Chilli Garlic Chicken
An inviting chilli and garlic chicken recipe from the Mother India at Home book. The chicken curry dish is a real showstopper served with warm chapatis and rice.
Introduction
This is one of the most popular dishes in the Mother India restaurant, where we usually serve it with chapatis and basmati rice.
Ingredients
| 700g | chicken, boned, skin off and cut into 2.5cm pieces |
| 2 tbsp | sunflower oil |
| 20g | butter |
| 2 | small onions, finely chopped |
| 2 | cloves of garlic, chopped |
| 20g | fresh ginger, chopped |
| 2 | green chillies, finely diced |
| 1 tsp | cumin seeds |
| 4 | cloves, slightly crushed |
| 1 | black cardamom pod |
| 1 | small cinnamon stick |
| ½ x 400g | tin of chopped tomatoes |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| ½ tsp | ground turmeric |
| ½ tsp | red chilli powder |
| 1 handful | of fresh coriander |
| 1 pinch | of grated nutmeg |
| For the marinade: | |
| 1 tbsp | mustard oil or extra virgin olive oil |
| 1 tbsp | vinegar |
| 1 tsp | salt |
| 2 | green chillies, finely chopped |
| ½ tsp | cracked black pepper |
| 1 tbsp | garlic pickle (see ingredients for the pickle below) |
| For the garlic pickle: | |
| ¼ tsp | fennel seeds |
| ¼ tsp | fenugreek seeds |
| 1 | star anise |
| 2 tbsp | olive oil |
| 2 tbsp | brown sugar |
| ½ tbsp | salt |
| 175ml | white malt vinegar |
| 3 | bulbs of garlic, peeled and finely chopped |
Method
You’ll need to make the garlic pickle in advance. In a small pan, dry roast the fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and star anise for about 30 seconds, then add the olive oil. After another 30 seconds add the sugar, salt and vinegar and let everything simmer for about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and let it cool down, then add the garlic and mix well. Transfer into glass jars and leave for one week for all the flavours to combine before using. Half a teaspoon of this will add a kick to any dish but you’ll need a tablespoon for the Chilli Garlic Chicken recipe.
Now for the chicken…
Put all the marinade ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and make sure they are completely coated. Cover and leave in the fridge for at least a couple of hours, and preferably overnight.
Heat the oil and butter in a large pan. Once hot, add the onions and cook gently for a few minutes, then add the garlic, ginger and green chillies. Cook for a further 3 minutes, then add the cumin, cloves, black cardamom and cinnamon stick and let the spices simmer away for a few minutes.
Add the tinned tomatoes, salt, turmeric and chilli powder Stir well, let everything cook for 5—10 minutes, then add the marinated chicken. Mix well and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through, then add the coriander and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg. Cover with a lid, simmer for 1 minute, then serve.
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