Slow Hurry Curry

I will  start off by saying that this is not my usual blog post with step-by-step instructions and lots of photographs.

This is something I threw together from what I had in the house. When I make it next time, I'll be sure to take lots of photos, but you don't need pictures to whip up this delicious chicken curry that you can make either in a hurry or in a slow cooker.

You can put this together and toss it in a slow cooker for four hours on low or cook it in a Dutch over or large skillet on the stove for about for around thirty minutes. The choice is yours.

Here's what I had in the fridge and freezer:

Boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 5)
1  14 ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (any diced tomatoes will do. Go with tomatoes with chilies if you want heat.)
1 small diced sweet onion.
1 clove garlic minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
Half bag frozen corn
Half bag frozen spinach
1 large or about four small Yukon Gold potatoes diced. (no need to peel)
1 Granny Smith apple peeled and diced about the size of the potatoes.
1/4 cup golden raisins.
1/4 cup cream or yogurt.
1 tablespoon brown sugar.
Hot sauce of your choice
Salt and pepper.

If you get a chance, salt the chicken thighs the night before. If not, salt and pepper before cooking.

In the microwave, combine onions, garlic, garam masala, curry powder, butter and tomato paste and microwave for around 40 seconds until onions wilt and the butter melts. Stir in the sugar after you remove from microwave.

If you aren't familiar with garam masala, it is a delicious Indian spice blend readily available at the supermarket these days. If you can't find it, you can just stick with the curry powder and add an extra tablespoon and maybe a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Put chicken thighs, diced potatoes, apples, spinach, frozen corn, tomatoes, and raisins in the crock pot and add the microwaved spices and onions along with a good grind of pepper. 

Put some foil over the top and cook on low for about four hours. At the end of the cooking time, add a little or a lot of hot sauce depending on your heat preference. But at least put a couple of drops, the vinegar does make it pop. Add salt to taste and then stir in the cream or yogurt. Cream will make it sweet and yogurt will make it more tangy. You could even use a little of both if you like.

You could also put all of this in a large skillet or a Dutch oven and cook covered over medium heat until the chicken thighs become fall apart tender - usually 30 to 40 minutes. Make sure you do the microwaved spices and onions first or just saute the onions, garlic and spices in the butter before adding the rest of the ingredients.

If the dish seems to be a little low on liquid, add a splash of chicken broth at the end.  It's colorful and absolutely delicious.
 
Serve it in a bowl and add some naan bread if you like.