January 3: Calypso Chicken

This morning before I left for the grocery store, I asked my fifteen year-old what he wanted for dinner. He asked for his favorite meal, Calypso chicken. I was happy to oblige. I like the dish too, and we haven't had it in a while. So off to Publix I went to get the ingredients.

Then what did my number 1 son do? He stood me up for sushi and Megan.

Megan is the hottie my son took to the homecoming dance last October. They're just friends, he said, but they text a lot. When Megan drug her heels taking her driving classes, my boy made a bet with her. "If you get your license before I do," he proposed, "I'll take you out to dinner." Megan got her license on December 16th. This afternoon she called my son and and asked him to make good on his bet.

So off they went to the local Japanese restaurant. Before he left, he said, "I can always eat Calypso chicken another night." Clearly he doesn't understand the rules of the Remler Menu. Oh, well. More chicken for me.

The Calypso chicken recipe comes from the Publix Aprons recipe series. Publix employees do cooking demonstrations in the store and hand out recipe cards. Conveniently, all the ingredients are neatly displayed adjacent to the cooking stand. I have modified the recipe to suit my cooking preferences, but I must credit the source of this fine recipe.

Ingredients:

1 lb. or so of boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
salt
pepper
garlic powder
1-10 oz pkg. yellow rice (I use Vigo)
1 can lite coconut milk (found in Oriental foods section)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I make it with boullion)
1 generous handful of raisins
1/3 cup frozen green peas
1/2 Vidalia onion
1/4 cup molasses
3 tbsp chili jam sauce (you can find it in the Oriental foods section)
1 tbsp cilantro paste (available in the produce section--see photo)

Instructions:

Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Put aside. Pour coconut milk and chicken broth into a non-stick pot and add yellow rice mix and raisins. Bring to boil. Watch this pot carefully because when coconut milk boils over, it makes a big mess of the stove. Reduce heat and let rice simmer. When it's about 3/4 done, add the frozen green peas. Recover until rice has finished cooking. While the rice is cooking, chop the onion and place in a small bowl. Add molasses, chili jam sauce and cilantro paste and stir. Spray electric skillet or frying pan with cooking spray and heat to medium high. Add chicken. Allow chicken to brown on one side. Then turn and allow to brown on the opposite side. Add molasses mixture. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. By this time the rice should be finished as well.

I serve this dish with green peas. The molasses mixture makes a tasty gravy for the chicken, but I also put some on my rice and peas as well.

The Publix Aprons recipe calls for a dash of jerk seasoning in the rice. Sometimes I add it, but I often omit it because my younger son doesn't like the spiciness of the jerk seasoning.

There's a little bit of Calypso chicken left over. Maybe my son can have some for lunch tomorrow.