I put dinner on the table and my son said “I don’t like that.”  It had smelled so good while it was cooking I was hoping to avoid this conversation.  Apparently, that was not to be….  So, my husband and I started with the usual responses like “How do you know if you don’t even try it?” and “That’s what’s for dinner so eat up!”  Before we went too far down that road, I stuck a chick pea, a piece of zucchini, and some chicken on his fork and asked (aka told) my 4-year-old to open up.  He did, in went his first bite of dinner, and we didn’t hear another peep aside from “It sure is good!”  My husband gives this dinner two thumbs up.  Both he and my daughter wanted the leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.  Eureka!  My foray into cooking with curry was successful!

I wish this dish photographed as well as it tasted.  The picture in Clean Eating magazine looked much more colorful and appealing; I need to give them credit for both the recipe and superior food photography skills.  I will give you their recipe including the changes I made to fit my family’s needs and likes.  It fed my family of four and there are still about 3-4 servings for leftovers.

Ingredients

• 1 c brown rice
• 2 tsp safflower oil
• 1.5 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cubed
• 4 cloves garlic
• 15 oz BPA free can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 2 c chicken broth
• 6 tbsp mild curry paste
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 c cashews

Preparation

• Cook the brown rice according to the package instructions.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees for the cashews.
• In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat.
• Add chicken and garlic to the oil.  Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is cooked through.
• Add chickpeas and zucchini.  Stir to combine.
• In a small bowl, whisk together broth, curry paste, salt, and pepper.
• Add to the skillet, mix well, and simmer.  Stir occasionally until the sauce reduces and thickens.
• Spread the cashews on a baking sheet and bake for about 5 minutes.
• Spoon rice onto plates and top it with the chicken mixture.
• Sprinkle roasted cashews over the top.

Variation

• After the sauce is done reducing and thickening, remove from heat and stir in 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro.