Socamom Test Kitchen: Pineapple Curry Chicken a la Crockpot!

Right now, my house is filled with the smell of curry, geera, and just... well... good!

I haven't done a test kitchen post in a while, but this one looks like it will be pretty tasty.  Here are some things to know about me before you try this:

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

• I am not a chef.  Never have been.  I mess around in the kitchen, and sometimes the food comes out nice.
• I don't measure anything really.  That pencil and pad in the photo, that's mine.  I cook, and I write what I add/do as I go. Nothing super fancy. I have my family favorites that I make that I can't begin to tell you how much of what to put in where. Testing is no different. My taste buds are going to be different from yours, so I give you the ingredients, approximate amounts, and you decide what is too much or not enough.
• Please share what you think, the variations you made, and how it turned out for you with the community.  This recipe is a starting point.

Whew, all my disclaiming is done.  Now - you ready?

Here's what you'll need:

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

A whole chicken (cleaned with lime and salt preferably to get that "fresh" taste out.)

To stuff it -

8 celery stalks

1/2 large onion

1/2 can pineapple chunks (drained - save the juice)

1 tbs parsley

1 tbs onion powder

1 tbs garlic powder

1/8 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

sauce -

1/2 can coconut milk

juice from pineapple

1/2 tbs sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tbs oregano

1 tbs roasted geera (ground)

3 tbs curry powder

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1/8 tsp chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp paprika

1. Chop the celery and onion.  Add drained pineapple, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and salt. Stir, cover, and refrigerate.

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

2. In a sauce pan, whisk together, coconut milk, pineapple juice, sugar, salt, oregano, geera, curry, vinegar, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, thyme, and paprika. Heat on medium low stirring constantly, until it reduces to 2/3 or 1/2 liquid.  Should only be slightly thicker.  Remove from heat, put in a container, cover, and refrigerate until completely cooled (about 45 minutes).

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

3. Clean the chicken.  After the sauce has cooled, add 1/3 of it to the celery, onion, and pineapple mixture.  Stuff the cavity.

Stuff the bird with the pineapples, onions, celery, and curry mixture.

4.  With the other 2/3 of the sauce rub the chicken all over including under the skin where possible.

Rub the curry sauce onto the chicken.

Rub the curry sauce onto the chicken. Get under the skin where you can.

5.  Put the chicken in the crock pot, sprinkle with parsley, paprika, and red pepper. Cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours on high, 8 or more hours on low.

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

Photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

That's it!  Start to stuff, it is about 1 hour.  Then you should be able to do whatever you have to do for the next 4 to 8 hours, make some sides, and there it is.  I will warn you, your house will smell like curry for a while.

For sides, I suggest rice or mashed potatoes or something like that because the gravy is amazing!  Here's a pic of how it came out.

The finished product! - photo by Eva Wilson for SocaMom.com

It really did fall off the bone.  So good!  You may want to add more curry depending on your taste, and what your family likes.  Remember all measurements are totally approximate - experiment, and let us know how it went for you in the comments section.  Feel free to share this recipe using the twitter and facebook buttons in this post.  The more feedback the better!