Iraqi Curried Chicken

I got this recipe from an Iraqi family after the Persian Gulf War when me and my family were camping in northern Michigan. They had left Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait, and I was lucky to be strolling thru the park when I smelt this meal cooking in their cabin. They warmly shared their meal and gave us the recipe. The slow-simmering smells wonderful and the flavor is fantastic. This is not a spicy curry as curries go, so even my kids will eat it. I suppose when our troops start coming home, they just might inundate us with the flavors and recipes they've experienced over there and will want to have them again, just like our ancestors have after coming home from successfully liberating the oppressed countries of the past century. Hope you try this and think of our troops.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 3  lbs roasting chickens, cut up
• 3  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 3  large onions, slivered
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 6  potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2  cups chicken broth
• 1  tablespoon curry powder
• 1  teaspoon thyme
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3  cinnamon sticks
• 2  bay leaves
• 1 (13 ounce) can coconut milk
•  salt and pepper, to taste (wait until dish is complete before adding s or p as the broth reduces and would intensify the saltin)

Directions

1. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the oil.
2. Add the chicken pieces and cook gently until browned on all sides.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
5. Yes, this is a long simmer for a chicken, but these are the instructions I was given, and when I tried it at home it tasted just like our meal at the camp. The potatoes should just about disintegrate, which thickens the stock, now turned sauce.
6. Note that the fat and bones from the chicken will disengage from the meat - not very palatable for our tastes, but the Iraqi family seemed to have just ate around them. (I remove them and the cinnamon sticks before serving.).
7. Serve over rice. We like to add cooked or steamed vegetables over the rice before drowning it with the curry. Box of frozen broccoli works for us. Oh - they also served whole pita breads with this, which they tore and passed on to one another to tear and pass and use as scoops. Neat!