Indian Spiced Chicken Casserole Recipes

INDIAN SPICED CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Cook vermicelli according to package directions; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat butter over medium-high heat until melted. Add 1/2 cup onion; cook about 4 minutes or until onion is tender, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, 2 teaspoons garam masala, 2 teaspoons cumin, and chili powder; cook and stir for 1 minute. Carefully add tomato puree; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Stir in yogurt, whipping cream, salt, and cayenne pepper. Stir in chicken. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• In a large bowl combine three-fourths of the paneer, the cream cheese, 1 teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon cumin, and turmeric. Stir in spinach.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Transfer half of the chicken mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top with half of the vermicelli; spread evenly with spinach mixture. Top with the remaining vermicelli and the remaining chicken mixture.
• Bake, covered, for 65 to 70 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with the remaining paneer. Bake, uncovered, for 5 minutes more. If desired, sprinkle with green onions.

EASY BUTTER-CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Spread uncooked rice evenly in baking dish.
• In large bowl, mix broth, tomatoes, melted butter, garlic, garam masala, ginger, salt and ground red pepper; stir in chicken and onions. Pour mixture evenly over rice in baking dish; cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes; stir. Replace foil; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until rice is tender, chicken is no longer pink in center and mixture is heated to at least 165°F in center of casserole. Stir; top with cilantro. Serve with cashews and sour cream.

INDIAN SPICED CHICKEN

Steps:

• In small bowl, stir together oil and garlic. Stir in water, paprika, ginger, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, turmeric and cayenne pepper.
• Spoon 1 tbsp (15 mL) into another small bowl; stir in lemon juice and set aside. Arrange chicken in single layer in shallow glass dish; brush with remaining spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate chicken for 1 hour.
• (Chicken can be prepared to this point and refrigerated for up to 24 hours; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.) Place chicken, flesh side down, on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and cook for 5 minutes.
• Turn and brush flesh with reserved lemon mixture. Close lid and cook, turning often, for about 12 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink inside and juices run clear when chicken is pierced.
• Serve with lemon wedges.

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).