A Time for Curry Chicken

David also said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished. ~I Chron. 28:20

I had many requests for the Curry Chicken recipe I was making tonight for dinner. I have been looking forward to making this recipe since I found it a few weeks ago. It really bugs me when a recipe you've been dying to try turns out to not be that great at all. Ben and I were in agreement that while yes, this is a quick and easy recipe, it's not exactly bursting with flavor. I will keep it on hand because in a pinch it really is a good recipe to have on hand but it's not one I'll rave about. It was an appropriate way to end the day I had though! It seemed everything I tried today turned out to be less than successful.

Am I the only one who gets really disappointed by days like this. Things that you really desire to do or really look forward to happening just not going the way you thought they would leaving you very discouraged in the end. I have had on my heart to help out with our church cleaning schedule. It's something that needs to get done but realistically our family just can't during this "season" of our lives commit to being on the schedule. I did feel that I could commit to cleaning just the nursery twice a month. I expected that my 3 younger ones would play and be merry and that Jena would sleep in her pack n play...ha! That so did not happen. If I go into what did happen it turns to complaining almost so I'll spare you the details. It's just how it is when you have young kids I guess but it's so frustrating to have something you really desire to do end up being so hard that you are almost discouraged from doing it. The verse above really spoke to my heart, "be strong, and courageous and DO THE WORK..." It's such a powerful reminder to all of us isn't it? It's so important that we remain busy doing God's work but it's not always easy. Just because something is hard doesn't mean we shouldn't do it it just means we need to rely even more on God's strength and have FAITH that he'll help us do what He's asking us to do. 

Curried Chicken with Ginger and Yougurt (from the March 2011 edition of Real Simple magazine)

1/3 cup tomato paste

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbs. curry powder

1 tbs. grated, fresh ginger

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 medium onion, chopped

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 10)

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice

1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1. In a slow cooker, whisk together the tomato paste, garlic, curry powder, ginger, cumin, and 3/4 cup water. Add the onion and stir to combine. Place the chicken on top and season with 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

2. Cover and cook until the chicken is tender, on low for 7 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

3. Twenty minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.

4. Just before serving, add the yogurt and 1/2 tsp. salt to the chicken and stir to combine. Serve with the rice and sprinkle with the scallions.