Pineapple Cinnamon Chicken Curry

Mild and fruity chicken curry with the perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors! Quick and easy to make it's ready in 30 minutes!

I made this chicken curry the other day when we had some friends over. They were all Asians - a Filipino couple and a Chinese couple. Now I didn't feel like cooking something Filipino or Chinese in particular 'cause I thought - that's what they eat perhaps on the daily basis so what's the point? Or maybe I was scared it may taste rather inauthentic so why risk it? LOL. :)

So I thought to myself, what can I make that it's still familiar to all of us - something with Asian flair and flavors that we will all enjoy. Naturally, a curry dish came immediately into my thoughts!! But which kind? I have several curry recipes on the blog alone varying from the the quick and simple ones to something more complicated with ingredients that many probably have never tried using in their daily cooking. I thought forget about the latter - do something quick and delicious!

And I did. I made a chicken curry based on an old recipe that I have used many times before which called for a gazillion spices. I rely on this curry dish when I am having an Asian-themed night as I know this is a reliable recipe and is always well-received even by non-curry lovers. However, while I retained the main ingredients that make this curry super tasty, I opted for lesser number of spices this time - just 3 instead of the usual 7-8 that I used. So this is a simplified version of my old favorite mild curry recipe - lesser number of spice but thankfully, it turned out in the end, that there was no sacrifice on flavors! I knew this because my friends loved this dish and even brought home some so they can eat it for the next day!

The secret is the use of freshly grated ginger which both provided spicy kick, warmth and fresh flavors which perfectly worked well with the sweetness from the raisins and pineapple chunks! What a delicious flavor explosion. Added to this was the fact that I used real authentic homemade curry powder straight from India. I only used a teaspoon worth of curry powder as this was meant to be mild but still this delicious spice made our tastebuds sing. I highly recommend a good quality curry powder or paste for this because if you use such - the taste is so much better and you don't need to use a lot. However, you can certainly add more curry powder suited to your liking. Also, the ground cinnamon taste is subtle and adds a mild warmth and sweetness, too.

The good thing is - it all comes together in 30 minutes or less. Dinner in no time! Enjoy with Basmati!

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Cinnamon Chicken Curry

By: Manila Spoon
Published: 03/04/2017

Mild and fruity chicken curry with the perfect blend of sweet and spicy flavors! Quick and easy to make it's ready in 30 minutes!

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 5 Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 medium Onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 Tablespoon freshly grated Ginger (or 1-2 teaspoons ground or adjust to taste)
• 2 teaspoons ground Cinnamon
• 1-2 teaspoons Curry powder (adjust heat to taste)
• 1 pound boneless skinless Chicken breast (about 2 pieces), sliced into chunks or cubes
• 1 teaspoon Salt or to taste
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/2 - 3/4 cup heavy or double Cream
• 1/2 cup sliced Almonds, divided
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1 cup Pineapple chunks (drained)

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a deep pan. When the oil gets warm, melt the butter in it.
2. Sauté the garlic and onions in the melted butter just until aromatic for about 1 minute. Add the grated fresh ginger and stir-fry until onions are translucent about 3-4 minutes. If using ground ginger, just add it with the other spices.
3. Adjust the heat to the lowest setting and add the ground cinnamon and curry powder (and ground ginger if using this instead). Let the spices sizzle for a few seconds then add the chicken and coat with the spices. Once the chicken is fully coated/glazed add the cream, water, salt and half the almonds, raisins and pineapple chunks. Stir. Raise the heat until the mixture starts simmering. Cover then gently simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken cubes are tender and fully cooked. Serve immediately with some rice on the side. This can be made ahead and taste would be even better the next day.

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.
Total time: 30 mins.
Tags: Asian, Curry, Chicken, Spicy, Main Dish, Easy, Quick. Gluten-free