Mango Curried Chicken, Otherwise Known as a Mouthgasm

I made this hearty, robust dish the first time a few months back, when I had a mountain of ripe mangos to use up.  I’m surely not creating the wheel on this one, but here’s my spin on it. This is the kind of slow-cooked goodness that leaves your house smelling divine. Whereupon your dinner guests enter to exclaim with wonder and anticipation, ‘You are a goddess. I am the luckiest person ever to know you.’

Not the best money shot. Meh. This is actually the day after, an after-thought. We, (I) we too busy with mayhem the night before.

What You’ll Need To Feed 6: (to entertain, or maybe your family is that big. Or maybe you are a fan of leftovers/hot lunches the next day.)

Look! Some ingredients!

I forgot a couple of other ingredients to show you.

• 4 lbs skinless, boneless happy chicken breasts. Happy = drug-free and/or organic or local. If you’ve read any of my other posts, you know I try to stay this course as much as possible. Safe to say most of the ingredients are happy ones too.
• 6 peeled and diced green mangos. (SO worth the work).
• 2 lbs diced carrots
• 2 lbs diced red potatoes (optional)
• 1 cup chick-peas (optional)
• 1 cup green peas (optional)
• 2 Tbsp (or more) of olive oil
• 2 Tbsp (or more) of butter
• 2 large vidalia onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
• 3 Tbsp yellow curry paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 whole cinnamon sticks
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable stock
• 1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 small cans of happy coconut milk
• S & P
• Cilantro for garnish

Prep 'em up

Betcha you've never seen raw diced chicken breast before...

Mangos diced, (otherwise known as, I like to take pictures).

Carrots. Yum.

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 1/2 tbsp. yellow curry powder
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

At this point, you already know it's going to be ridiculous

How You Do:

I probably have over 100 different images of onions sautéing.

Crack-a-lackin'. Garlic close-up. Never been done before.

Emulsify, (by blending, my magic bullet is the best for this) up your marinade ingredients and pour over your diced mango and whole chicken breasts. This should all probably happen in a container of some sort. One you can cover. To put in the fridge. Overnight. Because it’s mucho better that way. (To marinate overnight). K? K.

Now, they are diced. Like magic.

I'll sneak in the healthy stuff every chance I can get. Picky toddler eater? Right here.

The next mid-morning, at latest: early afternoon – start the show. The longer these goodies have time to slowly simmer over a low heat, the more tender and mouth-watering this dish will be. Sautee your onions till transluscent in the olive oil, add butter, allow to brown up a smidgen. Add the minced garlic and ginger, curry paste and cumin. A wee dash of sea salt and a generous grinding of fresh black pepper. Stir, leave be for about 10 minutes on a medium to low heat. Stirring occasionally.

Getting close now....

Now open up that marinated lot of heaven, (chicken and mango) and add it to the fire. (You’re using a dutch oven right? Good. Because you should be). Toss in the rest of your action, (carrots, potatoes, chick-peas and peas), take a whiff – roll eyes backward and continue. Add your coconut milk, stock and cinnamon sticks. Cover and simmer over a low to medium heat for hours. Like 6 maybe. Give or take. Check on it occasionally and give it a good turn, adjusting heat as need be to avoid boiling or burning. Keep it simmering and sexy my friends.

After the hours of simmering in a dutch oven I know you are going to let it do.

The hardest part about this dish is prepping the mangos. This should be served with quality Naan bread and/or basmati brown rice. All that’s left to do is eat, enjoy and be the shining light in everyone’s eyes.