August 14: Chicken and Sweet Potato Curry-in-a-Hurry

1 cup white rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium-size sweet potato, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced into half-moons
   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 rounded tablespoon mild curry paste or 2 tablespoons curry powder
2 pounds chicken tenders, bite-size chunks
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
1/4 cup prepared mango chutney
1 10-ounce box frozen peas
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Heat 2 cups of water to a boil in a pot, then add the rice, stir, and return to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 18 minutes, or until tender.

Preheat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Add the sweet potatoes to the skillet, season with salt, pepper, and curry paste or powder, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Scoot the potatoes over to one side of the pan and add the chunks of chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook, browning slightly, for 3 minutes.

Add the onions and bell peppers and toss to combine.

Add the flour and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, cream, and mango chutney, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.

Add the peas and cilantro and simmer for 1 minute to heat the peas through. Serve over the rice.

4 SERVINGS

This meal was very good, and I really was in a hurry when I cooked it. I didn't even have time to prep the ingredients beforehand, but that worked out fine. I used curry powder, and I used half-and-half - to cut back on the fat a little. I left out the mango chutney because I'm afraid of mangoes. I'm allergic to them. I break out like poison ivy on my lips :( Anyway, it's still good without it. Also, I used a yellow pepper instead of a red one because they come in packs of 3 different colors and I already used the red one. That made this dish look very yellow.