Cooking up Change at Home: Curry Chicken

October 19, 2015 | Written By: Healthy Schools Campaign

Ever wish you could try the winning dishes from Cooking up Change? Well, here’s your chance. Each month, we’ll share a Cooking up Change recipe so you can try the meal at home and taste firsthand how these students are changing the future of school food.

Healthy Schools Campaign’s Cooking up Change contest challenges high school culinary students to create a healthy and delicious school meal that can be served in a school cafeteria. Cooking up Change is not only fun and educational, it also adds student voices to the national conversation about school food. Through Cooking up Change, these young chefs do more than sharpen their culinary skills; they develop leadership, public speaking and team building skills and create relationships and networks that will last a lifetime.

Today, we present Chicago Vocational Career Academy’s main dish that won the 2013 Cooking up Change Chicago competition: Curry Chicken. In addition to being a show stopper at the contest, the meal has also captured the attention of Aramark, the food service provider for Chicago Public Schools. Aramark recently announced that this dish will be added to the district’s regular menu. Take a look at this dish and get ready for Cooking up Change Chicago 2015 next week!

School: Chicago Career Vocational Academy
Curry Chicken (serves eight)
Ingredients:

• 8 chicken drumsticks
• 2 ½ tablespoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 ¼ cup water
• ½ teaspoon chicken soup base, low sodium
• 1 1/3 cups baking potato, peeled and diced
• 2/3 cup onions, diced
• 8 pieces of whole wheat flatbread

Directions:

• Combine curry powder, thyme, Cajun seasoning and garlic powder. Rub mixture on chicken drumsticks. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Pour vegetable oil into braising pan. Cook chicken on medium heat for 10 minutes until golden brown on all sides.
• Meanwhile, combine water and soup base in a small bowl. Stir until base is dissolved and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350° F. Place chicken in a baking dish. Add potatoes, onions and soup mixture.
• Cover with foil and bake for one hour, until chicken is completely cooked, potatoes are tender and sauce is thickened.
• Serve drumsticks with flatbread on the side.