Crock Pot Curried Chicken Recipe

I was getting static about the chicken I had thawed.  Someone had had quite enough chicken lately and wanted nothing to do with my usual recipes.

No Caribbean Jerked Chicken?
No Barbecue Chicken?
No Grilled Chicken?

*Sigh* Ok, I'll figure something out.

With the food that came into the house from all angles, plus the Manwich we made, the Chicken sat in the refrigerator one too many days.

I had to cook it, this was too much to waste and it was from a really good supplier.

I woke up that morning thinking I should just get the crock pot.  Rack, my dog, was hovering around his bowl and the crock pot caught my eye, just two shelves above it.

I threw this together in about 10 minutes, everything but the chicken took me all of about 3 minutes.   I was able to get my coffee done in the interim.

If you're not into Chicken and are one of my Vegetarian friends, and you know who you are, this can easily be made with Tofu, Smoked Tofu, Quorn, or a suitable substitute.

I will say that when I had it for lunch instead of dinner, it was excellent.  So much so that I brought a bowl over to the neighbors and I don't think it lasted past the time it took me to walk across the street!  Seeing that this was a "Mild Curry", the next time I do make this, I will double the curry powder to two tablespoons - personal preference.  One Tablespoon is a good first try for most.

Now, while it looks like "ABC Food", you know Already Been Chewed?, it tasted great!

The ingredients are:

For the first step

• 1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1/2 Cup water
• 1 Tablespoon of Curry Powder - or to taste.  1 Tablespoon is mild or just "Savory".
• A dusting or pinch of garlic powder to taste.
• A dusting or pinch of "Chicken Seasoning" to taste.
• Dehydrated Onion Flakes to taste (Optional)
• 2 to 3 Pounds Chicken chunks 

For the Second Step:

• 1 cup Basmati Rice
• 1 Can Kernel Corn

For when you unplug your crock pot and are just about ready to serve:

• 1 Can String Beans

Why do I make it complicated by breaking it into three steps?   Simple, I like crunchy vegetables.  String beans in the can turn into mush if you cook them too long, and every veg I have ever found in a can was precooked.

Yes, you can eat kernel corn uncooked out of the can in an emergency.   Or so I have been told.   Same with Green Beans... and of course your mileage may vary so read your can first.


The Process:

To your Crock Pot, add the following ingredients in order:

• Cream of Chicken Soup, Water, Curry Powder, Garlic Powder, Chicken Seasoning, Onion Flakes.
• Stir the ingredients up until you get a good even mix.
• Add the chicken chunks and mix again to coat everything.

Plug in your crock pot and turn it on for low at the short time setting.  Mine has a setting for 8 hours and I was finished early.

Chicken is cooked at 165F according to the USDA.  I found that my chunks were cooked after 4 hours to 180F, but your time will vary depending on the wattage of your crock pot.   Check the temperature of your chunks with an instant read thermometer at 3 1/2 hours and every 15 to 30 minutes or so after.  Or if you trust your crock pot... don't!  Personally I hate overcooked chicken so I'm glad I did check!  Chunked chicken cooks faster than a whole breast or parts.

At 1 hour short of when you intend to pull the plug on this, add the following ingredients:

• Can of Kernel Corn
• 1 Cup uncooked Basmati Rice

Stir everything in to the mix.  The rice will soak up the extra moisture in the crock pot.

When everything is done and ready to serve an hour later, unplug the crock pot and add the Can of String Beans.  Stir well and serve.