Mango chicken curry

I've had a terrible habit since childhood of reading about something in a book and then attempting it myself: running away, having a lemonade stand, becoming a member of the press (oh, wait...). But sometimes that's okay, especially if the book you read is Shauna Niequist's "Bread & Wine: A Love Letter to Life Around the Table With Recipes."

 I borrowed this book from the library after waiting more than a month for it. I need to own my own copy, but until I get around to purchasing it the photos of recipes I took with my phone will have to suffice. I've been wanting to make some of these for a while - they all look so good - but the arrival of my mama put my butt into gear.

Even though she is the pickiest grown adult eater you will just about ever encounter, I still get excited about cooking for her to see what exactly I can trick her into eating. I got her to eat a tomato while in Italy this summer, so my hopes were high as I set out to make this mango chicken curry, especially since I knew she could just pick the tomatoes out if they were really bothering her.

But you know what? She didn't. She ate the tomatoes...and the mangoes, too! The only things she picked out were the red peppers - and for her, that's massive progress. Like, incredible. So much so that my dad things I'm lying about this. And I think that tells you what you need to know about this recipe. It's that good.

Our only suggestion would be to add some red pepper flakes and more cayenne to this - but we like stuff super-spicy. If you like mild (aka boring) things, then by all means leave it like it is. But we highly recommend some red pepper flakes. I also recommend using either less chicken stock, or making sure to leave quite a while for it to simmer so the sauce reduces down. It took a while, but it was worth it. But we could make it easier next time.

Anyway, enough rambling. Enjoy your mango curry chicken, if you make it!

xoxo,
E, B, and Mom

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Mango chicken curry

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2.5 - 3 pounds chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red onion, chopped (we used white because that's what we had)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup currants or raisins (I used raisins because I couldn't find currants)
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 mango, pitted and diced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions:
Mix flour, curry powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Toss chicken pieces in the flour mixture.
Add 1-2 tablespoons olive oil to a pan and cook chicken on medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes on each side.
Add additional 1-2 tablespoons olive oil and cook garlic, red onion, ginger, and red pepper until onion is golden, about 4 minutes.
Add chicken back to the pan and lower the heat.
Add 4 cups chicken broth.
Cook at a simmer until chicken is tender and broth is reduced by one-fourth. This takes a while, so be prepared.
Add currants, tomatoes, and mango, and simmer until heated through.
Off heat, add lime juice, cilantro, and basil.
Serve over rice.

Nutrition:
This recipe makes 6 servings, each at roughly 300 calories per serving, before rice.