Royal Chicken Cooked in Yogurt

I made this twice.  The first time...I was SO confused.  This dish is bone in chicken cooked in yogurt, lots of spices with nuts and golden raisins.  It was back in curling season.  I made it while Scot was at curling.  I put the yogurt in and then I thought my life was over.  It seems like it curdled.  And I was so sad.  But I just forged ahead.  In other words, I finished adding everything and let it simmer on the stove for about 2 hours until Scot got home.  I just couldn't bear to look at it again.

He got home.  I served him his dinner like any house wife would do (at probably 11:30 pm).  Didn't mention my concerns (not that he would EVER notice...he doesn't hold much food judgement, fortunately and unfortunately).  And he loved it.  I guess that is judgement.  He does hold a lot of positive judgement.

So, I googled, "royal chicken does yogurt curdle?"  Because I did what she said.  And it seems like the yogurt separated.  But the thing is...it was still completely delicious and not weird at all.  Especially after the sauce reduces a bit.

After some recovery time, I tried making it again.  Paying special attention to the yogurt curdling step.  Still seemed to curdle. Less bad this time.  It was still totally delicious and deserves to be called royal.  I served it with some Indian spiced roasted potatoes and sautéed kale.  I think I will officially announce that kale is my favorite winter (or non-summer) vegetable.

PS:  The most fun part of eating this is finding the many whole spices as you eat it.  And to not eat them.

Royal Chicken Cooked in Yogurt

by Madhur Jaffrey from Quick and Easy Indian Cooking

1 cup plain yogurt 

1 teaspoon salt 

Freshly ground black pepper 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste 

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro (Chinese parsley, fresh green coriander) 

3-1/2 pounds chicken, cut into serving portions 

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

8 cardamom pods 

6 whole cloves 

2-inch stick cinnamon 

3 bay leaves 

2-1/2 tablespoons blanched, slivered almonds 

2-1/2 tablespoons golden raisins

Put the yogurt into a bowl. Beat it lightly until it is smooth and creamy. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, some black pepper, the ground cumin, ground coriander, cayenne, and cilantro. Mix and set aside.

Using the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, season the chicken pieces on both sides and sprinkle on some freshly ground black pepper.

Put the oil in a wide, preferably nonstick pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaves. Stir once and put in some of the chicken pieces, only as many as the pan will hold easily in a single layer. Brown on both sides and remove to a large bowl. Brown all the chicken pieces this way and transfer them to the bowl. Put the almonds and raisins into the same hot oil. Stir quickly. The almonds should turn golden and the raisins should plump up, which will happen very fast. Then put the chicken and its accumulated juices back into the pan. Add the seasoned yogurt. Stir to mix and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat to low, and simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice during this time. Remove the cover, turn the heat up a bit, and reduce the sauce until it is thick and just clings to the chicken pieces. Turn the chicken pieces over gently as you do this.

Note: The large, whole spices, cardamom pods, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves are not meant to be eaten.

(Servings:  4, Prep time:  15 min., Cook time:  1 hr., Difficulty:  Easy)  


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foodforscot Ratings:


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