Fresh and dried cranberries, tomatoes, mustard seeds and fragrant curry spices enliven this zesty chicken stew. Excellent prepared ahead and reheated, it makes a convenient casual company entree. Serve with brown basmati rice.

Makes 8 servings, 3/4 cup each

ACTIVE TIME: 50 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 1 hour

3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons mild or medium-hot curry powder, divided
2 teaspoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
Generous 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or cloves
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with mild green chiles
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/3 cups sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

1. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a nonreactive Dutch oven (see Kitchen Note) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add half the chicken pieces and sprinkle with a generous 1/2 teaspoon curry powder. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pot and heat until hot. Add the remaining chicken; sprinkle with another generous 1/2 teaspoon curry powder and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the plate.
2. Add butter, onion and mustard seeds to the pot; cook, stirring, until the seeds pop and the onion begins to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot, sprinkle with the remaining curry powder and cardamom (or cloves); stir to coat the chicken with the spices. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, broth, dried and fresh cranberries, ginger and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mixture reduces slightly and the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes more. Serve garnished with cilantro.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 251 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 2 g mono); 66 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrate; 25 g protein; 4 g fiber; 224 mg sodium.

Nutrition bonus: Niacin (50% daily value), Selenium (32% dv), Fiber (15% dv).

TIP: Kitchen note: A nonreactive pan--stainless steel, enamel-coated or glass--is necessary when cooking acidic foods, such as cranberries, to prevent the food from reacting with the pan. Reactive pans, such as aluminum and cast-iron, can impart an off color and/or off flavor in acidic foods.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Innovative and easy. I am on a curry kick so I really really liked this. I can't wait to make it again!

Anonymous

Excellent! It also freezes and reheats well.

Anonymous, Milwaukee, WI

Made this for friends and everyone loved it! Organic frozen cranberries looked better than fresh.

Rebecca, Littleton, CO

I like cooking with cranberries because they're nutritious, and I had a huge bag of dried cranberries I needed to use. This recipe was great. Very flavorful. A lot of ingredients, but impressive enough to serve to company.

Anonymous, California, KY

I served this at the "Girls Holiday Party." Not only was it delicious, but it made a beautiful presentation. I especially liked the idea that I was able to make it the night before and just had to reheat in the oven when it was time to eat.

Mary, Phoenix, AZ

This got rave reviews at my Holiday Party!

Jess, MA

I was a little tentative about making this dish, since my son hadn't yet been introduced to curry. To my delight, he not only cleaned his plate, but asked for more. The grocery store had run out of both fresh and frozen cranberries, so I substituted frozen cherries. I served this with a brown rice pilaf, and an oriental-style salad (mandarin oranges on baby lettuce, with matchstick carrots and a few almond slivers. This was topped with a sesame ginger salad dressing that was thinned with orange juice (2 parts dressing to 1 part juice). Perfect meal.

kungfu-mama, Minneapolis, MN

This was really good, and didn't take as long as I expected. The taste reminded me of autumn. I couldn't find fresh or frozen cranberries, so I used a few spoonfuls of whole berry cranberry sauce, which worked out okay. Served over basmati rice - yum! Can't wait to take the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Anonymous, Jericho, VT