Friday, February 27, 2009

Yusra's Indian Chicken

This recipe comes from Chelsea's friend, Yusra, a faithful reader of my blog. I am trying it tonight.
For the Chicken:
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (kinda bad for you but great for taste)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves , pressed through a garlic press
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

For the Masala Sauce:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , diced fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
2 medium garlic cloves pressed through a garlic press
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh Serrano chile , flesh minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon garam masala (you can find this at Whole Foods or an Indian store)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions:
1. Combine the cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt in a bowl. Sprinkle it over the chicken and then rub it in to make sure it coats. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. You want enough room to dip the chicken in it.
3. While the chicken is refrigerating, heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat and then add the onions. Cook them until they start to turn golden brown, then add in the garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala. It will turn into a kind of sticky ball. Let that cook for a few minutes and then add in the crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt. Give it a quick taste at this point. I actually added in a little bit garam masala because I wanted to give it a bit more kick to it. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and turn down the heat. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

4. Once the chicken is ready, turn on the broiler and set a wire rack on an aluminum-foil lined baking sheet. Take each piece of chicken, and using a pair of tongs, dip it into the yogurt mixture. You really want to give it a nice coating, but let the excess drip off. Place the chicken on the wire rack and stick it in the oven. You want the rack to be on about the second-highest rack position so it isn’t too far from the broiler, though not touching it either.

5. Cook the chicken for about 15 minutes or until it is done (you might need more or less time depending on how thick the breasts are). Make sure you flip it once midway through. You can tell when it’s getting close when it starts to brown and gets a few spots.
6. After the sauce has simmered for a little while, add the cream. Return it to a simmer, cover and remove from heat. The dutch oven should keep it fairly warm for quite some time.
7. Let the chicken cool a bit and then cube it into chunks. Mix that into the sauce and add in the cilantro.
p.s. I got the ingredients from my mom and the instructions from a website. Let me know if you ever end up making this!

1 comment:

Edwin and Chelsea said...

YUMMMM Delicious- I could eat it everyday