Chicken 65

Time for another outbreak of me attempting to cook some Indian dishes. This one caught my eye because it looks a lot like chicken marinated in a similar way to tandoori chicken, but cooked quickly and simply in a skillet. The name is a bit obscure; the most convincing reason I've seen for the name is that it started off as an item on a numbered menu. At any rate, there are now quite a few versions of this out there. 

We thought this was really tasty. It does need some advance prep, since it is marinated, but I don't mind that -it's always nice to break up the work a bit. Normally this would contain fresh curry leaves, but I couldn't even round up any cilantro - it got sprinkled with parsley. I picked the lettuce as more of a garnish but we ate it with the chicken; it was a nice accompaniment.

4 servings
20 minutes to prepare marinade
2 hours to overnight to marinate
15 minutes to cook

Make the Marinade:
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon ground red chile
3 tablespoon potato starch
3 to 4 clove of garlic
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
the juice of 1 lime OR 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup thick yogurt

Toast the fennel, cumin, peppercorns, and coriander lightly. Let them cool then grind well with the salt. Put them in a container that will hold the chicken and has a cover, and mix in the remaining spices and potato starch. Peel and grate the garlic and ginger into the container. Add the lime or lemon juice and yogurt and mix well.

Marinate & Cook the Chicken:
500 grams skinless, boneless chicken
1/2 medium red onion
lettuce leaves
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro OR parsley
lemon OR lime wedges

Cut the chicken into large bite-sized pieces. Mix them into the marinade, and marinate in the fridge, covered, for 2 hours to overnight.

It's a good idea to have the onion peeled and sliced and the lettuce washed and dried before you start cooking; especially if, like me, you prefer to sprinkle your onion pieces with salt and let them soften and become milder flavoured with about 15 minutes of resting. (Rinse them and dry them before using.)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When hot, place the pieces of chicken into the pan individually, with the marinade clinging to them. Cook until brown and crispy on both sides, and cooked through to the middle.

While they cook, arrange the lettuce on a serving platter, chop the herb, and slice the lemon wedges. When the chicken is cooked, arrange it on the platter, sprinkle it with the cilantro or parsley and the onion slices, and pass it with the lemon or lime wedges.




Last year at this time I made "Stuffing" Dressed Cauliflower.

Posted in: Ontario Food