Bloody Good Coriander Chicken

 

Make more than you need because it's great reheated the next day or shredded into flatbreads with salad leaves a drizzle of minty yoghurt or tzatziki and some extra fresh chillies. 

Either way, pretty much a 30 minute meal once you start cooking.

 

Adapted from From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian Spice Trail. © 2003 by Madhur Jaffrey. Published by Clarkson Potter.
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, coarsely chopped (a big thumb)
• 5 good-sized cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (a large squeeze)
• 4 chicken legs, skinned and separated into drumsticks and thighs
• 1 medium to large tomato, chopped
• a big bunch (90g) of coriander leaves and small stems
• 3-4 fresh hot green chilies, coarsely chopped (or more if you are addicted – Scotch bonnets also work well here – about 4 or 5 as the yoghurt tempers the whole thing)
• 2-3 teaspoon tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup plain yogurt, lightly beaten with a fork

 

Instructions

Put the ginger, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the lemon juice into a blender. Add about 2 tablespoons of water and blend, pushing down with a rubber spatula if necessary, until smooth.

Place the chicken pieces in a stainless steel or non-metallic bowl. Pour the ginger mixture over the top and rub it in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or for up to 24 hours. Without bothering to clean out the blender, put into it the tomato, cilantro, chilies, tomato paste, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth.

Pour the oil into a large, nonstick, lidded pan and set over high heat. When very hot, put in the chicken pieces, together with the marinade. Fry, stirring, until the chicken pieces are light brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato mixture from the blender. Continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick and clings to the chicken and the oil separates from it, another 10 minutes. Add the yogurt. Stir and cook until the yogurt disappears and leaves a thick sauce edged with oil, 4 to 5 minutes.

Cover, reduce the heat as low as possible, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. If you think that he pan is drying out too much, stir in a tablespoon or two of water.