays blog hop! Would love it if you'd swing by my blog when you get a chance! :)

Vicky said...

Yum looks good!

I'm a new follower from the Wednesday Blog hop...love it if you could follow me back :)

www.mommylovesgiveaways.com

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

I bet this is good! Totally different and delicious. I'm not a rhubarb fan in sweet dishes (like pie) but as savory I can see the beauty. Like sweet & sour. YUM!! Thanks for the fun & different recipe idea Yenta Mary!

Beth Howard said...

Totally saving this to try. It sounds divine!

Unknown said...

As promised, I made this tonight and it was awesome! The brown sugar caramelized on top of the chicken and the rhubarb dissolved into a super-yummy sauce. We had it on rice.

I'll send you pictures because it won't be posted until July unless I switch some posts around.


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