Tag: Chicken
Soy Butter Chicken
Soy Butter Chicken
Pollo ala Barbacoa, aka Cuban soy butter chicken is a dish based out of communism and poverty. Cuba, being a communist country, doesn’t always have access to everyday ingredients. This soy butter chicken was created by making the most out of what was available. This dish was traditionally only made with 3 ingredients: chicken, butter, and soy sauce. You can use any cut of chicken except boneless skinless in this recipe. I’m partial to chicken thighs. Once they are seasoned, the most important thing is to get nice crispy skin on the chicken. To achieve this, the oil has to be hot. Once you place the chicken in the saucepan, don’t touch it. Let that skin brown for 6-7 minutes. If you touch it before hand, the skin will stick to the pan and tear. So don’t touch it. The best part of this dish is the sauce. The best way to utilize it is to toss in your favorite shaped pasta and cook for 3-4 minutes. I like to use gemilli, but penne, farfalle, fusilli, or caveteppi are all great choices. A spaghetti shaped noodle wouldn’t work as well.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 bone in chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup water
- 8 oz uncooked pasta prepared accordingly to package directions
Garnish
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Make sure to get the seasoning underneath the skin.
- Heat up olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Place the chicken thighs skin side down, searing for 6-7 minutes a side.
- Add in the remaining ingredients. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer. Cover and continue cooking over medium heat for 25 minutes, occasionally basting the chicken with the sauce.
- The sauce will reduce and thicken on it’s own. Remove the chicken.
- Stir in the cooked pasta of your choosing. I’m partial to gemilli. Cook for 3-4 minutes in the sauce.
Keralan Chicken Curry
Keralan Chicken Curry
This chicken curry hails from the Indian state of Kerala; known for its use of black pepper in curries. This recipe might be in my top 5 favorite foods I’ve ever made. It also has more steps in preparation than any other recipe on this site. Honestly, it’s kind of a pain in the ass to make. It is all worth it once you have the finished product. What is unique about this curry is the tempered oil that is poured over it. Simply heat up coconut oil in a small skillet. Once it is hot, turn the heat off. Toss in the curry leaves, green chilies, and grated coconut. Let them infuse the oil for just 30 seconds. Pour the oil directly over the curry. It adds another dimension of flavor to this already complex curry.
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Spice Paste
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 4 tbsp water
Keralan Chicken Curry
- 2 lbs bone in chicken thighs cut into 4
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp black mustard seeds
- 10 curry leaves
- 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 cups shallots chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 small tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- salt to taste
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp fennel powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp cilantro chopped
Tempering Oil
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 5 curry leaves
- 2 green bird’s eye chilies split in half lengthwise
- 2 tbsp fresh grated coconut
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken with the marinade ingredients for 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- Mix all of the spice paste ingredients together. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and curry leaves. Sizzle in the oil for 30 seconds.
- Add in the shallots. Cook down for 20 minutes until brown.
- Add in the ginger garlic paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the spice paste to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add in the chopped tomatoes. Fry for 5 minutes. Mash with the back of a spoon.
- Stir in the marinated chicken. Fry for 8 minutes, making sure th chicken is evenly coated. Season with the white wine vinegar, sugar, and salt. Cook for 2 more minutes.
- Pour in the water. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Season with the fennel powder and black pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a small sauté pan over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, turn off the heat and add in the curry leaves, birds eye chilies, and grated coconut. Let the ingredients infuse in the oil for 30 seconds.
- Pour the tempering oil over the curry.
Goan Chicken Cafreal
Goan Chicken Cafreal
Cafreal is a spicy marinade for chicken consisting of cilantro, green chilies, and spices that is widely consumed in the Indian state of Goa. Cafreal was introduced to Indian cuisine from Portuguese colonists settling in Africa. Preparation is fairly simple. The chicken needs to marinate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, to achieve maximum flavor. It is then sautéed, then let to stew for 25 minutes. The marinade will start to cling to the chicken. It is then finished off with a little bit of vinegar, bringing out more flavor to the chicken. You can even marinate a whole chicken in the marinade and roast in the oven.
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 cup cilantro
- 2 green chilies
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 5 whole cloves
- 5 green cardamom seeds
Goan Chicken Cafreal
- 2 lbs bone in chicken thighs skinned; cut into 3-4 pieces
- 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken pieces in the ginger garlic paste for 30 minutes.
- Purée the marinade ingredients in a food processor or immersion blender. Add the marinade to the chicken. Marinate the chicken for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Heat up cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add in the chicken pieces along with all og the marinade. Sear on all sides for 8-10 minutes.
- Add a 1/4 cup of water. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 25 minutes. The marinade will reduce down and salt to cling to the chicken.
- Season with salt. Add in the vinegar and cook uncovered for 8 more minutes.
