Tropical Curried Chicken with Rice

I am proud to welcome, Velva, author of the fantastic blog, Tomatoes on the Vine. Especially excited to feature such a talented writer and cook. Not to mention, a fellow native South Floridian, although she now hails from the state capital, and Florida State Seminole country, Tallahassee. I cannot thank Velva enough for sharing her considerable gifts with us. I know we will all benefit from this!


I was honored to be asked to be a guest blogger on Lazaro Cooks! Thank you Lazaro for the opportunity to share my passion for food with your readers.

Without further ado, my guest post.

Growing up in South Florida, food was as diverse as its people. Today, my cooking reflects all of my food and travel experiences. I am not sure what inspires a person to have a passion for cooking. I am at my happiest not just when I am feeding a few, but when I am feeding a crowd. Where does it begin? Looking back, I could not find a single epoch in my life that would clearly define my passion for all things FOOD! Yet, there were definitely signs, events that added together would be equal to the moment that I was attempting to discover. I am reminded that life is often like that....a collection of events, that when reflected on, collectively tells the story.

My husband convinced me to submit the recipe below for the Annual "North Central Florida Cooks" sponsored by the local newspaper. I won first place in the entree category with this recipe. This prize-winning dish has evolved over the years to its present splendor. Try it and you'll see, or feel free to change it! This is still my favorite recipe to serve a houseful of guests.

Tropical Curried Chicken with Rice

(Serves 4 and easily doubled and tripled)

Note: All measurements are approximate and you will need to adjust to your taste.

Ingredients:

2- 1/2 lbs. of chicken legs and thighs
3 Tablespoons oil
3 Tablespoons good quality curry powder
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 (12 ounce jar) good quality chutney or homemade
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges

Green onion as garnish
Honey roasted peanuts as garnish

Prepared hot and ready to serve long grain rice (preferably a basmati or jasmine)

Directions:

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season chicken with salt, pepper and curry powder on both sides. In a large skillet, heat oil until hot. Add chicken pieces, skin side down and brown chicken until lightly golden on both sides. Do not crowd chicken in the pan. Add chutney and 1/2 of the red bell pepper. Simmer 30 minutes over medium low heat.

Transfer hot rice to a large serving platter. Place cooked chicken on top. Garnish with green onion, red bell pepper and peanuts. Surround platter with lime wedges.

Enjoy!