Elsa's Chicken Curry

Ingredients

For the poached chicken:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
4 ribs celery from the heart, chopped
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1 pack (3 breasts, 6 to 8 ounces each) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pack (about 4) boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 bay leaf
For Elsa’s Curry Sauce:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
2 Honey Crisp, McIntosh or Gala apples, quartered, core cut away and chopped with skin left on
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 tablespoons mincemeat
2 tablespoons Major Grey's mango chutney
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 cup Basmati rice, cooked to package directions
Toppings:
Chopped scallions
Spanish peanuts
Unsweetened coconut
Major Grey's Chutney

Yields: 4 servings

Preparation

Heat a medium-size soup pot over medium to medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon EVOO, about 1 turn of the pan. Add the garlic, onion, carrots and celery and sauté until they start to soften up, 5-6 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and water, bring up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the chicken and a bay leaf to the pot. Poach the chicken with a bay leaf until cooked through, 15 minutes. (The chicken can remain on stove over low heat through the curry preparation).

Get the rice started for tonight's dinner, according to package directions; it will take longer to cook than it takes to prepare the curry.

For the curry, heat a large skillet with a tablespoon of EVOO, about 1 turn of the pan, and the butter over medium heat. Cooks the onion until they start to get really tender, then add the garlic and continue to cook until the onions caramelize, about 12-15 minutes total. Season with a little salt and add the apples, cook 3-4 minutes, then sprinkle in the flour and curry powder. Cook for a minute then melt in the peanut butter, mincemeat and chutney. Stir in the chicken stock and simmer about 5 minutes to combine flavors.

While the curry is simmering, chop up 2 chicken breasts and 2 chicken thighs. Add a little lemon juice to the sauce, turn off the heat and fold in the chicken. Fill shallow bowls with the chicken curry and top them off with a small scoop of rice. Serve the assorted toppings alongside.

To prepare for the next night's meal, let the poaching liquid cool and chop up the remaining chicken breast and thighs. Add the meat back to the pot of cooled broth and veggies and place into the refrigerator for tomorrow night's Chicken Soup With Broken Spaghetti.