80 Min

GF

Kadhai Chicken

With Ramadan in full swing, Kadhai Chicken is a classic dish that is often enjoyed after iftar, the post sundown evening meal when the day long fast is broken. Kadhai is like a Chinese wok except that it often has a flat bottom and just like a wok, it helps cook food rapidly and evenly, particularly over a high flame. There are many iterations of kadhai chicken, some with onions, some without. Some with yogurt and some with coconut milk if you want a saucier version. However, is best to cook it with bone-in chicken as the juices of the chicken flow into the sauce to add flavor and depth.

Here is a simple one where fresh tomatoes, garlic and fenugreek create the base of the sauce peppered along with some spices that add notes of brightness. I added potatoes as they also absorb the flavors of the chicken beautifully. Serve the kadhai chicken with simple white rice perfumed with whole green cardamom pods. Slice some purple cabbage thinly, add mint leaves, a touch of salt and lemon juice and you have a beautiful meal to celebrate at the end of a day!

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Cook Time

1 Hour and 20 Minutes

Serves

6

Directions

Step 1

Dice the tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Remove the skin and excess fat from the chicken pieces, wash and set aside to dry.

Step 2

In a wok or kadhai over high heat, warm the olive oil and pop the cumin seeds. Almost immediately after, add the garlic and cook it just for a few seconds or until it turns white.

Step 3

Add the tomatoes and coriander seeds and cook on high for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes release all the juices. Lower and simmer the tomato mix uncovered until tomatoes have reduced to half their original volume.

Step 4

Turn the heat up again and add the chicken and potatoes, black pepper, minced ginger and sea salt. Cook on high again until the chicken starts to release its juices. Lower the heat and simmer the chicken for 15 to 20 minutes. The fat should begin to rise to the top.

Step 5

Stir the fenugreek leaves and garam masala and turn the heat off. Keep the chicken covered for 30 minutes to an hour, this helps the flavors meld and mellow. Serve with minced cilantro mixed in and sliced serrano pepper if you wish.

Notes & Variations

If you do not possess a wok or a kadhai, use a wide skillet as this will ensure that the dish cooks evenly.
Instead of chicken, use vegetables like cauliflower or butternut squash and/or chunks of beef or lamb, however, cook accordingly.
To make rice with cardamom pods, add roughly a teaspoon of whole green pods to the rice and water at the beginning of cooking. The cardamom pods will swell up and soften with cooking – you could remove them after the rice is cooked or eat them along with the chicken.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 pounds fresh tomatoes

2 teaspoons crushed coriander seeds

3 pounds bone-in chicken legs and thighs

1-pound potatoes, preferably fingerling, red or Yukon gold

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons unpeeled minced ginger

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves

2 teaspoons garam masala

1/2 cup minced cilantro (leaves and stems)

2 to 3 serrano peppers, sliced (optional)

Step 1

Dice the tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Remove the skin and excess fat from the chicken pieces, wash and set aside to dry.

Step 2

In a wok or kadhai over high heat, warm the olive oil and pop the cumin seeds. Almost immediately after, add the garlic and cook it just for a few seconds or until it turns white.

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 pounds fresh tomatoes

2 teaspoons crushed coriander seeds

3 pounds bone-in chicken legs and thighs

1-pound potatoes, preferably fingerling, red or Yukon gold

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons unpeeled minced ginger

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves

2 teaspoons garam masala

1/2 cup minced cilantro (leaves and stems)

2 to 3 serrano peppers, sliced (optional)

Notes & Variations

If you do not possess a wok or a kadhai, use a wide skillet as this will ensure that the dish cooks evenly.
Instead of chicken, use vegetables like cauliflower or butternut squash and/or chunks of beef or lamb, however, cook accordingly.
To make rice with cardamom pods, add roughly a teaspoon of whole green pods to the rice and water at the beginning of cooking. The cardamom pods will swell up and soften with cooking – you could remove them after the rice is cooked or eat them along with the chicken.

Tags:

80 Min

Tags:

80 Min

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