Fit for Entertaining

Instead of hosting a holiday party this year, I decided to host a handful of little dinner parties across the month of December. Since our new dining table arrived it’s been so nice having friends over to our apartment for comforting meals.

I used to want to do absolutely everything myself when hosting a dinner party, but I’ve slowly gotten better at letting others assist and not choosing the most elaborate menu. It’s much more fun that way!  Now I’m totally obsessed with serving dishes that can be made well in advance of my guests arriving, so all I have to do is reheat it when everyone is ready to eat. My mom is an expert at this, so when I was lacking ideas for dishes for a dinner last weekend- I turned to her for inspiration.  She happened to be hosting a dinner party that same night, and recommended the dish she was making- a Chicken Curry with Cashews. I don’t make Indian food that often, but I was a little bit desperate so I decided to give it a go.

Thankfully, the dish came together beautifully. I lessened the amount of chicken and added in some chickpeas, which turned out really well.  We had leftovers and the dish actually got better as it sat longer in the fridge- a sign that you should definitely make this one ahead! It also doesn’t take that long to throw together if you’re making it the night of, so it’s perfect for both planned and last minute holiday celebrations.

Chicken Curry with Cashews adapted from Gourmet
Serves 6

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped (2 cups)
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cut into large chunks
• 1 19 oz can chickpeas
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3/4 cup cashews (1/4 pound)
• 3/4 cup 2% or whole Greek yogurt
• 2 cups cooked jasmine or basmatti rice for serving

Heat butter in a 5- to 6-quart wide heavy pot over moderately low heat until foam subsides, then cook onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring, until softened, about 12 minutes. Add curry powder, salt, cumin, and cayenne and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chicken and chickpeas and cook, stirring to coat, 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, including juice, and cilantro and bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 25-30 minutes.

Pulse cashews in a food processor or electric coffee/spice grinder until very finely ground, then add to curry along with yogurt and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring, until sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve curry over a bed of cooked rice.

This dish can be made up to five days in advance. If you’d like to make it ahead, cook the chicken and chickpeas and leave out the yogurt and cashews. Add the yogurt and cashews as outlined above right before serving.