Chicken Curry (Murgh Kari)

There's nothing better than a pot of hearty, spicy chicken curry to warm the spirit on a gloomy winter day. This amazing recipe is adapted from the Cook's Illustrated book, The Best International Recipe. With this recipe, it is very important to have your ingredients "pot ready"—all prepped and ready to go.


Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large yellow potato, diced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup water
1–14.5oz. can low-sodium diced tomatoes
⅓ cup frozen green peas
½ cup nonfat plain yogurt
Salt and pepper, to taste

Spice Blend:
2 ½ teaspoons garam masala
1½ teaspoons cumin
1½ teaspoons coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon mustard powder
Pinch cayenne

Combine spices in a small bowl; set aside. Heat a dutch oven or large pot with oil over medium. Sauté spices until fragrant (10 sec.). Stir in onions and potatoes. Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are soft and light brown (10-12 min.). Stir in garlic, ginger, pepper, and tomato paste. Cook until fragrant (30 sec.). Stir in chicken to coat with the spices. Cook until just opaque. Stir in the water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until the chicken is done (15-20 min). Stir in yogurt and peas. Serve with brown rice and garnish with cilantro.

*You can make this a vegetarian dish by replacing the chicken with potatoes, cauliflower, and chickpeas.