Oh home sweet home. For some reason I get the most homesick during the spring and fall. Probably because there’s such a disconnect here in LA from actual seasons. So to hold me over until my Christmas visit, I pull out some classic Robson family recipes. My papa is a master of concocting beautiful one pot dinners… goulash, chicken ala king, stirfrys, and this marvelous orange curry. I learned from him at a young age about creative freedom in the kitchen: the joy of experimenting with unfamiliar cuisines and exotic spices and being bold and fearless in your cooking. This recipe has all of these things with a couple minor Gwen tweaks, like swapping in fresh herbs, whole spices, and toasting the nuts pre-cooking for maximum flavor. It’s a great dish to cozy up with particularly on a chilly fall evening. Or at least as chilly as LA can get. Happy November everyone!
Keith’s Orange Curried Chicken over Rice
Makes 4 dinner servings
A whole chicken (3-4lb), cut up
1 sweet onion, diced
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup cashew pieces, toasted
1 apple, peeled and diced
2 1/2 tsp curry powder
A touch of freshly grated nutmeg
4 fresh sage leaves, finely minced or 1/2 tsp dried sage
1 packet chicken bouillon
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, defrosted or 2 cups OJ simmered over low heat until reduced to 1/2 cup
2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/8 cup reserved broth
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1.5 cups jasmine or basmati rice
4-5 cups reserved broth
Start by breaking down the chicken. Place in a large stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer over medium-low for 7-10 minutes, until chicken is just cooked through and broth is gently flavored. Remove chicken and reserve broth. Allow chicken to cool 20-30 minutes, then shred the meat by hand into bite-sized pieces, discarding bones and skin.
In a large saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups rice with 3 cups reserved broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to steam for 20-25 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Turn heat off and allow rice to stand covered for at least 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
While rice is cooking, return your broth pan to the skillet over medium-high heat. Melt butter, then saute onion until tender, about 7 minutes. Add in apples, raisins, cashews, chicken, curry powder, nutmeg, sage, bouillon, and season generously with salt and pepper. Saute 5-6 minutes until the fruit starts to get some color.
Pour in 1 1/2 cup reserved broth and the orange juice concentrate and bring to a simmer. Add the cornstarch slurry and cook 1-2 minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken. Remember to taste again at the end and adjust your salt and pepper seasonings accordingly. Right before serving, stir in fresh parsley.
Serve in a bowl over the warm rice and dig in.
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