I am loving the Vadouvan curry powder I’ve found at a local spice merchant; so much so that I find myself adding it to more and more recipes. Spaghetti sauce? Why not!
So, when it came time to actually make chicken masala, it was a no brainer that I would eschew the plain ole curry powder in my spice racks in favor of the Vadouvan.
How’d it turn out?
Terrific! Except…
I thought it totally rockin’, but Rich thought it tasted a touch on the sweet side.
*sigh*
The thing is, I was out of canned tomatoes, so I substituted a can of tomato soup.
Oh well, tomAYto (soup) or tomAHto (can), it is still pretty darned tasty.
Try it and see if you don’t agree.
INGREDIENTS
Marinade:
•1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
•2-1/2 tbsp plain, Greek yogurt
•1 small lemon, juiced
•1 tsp dried parsley
•1/2 tsp turmeric
•1/4 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1/4 tsp black pepper
•1/4 tsp curry powder
•1/8 tsp Cayenne
•1/8 tsp sea salt
Masala:
•1 (14-1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes (I used a can of tomato soup)
•2-3 cloves garlic, minced
•1 tsp Aleppo pepper
•1 large onion, diced
•2 or 3 carrots, chopped
•1 cinnamon stick
•1 cup water
•2 tbsp tomato paste
•1 tbsp olive oil
•1 tbsp butter
•1 tbsp brown sugar (I used smoked)
•3 tsp Vadouvan
•1 tbsp Sherry Peppers Sauce
•1 cup water
•Sea salt, to taste
•1/4 cup heavy cream
•Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
Whisk the marinade ingredients together and add to a gallon-sized zipper bag along with the chicken.
Flip the bag to coat the chicken evenly with the marinade, then stash on a rimmed plate 
(to catch any drippage) in the fridge for a couple of hours, or, always more better, overnight, flipping the bag and mebbe giving the chicken a little squeeze when you think of it.
When ready to cook, remove the chicken from the bag and shake off any excess marinade. Discard the marinade.
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the onion and carrot, the cinnamon stick, and one teaspoon of the Vadouvan.
Cook until the onion is translucent and lightly browned, about ten minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes, then add another teaspoon of the Vadouvan, the tomatoes (or tomato soup), and the tomato paste. Stir to blend, then cook over medium low heat until the sauce has thickened a bit.
Add the chicken, cover, and cook for five minutes per side.
Stir in the last teaspoon of Vadouvan, the brown sugar, Sherry Peppers Sauce, and one cup of water, increase the heat back to medium and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat back to low (I know – medium, low, medium, then low again – trust me, this is the last time), cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through ad quite tender.
Remove the chicken and cut into chunks.
Remove and discard the cinnamon stick, then add the chicken chunks back to the pot along with the heavy cream.
Stir to combine, then, with the heat still on low (see? I told you!) gently heat through.
Taste and adjust the seasonings, if you think it’s needed. Salt, pepper, mebbe a dash of hot sauce?
As I noted, I thought it a very pleasant masala topped with freshly chopped parsley.
My husband?
Not so much.
Oh, well.
All in all, next time, I will be certain to use a can of tomatoes; but still a nice, pretty simple to toss together, and tasty dinner with yellow rice and stir fried asparagus.