Coconut Chicken Curry

recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks or strips

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil

2 Tbsp curry powder

1 1/2 tsp paprika (substitute cayenne pepper if you like the heat)

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 medium red potatoes, cut into chunks

1 (14 oz) can coconut milk, light or regular

1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes, Italian style

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

3 Tbsp sugar

Hot cooked Jasmine or brown rice

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper.  Heat oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant (but don't let it burn).  Turn the heat up to medium and stir in onions and garlic and cook 7-9 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through or nearly cooked through. (It will continue to simmer in the next step).  Add potatoes, coconut milk, tomatoes (Mel said she lightly crushed the stewed tomatoes with her fingers before adding), tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan and stir to combine.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes.  The sauces thickens slightly upon standing, but is great served piping hot (and a bit thinner), too.  Serve with Jasmine rice (or your favorite rice) and garnish with cilantro, if desired.  

**Mel also added that often she will make the dish right up to the step where you are supposed to let it simmer for 40 minutes.  At that point, she pours it all into a crockpot and lets it sit at low heat for 4-5 hours to finish cooking.  She said she just likes to do it that way sometimes to be able to fix it earlier in the day and avoid all the chaos that inevitably accompanies trying to get dinner ready with kids clamoring for your attention at dinnertime.