Lemony Chicken with Cilantro and Kale

And welcome back to foodforscot's Indian kitchen.

This is a delicious chicken dish.  Packed full of lemon, ginger and cilantro.  I added a bunch of kale and it was wonderful.

Also, have you ever tried brown Basmati rice?  Do.  It is my favorite.  I even prefer it to white rice.  I get mine in the bulk section at Whole Foods, so I don't have a brand to recommend.

NOTE:  With these saucy chicken dishes, bone-in skinless chicken will be most delicious, however, you can really use whatever chicken cut you want.  This time I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into smallish pieces) and it was still real good.

Lemony Chicken with Cilantro and Kale

by Madhur Jaffrey, “Indian Cooking” with modifications by foodforscot

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 cup water

6 tbsp vegetable oil

2 ½ lbs of chicken pieces, skinned (bone in or not)

5 cloves garlic, peeled and very finely chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, very finely chopped

½-1 fresh, hot green chili, very finely chopped

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 bunch of kale, roughly chopped

Put the ginger and 4 tbsp water in the container of an electric blender.  Blend until you have a paste

Put the oil in a wide, heavy, preferably nonstick pan over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, put in as many chicken pieces as pan will hold in a single layer, and brown on both sides. Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl. Brown all the chicken pieces this way.

Add the garlic to the hot oil. As soon as the pieces turn a medium-brown color, turn heat to medium and pour in the ginger paste. Stir-fry it for a minute. Now add the fresh coriander, jalapeno, cayenne, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and salt. Stir and cook for a minute.

Put in all the chicken pieces as well as any liquid that might have accumulated in the chicken bowl. Add 2/3 c. water and the lemon juice. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover tightly, turn heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes.

Turn the chicken pieces over and add the kale. Cover again and cook another 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender and kale has wilted. If the sauce is too thin, uncover the pan and boil some of it away over a slightly higher heat.  Serve with Spiced Brown Basmati Rice (recipe below).

(Servings:  6, Prep time;  20 min., Cook time:  40 min., Difficulty:  Easy) 

Spiced Brown Basmati Rice

by Madhur Jaffrey, “Indian Cooking” with modifications by foodforscot

2 cups brown basmati rice

5 cups water

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

1/2 fresh, hot green chili, minced

1/2 tsp garlic, minced

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp salt

2 2/3 cups chicken stock

Put the rice in a bowl. Wash it in several changes of water.  Drain.  Pour 5 cups of water over the rice and let it soak for 30 minutes. Let it drain in a strainer for 20 minutes.

Put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot and set over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and fry, stirring often, until the onion has browned lightly. Add the rice, chili, garlic, garam masala and salt. Stir gently for about 4 minutes. If the rice begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, turn down the heat slightly. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, turn the heat to very low and cook for 25 minutes.


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foodforscot Ratings:


Shanon (taste):  9/10
Scot (taste):  8/10
Effort:  3/5
Dishwashing Effort:  3/5