Based on a recipe I found several years ago, and this is one of our go-to dishes, being relatively easy to prepare, with tasty results. It’s undergone a few iterations as we’ve experimented with different preparations, but this seems to be the happy medium. The cauliflower rice is a recent addition, and it really benefits from the extra seasoning and being dried out in the cast iron pan.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 2 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1 tsp Neutral Oil (vegetable oil, canola oil, etc.)
- 1 Medium Onion
- 6 Cloves Garlic
- 1 inch of Fresh Ginger
- 1 tbsp Curry Powder
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Ground Turmeric
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tbsp Water
- 1 15 oz can Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 cup 0% Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- 2 10 oz bags of frozen cauliflower rice
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Chop the onion, mince the 6 cloves of garlic, and peel and mince 1 inch of fresh ginger (should be at least 1.5 tsp minced).
- Cut the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces.
- Put the 1 tsp of oil into the 6 L Dutch Oven pot, and heat it on Medium-High until water flicked into the oil crackles.
- Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to the pot, and cook while stirring until the onion is translucent.
- Turn down the heat to Low, and measure out and add 1 tbsp curry powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tbsp water.
- Raise the heat back up to Medium-High, and stir and heat everything together for 1 minute.
- Add the 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of yogurt, 1 tsp of salt, and 1/2 cup of water to the pot. Mix everything together.
- Mix in the pieces of chicken thigh.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the curry is simmering, heat the cast iron pan on High.
- The hotter the pan the better.
- Pour the frozen cauliflower rice into the cast iron pan, and break it up as it thaws.
- Add 1/2 tsp of salt and 2 tbsp of curry powder to the cauliflower rice and stir it in.
- Continue stirring the cauliflower rice. It should dry out substantially, and brown a little. This should take several minutes. Once satisfied, reduce heat to lowest setting to keep warm.
- Once the curry has finished simmering, add 1 tsp of garam masala to the pot, and stir it in. Allow to simmer for 1 minute.
- Add the cauliflower rice to bowls, and ladle the curry on top of it.
Notes
- I changed the protein from chicken breasts to chicken thighs because they’re less sensitive to being overcooked.
- I removed the chicken browning step for simplicity and to save preparation time. Although I do appreciate the impact of a good Maillard reaction, this dish is very flavorful already thanks to the spices involved. I’m not sure I miss it.
- The fresh cilantro and fresh lemon juice were also removed for simplicity. They could both be tasty additions if you have them on hand.
- Store any leftover cauliflower rice and curry separately.
- I moved the addition of the garam masala to the end of the recipe as I’ve read elsewhere that the flavors in it are damaged by cooking for too long.
- I tend to be pretty liberal with the garlic and ginger, and it typically turns out well. This recipe already has more than the original.
- The seasoning for the cauliflower rice is still under experimentation. The salt should be about right, but we’ve gone as high as 2 tbsp on the curry powder (though that was almost certainly too much.) I suggest seasoning it to your taste. Fresh steamed and plain from the bag definitely waters down the curry though, so browning and seasoning it is definitely important for a superior result.