My kids love Indian food and we order it in fairly regularly but we still struggle to have a well balanced meal. The boys don't really like any of the vegetables, and Bea finds the curries too spicy. I decided to try to make a curry that they would all like, and serve it with simpler vegetables than the restaurants tend to offer. Not only was the chicken a big hit, but you can prepare this in advance and let it marinate in the refridgerator so all you have to do at dinner time is cook.
I've started noticing boneless skinless chicken thighs in stores recently. They work well in this dish but I've made it with boneless skinless chicken breasts too and both work well.
CHICKEN KORMA
2 onions, papery skins removed
3-4 cloves garlic, papery skins removed
2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like spicy food)
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1 small container greek style yogurt (7 ounces)
1 3/4 pounds bonelss skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bitesize pieces
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Coarsely chop one onion and place in the bowl of a food processor. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, and salt and pulse until everything is chopped very finely. Add almonds and pulse again, until mixture is a thick paste. Add yogurt and pulse to combine. Place mixture in a dish, add chicken, and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Slice remaining onion into thin slivers. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add coconut oil. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add chicken and marinade to pan and cook, stirring often, until sauce starts to brown on the bottom of the pan, 7-10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook, scraping bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen brown bits. Add another 1/2 cup of water and stir. Reduce heat to low, cover pan with a lid, and simmer another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir in cream and cook 2 minutes more. Serve with aromatic rice (recipe below) and top with fresh cilantro leaves.
AROMATIC RICE
1 3/4 cups brown rice
4 cardamom pods, smashed
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
Check your rice for amount of liquid and cooking time. Combine rice, cardamom, cinnamon stick, salt and butter in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and reduce to a simmer. Cook until water has evaporated, according to package recommendations. Let sit, covered, 5 minutes before serving.