Curry, lemon, and tarragon is a perfect marriage of flavor and the raisins add another surprising note. Since I have been limiting dairy, I used soy cheddar cheese shreds. This casserole is pretty forgiving in the type of vegetable or cheese that you may have on hand.
Recipe
3 chicken breasts, cut widthways in 3/4” slices
3 tsp. curry powder, divided
salt & pepper
6 T. butter, divided
12 oz. Trader Joe Broccoli-Cauliflower heads (or 2 heads broccoli, about 3 cups)
1/4 lb. green beans, ends trimmed, cut in 2” pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 c. half ‘n half
1 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. raisins
1 lemon — zest half the lemon, for 2 tsp. and juice to get 1-1/2 T.
1 tsp. dried tarragon or 1 T. fresh, chopped
1-1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/3 c. panko breadcrumbs
Preheat the oven to 375-degrees.
In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil, add the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and leave in the colander to dry.
In a bowl, mix the chicken with 2 tsp. curry powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, and some freshly ground pepper. Melt 2 T. butter in a large saute pan on high heat and fry the chicken for 1 minute on each side until browned. Do this in batches if your pan isn’t large enough to hold all the chicken without crowding. Remove chicken and set aside.
Melt 2 T. butter in the saute pan on medium-high heat and fry the onion, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic and remaining teaspoon of curry powder and fry for 2 minutes. Add the half ‘n half, chicken stock, raisins, lemon zest, lemon juice, tarragon, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper, and cook for 8 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Return the chicken to the pan with the vegetables and half of the cheese. Stir to coat, then pour into a 8x12” baking dish.
Put the panko and remaining cheese into a bowl. Melt the remaining 2 T. butter and pour over the panko and cheese, mix and sprinkle evenly over the chicken casserole. Bake for 25 minutes. Serve hot with rice.
– inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi’s Coronation Chicken and Broccoli Bake recipe