a father's day foray - brandied curry chicken.

this past weekend was, as you likely know, father's day weekend. my sister lives in california, and i was fortunate enough to be able to be in wisconsin with my dad for father's day. of course, i decided to make him dinner. i wished my sister could've been there, so i decided to use one of her favorite recipes (she is ALWAYS bragging about it) for the first time.

so that you have the proper visual, please keep in mind that i did almost zero prep for this, so while my dad was enjoying a beverage on the patio, i was in my mother's kitchen, running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find both the necessary ingredients and the requisite culinary equipment.

please note that this recipe is an adaptation of a Sunny Anderson recipe. my version of the recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 large skinless chicken breasts, cut in large pieces (approx 2"x1")
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup half & half
• 2 1/2 cups seedless red grapes
• 8 ounces egg noodles
• 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sear on both sides just until golden. Remove chicken and set aside. Turn heat down to medium-low. In the same pan, add the remaining oil, if needed, and saute onion, garlic and curry. Deglaze with brandy, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add chicken back to pan and stir in heavy cream and half & half. Cover and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add the grapes and noodles, return to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken juices run clear when poked with a fork and sauce is the desired thickness. Stir in mustard and dill. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve immediately. 

tips and observations: after searing, the chicken will NOT be cooked all the way though, don't worry. i had never cooked chicken like this, part way, then returning it to the pan. i was anxious. DON'T worry. it'll be fine. After sauteing the onion & garlic, if the pan is too hot, the brandy will reduce too quickly. if this happens, just add a bit more brandy to fully deglaze. having a bit more brandy flavor is just fine, especially if it lets you get all the yummy bits off the bottom of the pan.

lesson learned: just do your prep work. i had wanted to spend as much time with my dad as possible, so i skipped out on a lot of the prep, but this just made me stressed and insane once the cooking actually started. especially on holidays, it's easy to put it off, but just DO IT. 5 minutes of planning is worth 20 minutes of freaking out and running around your kitchen looking for the garlic.

recipe feedback: everyone LOVED this recipe. it has a hint of sweetness, but the spice of the mustard, the depth of the curry, and the creaminess of the, well, cream, really make for a well balanced dish. the leftovers were good, the sauce was quite thickened (to be expected), but it was surprisingly good cold. reheated, the oil separated from the sauce, making it greasier than when it was fresh.


changes: my only negative - the dish is rather unappetizing to look at. really blah looking. if i were making it again, i would try adding some garnish - probably of fresh grapes and dill over the top, not just mixed in. also, this would make a really flavorful vegetarian side dish... just omit the chicken. the sauce would miss out on a bit of the flavor, but it's so rich anyways, you'll never know! i would NOT suggest trying to make this dish healthy. if the sheer volume of heavy whipping cream didn't set you off... well... then i have nothing more to say to you.


i can only take a little of the credit. my sister suggested the recipe, and many of the edits from the original recipe were from her suggestions. it's because of her that we had such a delicious father's day dinner. thanks jess :)