Cleaning out the fridge

I found that I had some pineapple chunks and half a can of coconut milk sitting in the fridge.  I had boneless chicken breasts for dinner so what to make with it all?  My partner doesn't like sweet things for dinner so sweet and sour was out. Curry is always nice, so is ginger.  Can I combine curry with ginger? Let's find out.

I'll use the pineapple, coconut milk and ginger to make a sauce and season the chicken with curry powder.    I put some rice on to cook and put a teaspoon of curry powder in small bowl.  I added a pinch of cayenne and some salt then seasoned the breasts with the curry mixture. Next I seared them on both sides then popped them in a 375º oven for 25-30 minutes.

For the sauce I made a bit of roux in a pan and thinned it with chicken stock. I tipped in the coconut milk and chopped up the pineapple chunks and put them in.  I probably put only a teaspoon of pineapple juice as it has lots of sugar, but I wanted the flavor.  I put a bit of ground ginger in with a bit of salt and a dash of rice wine vinegar.  I gave it a taste and thought "it's not bad but it could be better."  I wondered if a little garlic powder would help so put a pinch in. It didn't help but didn't ruin it. Better leave it alone and hope the curry on the chicken pops the delicious out.

I put a bit of sauce on the plate into which I sat the breast and added a little more sauce over top.   Rice and broccoli with carrots rounded out the meal. The sauce brought what the curry needed and the curry brought what the sauce needed so together they tasted good. Not great but it was a successful experiment. I had two components that together tasted better than either one alone. I think next time fresh ginger might make it a little smoother.

Cajun Chicken variations

Cajun Chicken on Paprika Onions

The Cajun Chicken Breast recipe is a very versatile dish.  I have paired it with lemon sauce or mushroom, white wine cream sauce plated with potatoes and vegetables for a delightful flavor packed meal.  Last night I tried a new angle, serve the chicken breast on a bed of onions sauteed golden brown in butter and paprika.

This was delicious!  The sweetness of the fried onions tempered the heat of the Cajun spice and gave the dish a whole new flavor profile.  We will definitely have this again. I cut the onion in half then sliced up each half and put in a hot pan with plenty of oil and a pad of butter.  Add salt, pepper and paprika and stir occasionally.  I start onions like this on high heat but quickly turn down to medium low once they are sweated or softened. The low heat lets them turn golden without becoming papery. Plate the fried onions and place the chicken on top.

For saucy variations fry the sliced mushrooms in some butter and set aside. For both lemon and mushroom sauce start out with 1 teaspoon of flour and at least a tablespoon of oil. You want just enough oil to cream all the lumps out of the flour then put the pan on medium heat. You need to cook off the flour taste so let it sizzle for a minute or two. For a gravy or cream sauce you can cook the flour to a golden color if you like.  This will add to the flavor but weaken the thickening ability of the flour so you need to start with more. Experience will teach you how much.

 When the flour is cooked take it off the heat and add a few tablespoons of chicken stock then whisk.  Add enough stock to get the lumps out and put it back on medium low heat.  Add a teaspoon of lemon juice or tablespoon of white wine, depending on which sauce you are making and some seasoning. If it's pasty add some stock and taste a bit.  You want a light lemon taste or a fruity wine taste with just a bit of acid. If you add too much lemon or white wine it will become too acid and you'll have to add sugar to balance it.  Then you have gone from savory to sweet and sour sauce.  If you need more liquid add chicken stock or water.

For lemon sauce put a couple of tablespoons of sauce on the plate and put the sliced chicken on top.  For white wine sauce add the mushrooms and a tablespoon of heavy cream then cook them in a minute or two.  Plate the mushroom sauce over top of the chicken breast.

There you have 3 different meals that all use chicken cooked exactly the same way.