I love, love, love Indian food, but I’ve never made it at home. (I don’t think that the simmer sauces from Trader Joe’s really count, even though they’re quite tasty). However, after having a delicious Indian buffet lunch at Basera when we saw “Rent” I have been craving it. I remembered a recipe from the April 2007 issue of Everyday Food that I wanted to try and thought this would be the perfect opportunity! Since I had a lot of cleaning to do yesterday, I had wanted to use my slow cooker, and I remembered it being a Crock Pot recipe. Perfect!
Of course, I almost never make a recipe exactly as dictated and this one is no exception. I omitted the tomato paste because I didn’t have any, and neither of us really like the flavor it gives food. I didn’t have any cayenne pepper on hand, so I substituted chili powder. Also, after slow cooking all day, the sauce was really thin and watery so I transferred everything into a large pan on the stove, cranked the heat, and thickened it up with a bit of Wondra. I also adjusted the seasonings. I found it needed more salt, as well as heat so I added some Frank’s Red Hot and sprinkled on a bit more Garam Masala as well. I didn’t have basmati rice on hand, so I just made regular old white rice to serve along with it. Drew loved it! (I did too!). Next time I would probably use chicken breast, though. The thighs were fine, but they have a bit of a stringiness to them. I don’t know… I guess we just prefer the white meat. But even so, it was excellent. I hope you enjoy!
Indian Spiced Braised Chicken
1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs — boneless and skinless
1 medium onion — thinly sliced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes — drained
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. ginger — grated from 1″ piece
2 cloves garlic — minced
1/2 tsp. coriander — ground
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup yogurt — plain
1/4 cup cilantro — chopped
1/2 teaspoons garam masala — optional
Cooked white rice, for serving
In a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker, stir together chicken, onion, tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, coriander, and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Cook on high 4 hours (or 8 hours on low) until fork tender. Stir in yogurt, cilantro and, if using, garam masala. Serve with rice.
