Curried Chicken and Roasted Root Vegetable Stew

This recipe originally called for skinless, boneless chicken breast, we substituted roasted chicken, though you could use mock or vegetarian chicken, made from soy, and I think that this would taste really good with chicken with bone in (though, it would be less of a Heart Smart recipe, I think the good flavour of the bone-in chicken would enhance the dish). Regardless, this meal tastes great, the roasted vegetables work well with the sauce and the chicken. Use vegetarian oyster sauce and vegetable stock along with the mock chicken to make it a vegetarian meal. We used Malaysian curry powder; use your favourite mixture. Serve it over good hot rice for a great meal.

Curried Chicken and Roasted Root Vegetable Stew
adapted from a recipe from Heart Smart Chinese Cooking by Stephen Wong
250 g potatoes, peeled
250 g sweet potatoes, peeled
250 g parsnips, peeled
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp pepper
375 g roast chicken, cut into 1" pieces
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup flour
1-1/2 tsp canola oil
3 slices ginger
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 green onions, cut into eighths
Sauce:
1-1/2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1-1/2 tsp light soy sauce
1-1/2 tsp oyster sauce

Preheat oven to 200C/400F.

Cut root vegetables into 1 inch pieces. Mix with oil and pepper until well coated. Spread evenly in medium roasting pan. Bake 25 minutes, until just tender, turning once or twice.

Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients and set aside.

Season chicken with salt, then toss in flour until evenly coated. Heat heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add oil, ginger and chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add onion and garlic and continue to stir-fry until all ingredients are golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add sauce ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and cover to simmer for 5 minutes. Add roasted vegetables, mix and cover to simmer for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more on medium-high heat to thicken sauce, if desired.