Easy Indian Spiced Braised Chicken Recipes

INDIAN-SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to hot pan. Brown on both sides. Cook in batches if needed.
• Remove chicken from pan and add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cut a slit into the chile lengthwise and add to pan. Saute the onion mixture until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add spices and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add tomatoes and 1/2 cup water and stir. Add chicken back to pan and bring up to a simmer. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes. Turn chicken occasionally throughout cooking.
• When ready to serve, uncover and stir in cream. Simmer for 1 minute and serve.

EASY INDIAN-SPICED BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Trim fat from thighs then cut meat into chunks.
• Add all ingredients EXCEPT yogurt, cilantro, garam masala and rice to heavy, lidded 5-qt pot.
• Stir well.
• Cover; bake until chicken is tender, about 1-1/2 hours.
• Remove from oven, stir in yogurt, cilantro and garam masala.
• Serve over microwaved rice.

INDIAN-SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cut the chicken breasts roughly into 2 by 2-inch pieces. Mix together the yogurt, garlic, ginger, cardamom, curry powder, chili flakes, coriander, paprika, honey, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Add chicken pieces to yogurt mixture, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or as long as overnight. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
• In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in tomato paste until evenly distributed and then add the half-and-half. Slide in the chicken and marinade, stir well, and bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat so that the liquid remains at a low simmer. Cook about 15 minutes until chicken is no longer pink in the middle but still tender and moist. Serve immediately over basmati rice.

SPICY BRAISED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat a 7 1/4-quart Dutch oven on medium-high heat, then melt butter and add oil. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper and sear until golden on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside. Add carrots, onion, celery, and apple, the whole habanero, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and saute until they start to soften, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine and let reduce by half, scraping up any brown bits remaining on the bottom of the pot. Nestle chicken into pot and add enough broth to almost cover the chicken, about 1 1/2 cups and the gravy sauce. Cover and simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes or until chicken falls off the bone. In the last half hour, remove the lid and let liquid reduce.
• To make the gravy: In a medium saucepan, melt butter with oil over medium high-heat. Add giblets and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Add onion and continue cooking another 5 minutes, until onions start to soften. Add flour and stir, cooking another 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the stock. Bring to a simmer and strain. Discard giblets and put gravy back in the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm on the stove and add to braised chicken once it's cooked.
• Serve Braised Chicken over Coconut Rice n' Peas
• Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and salt and saute, until onion becomes translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and saute another 2 minutes to toast rice. Add coconut milk and fill saucepan with enough water to cover the rice by 1/2-inch or measure by placing your thumb tip on the rice and filling the pot with water until the water reaches the middle of your thumbnail. Bring rice to a simmer, cover and cook until rice is tender and liquid has evaporated, about 15 to 17 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let rice stand another 5 minutes, covered. Fluff rice with fork and then fold in pigeon peas. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings

ROASTED INDIAN-SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°F. Line cookie sheet with foil. In shallow dish, mix cumin, coriander, salt, fennel, thyme, cinnamon and pepper.
• Rub gingerroot on chicken, then coat chicken with spice mixture.
• Spray 10-inch skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until browned. Place chicken on cookie sheet.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (170°F).
• Serve chicken with chutney (snip any large pieces of chutney with kitchen scissors).

EASY INDIAN-STYLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seeds, and fry for a few minutes until they become fragrant and begin to pop. Stir in chopped onion, and cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stir together tomato paste and water, and pour into skillet. Stir in chicken, and cook until it has firmed and turned white, about 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, brown sugar, chile paste, cayenne pepper, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
• Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and continue to simmer until the chicken is tender and no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro before serving.

AROMATIC BRAISED CHICKEN WITH FRIED ONIONS

Steps:

• Toss all ingredients except water, oil, onion, and flour with 1 teaspoon salt in a wide heavy medium pot. Marinate chicken, covered and chilled, 1 hour.
• Add water and bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 inches oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat until hot but not smoking.
• Toss onion with 1 teaspoon flour, then fry in 2 batches, stirring frequently (do not let burn), until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels. Reserve 3 tablespoons oil.
• Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving liquid, and gently pat dry. 3Heat reserved oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then brown chicken all over, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a platter.
• Add remaining 2 teaspoons flour to fat in skillet and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add chicken-cooking liquid (with aromatics and spices) and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pour over chicken. Top with fried onions.

INDIAN-SPICED CHICKEN WITH BELL PEPPERS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic. Stir for 30 seconds.
• Add all the bell peppers and onion and saute until golden, about 5 minutes.
• Add chicken and all the spices to skillet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Sprinkle with green onions. Garnish with lemon slices. Serve immediately.

INDIAN CHICKEN RUB

Steps:

• Mix paprika, chili powder, curry powder, cumin, garlic powder, turmeric, cardamom, coriander, onion powder, mustard, fennel seeds, garam masala, sage, salt, black pepper, and ginger together in a bowl.

INDIAN SPICE BOX CHICKEN

Steps:

• Make the Chilli-ginger garnish (see right), before you start the chicken.
• Cut down the length of the green chillies, then remove the seeds by scraping them out with a teaspoon. You may want to wear rubber gloves for this job - fiery seeds can give the fingers a real chilli sting. Cut off the stalk ends, chop the chillies into rough pieces and put them in a blender or food processor. Peel and roughly chop the garlic and add to the chillies. Do the same with the ginger.
• Pick the leaves off the coriander and drop them into the blender as you go (reserve the stems for the garnish). Tip in the yogurt and blitz everything to a puree. This can take a few minutes and you may have to stop the blender a few times to scrape all the gunge down from the sides - a rubber spatula will make this job much easier.
• Peel, halve and thinly slice the onions. Pull the skin off the chicken, using kitchen paper to help you get a good grip. Heat the oil in a saute pan over a medium heat until hot - when you drop in a spice seed or two it should sizzle. Toss in the fennel and cumin seeds and let them crackle and pop for 10-20 seconds, stirring all the time so they don't burn. They're ready when you get a lovely whiff of warm nuts. If the oil starts to smoke, remove pan from the heat.
• Plop in the butter and let it melt, then throw in the sliced onions and turn the heat down a tad. Stir to mix the onions and spice seeds, then cook for about 10 minutes until the onions are meltingly soft and tinged golden brown. Give them a vigorous stir now and then, but don't stir them too often or they won't take on any colour.
• Push the onions to one side of the pan, then add the chicken thighs, smooth side down. Increase the heat to between medium and high and fry the chicken until it's golden brown on both sides. This should take about 15-20 minutes and you will need to turn the pieces over halfway (a pair of tongs are good for this). Watch carefully in case the onions start to brown too much - if they do, pile them up on top of the chicken.
• Stir in some of the yogurt mixture and cook until it disappears - repeat a dollop at a time. Whizz 150ml/¼ pint cold water in the blender to use the last bits of the mixture and add to the pan with a pinch of salt. Stir until bubbling, scraping up any crispy bits. Reduce the heat to its lowest and cover the pan tightly. Simmer for 30-35 minutes or until the chicken is tender when pierced, stirring and turning halfway and adding a splash of hot water if the sauce is too dry. Serve sprinkled with finely chopped coriander stems and a little chilli garnish (put the rest in a bowl on the table).