For the Love of Curry

I love curries, just don't make them too spicy and I will slurp up every bite. And even though I know that curry only means sauce, not a specific dish, I will always call my saucy, spicy dishes a curry. 

I will admit that learning that the word curry means sauce is recent discovery, but I don't care about this discovery. Everyone refers to saucy and spicy Indian and Thai dishes as curries and I'll only look like a food snob if I start doing any differently. 

But since I know that curry means sauce, I think that calling my Top Ten Recipe Chicken Curry Lasagna makes sense. I made a slightly spicy, curry paste based sauce for my lasagna and it turned out great. 

Did I win the Olivieri Taste of Home Lasagna Recipe Competition with this recipe? I don't know yet but I hope I find out soon!

Chicken Curry Lasagna

2 teaspoons of curry powder

1 lb of chicken breasts

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon curry paste

5 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 - 6 oz can

1 1/2 cups of coconut milk, 1 1/2 - 400 ml cans

1 onion, thinly sliced and chopped

1 large bunch of kale, stems removed and leaves sliced into ribbons

1 egg

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped and divided in half

2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped and divided in half 

1 package of lasagna sheets, about 6 sheets 

Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Sprinkle curry powder and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper onto one pound of chicken breasts. Bake chicken breasts until they're cooked, about 15-20 minutes. 

3. While the chicken is cooking, prepare your tomato curry sauce. Saute garlic in a frying pan with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil at medium low heat until they are soft, about 2 minutes. Next add curry paste, tomato paste,  coconut milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir sauce to combine and let sauce come to a boil. Set aside. 

4. In another pan on the stove at medium heat, caramelize onion in a tablespoon of olive oil. When onion is soft, about 5-8 minutes, add kale. Cook another 2-5 minutes or until kale begins to wilt. Season to taste with salt. Set aside. 

5. Combine egg and ricotta cheese. Set aside. 

6. When chicken is fully cooked, chop it into bite sized pieces and toss it with 1/2 bunch of the cilantro. Set aside. (Reserve remaining 1/2 bunch of chopped cilantro for a garnish). 

7. Layer your lasagna. Spoon 1/3 cup of tomato curry sauce on the bottom of a large lasagna pan and top with lasagna sheets. Next, top with the ricotta mixture and smooth it out evenly. Top with another layer of lasagna sheets, followed by the kale and onions. Top with another layer of lasagna sheets followed by the cilantro chicken, 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup of tomato curry sauce. Top with a final layer of lasagna sheets, the remaining tomato curry sauce, 2 cups of mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 bunch of finely chopped green onions. (Reserve remaining 1/2 bunch of chopped green onions for a garnish). 

8. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes. Let Chicken Curry Lasagna stand for 10 minutes before serving. 

9. Top individual pieces of lasagna with finely chopped fresh cilantro and finely chopped fresh green onions. Enjoy!