Baked Chicken Drumsticks ~ Indian Style

Baking Chicken has always remained quite easy for me as I can simultaneously cook other dishes in gas. This recipe is something that I prepare often and my son who is not very fond of chicken eats little of it; so I'm very glad as a mother. 

Ingredients:

Chicken legs / Chicken Drumsticks 6 ~ 450g
Yoghurt 5 tbsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder 2.5 tbsp
Coriander Powder 2 tbsp
Pepper Powder 1 tsp
Cumin Powder 1 tsp
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Finely chopped Garlic and Ginger 1 1/2 tbsp each
Olive Oil or any Oil 3-4 tbsp

For garnishing:

Lemon slices
Onion rings
Chopped Coriander leaves

Method:

Add finely chopped ginger and garlic to the other spice powders and yogurt in a mixer. Grind to a paste. Transfer to a bowl. (If using ginger-garlic paste, add all the other ingredients and ginger garlic paste in a bowl. Mix well. )

Make a small slit in each legs. Apply this paste all over the chicken legs and allow to marinate over night or atleast 5-6 hrs in refrigerator. 

Preheat the oven at 200 deg c for 10 mins.

Remove the marinated chicken pieces. Add oil and give it a gentle mix.

Arrange the pieces in a cookie sheet and place it in the middle rack of the oven.

Bake at 200 deg c for 20-25 mins. Now turn the other side and allow baking for another 20-25 minutes. Mine got done at 25 minutes each side.

Notes:  I use an electric oven. Each oven varies and cooking time differs; so adjust time accordingly. This is medium hot; increase or decrease spice powders according to your taste preference.

There may be excess of marination; say 1-2 tsp; I just leave it. Need not push all marination in; just a generous coating is enough. 

Easy Chicken Curry ~ Amma's Recipe ~ Guest post for The Big SweetTooth

I really like the concept of guest posts that is happening in blogosphere. Particularly I don't fail to read the guest post series happening at Rafeeda's place. Hope all blogger friends would know her. I like her inspirational quotes that she shares both in FB and in her posts. I really admire her; she is a working mom with two cute and lovely kids. Inspite of her busy life, she manages the blog too.. She has loads of chicken recipes; I've bookmarked a few; but yet to try.

My Mom is a non vegetarian. But since we didn't show much interests in non veg food since child hood, she stopped cooking it except when guests arrive. She needs to prepare a platter of non veg and veg items with sambar, avial and other stuff  so as to satisfy both the guests and us. So she make this curry simple yet tasty and makes the side dish hot and spicy. Side dish would be mostly hot chicken fry or boiled egg fry. She uses only pearl onions and less of garam masala but heard guests say it is the tastiest curry that they have ever had and vanishes soon during lunch itself. 

When Rafeeda invited me to write a guest post, I accepted immediately. When I was thinking what to prepare, I thought of this amma's simple chicken curry recipe. Hope you like this Rafeeda. 

Check out the recipe in her space here.

Pepper Chicken Thokku

Thokku refers to the gravy that is much thick. It can be had as an accompaniment to Idli/Dosa or just had with steamed rice or Biryani. My MIL makes this often whenever she doesn't prepare chilli chicken/deep fried chicken. She doesn't add coconut and it goes well with everything. I tried to achieve the same just by seeing its color and my Hus' hint that it is more peppery and spicy. I'm quite proud that it came out good quite similar to hers. 

Ingredients:

Chicken 250g
Tomato big 1
Onion small 1
Pepper powder 1/2 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves to garnish

To temper:

Cumin seeds 1/4 tsp
Aniseeds 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon a stick

To grind:

Pepper corns 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Dried red chillies 2

Method:

Clean and Chop chicken into pieces. Chop onions and tomatoes as fine as possible.

Dry roast the ingredients and powder it once cooled.

Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add all the ingredients to temper one by one. Wait till they turn slightly brown and splutter. Now add ginger garlic paste and chopped onions. Fry till the onions turn translucent.

Now add finely chopped tomatoes. Fry till the oil separates. Add pepper powder and turmeric powder. Fry for a while and then add the chicken pieces.

Give it a mix. Add just enough water for the chicken to get cooked along with salt. Cover the lid and cook it for five minutes.

Now add the ground powder and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes or until done.

Add coriander leaves. Stir well and now it is ready to be served.

Serves: 1
Serve with steamed rice or Idli/Dosa

Notes: If you want more gravy, add one more tomato and onions & grated coconut. Adjust pepper according to your taste.

Kadai Chicken

Normally I avoid preparing chicken recipes with Chapati. The reason is its very difficult to prepare a veg gravy separately for me. So I go with only veg gravies.

I was craving to prepare chicken gravy with chapati, dont know the reason exactly; just like that. Yesterday was that day; I planned and made Whole Moong Dhal Kuzambu for lunch in excess so that I can have it for dinner. I made this recipe like kadai vegetables and with some more spices.

Kadai Chicken is thick gravy mostly served along with Chapati, Naan or any Indian Bread. I feel it is so special because of the addition of both chopped and pureed Onions and Tomatoes along with capsicum.

I couldn’t take a better picture as it vanished soon.

Ingredients:

• Chicken ½ kg
• Chopped Capsicum ½ cup
• Green Chillies 2
• Onion (Medium) 1
• Tomato (Big) 1
• Aniseeds ½ tsp
• Cumin ¼ tsp
• Cloves 3
• Chilli Powder ¾ tsp
• Coriander Powder 1 ½ tsp
• Garam Masala ¼ tsp
• Ginger – Garlic Paste 1 ½ tsp
• Chopped Ginger and Garlic 1 tsp each
• Cream 4tbsp
• Water 1 to 1 ½ cups
• Salt
• Oil

To fry and grind:

• Onions (Medium) 2
• Tomatoes (Medium) 2

To marinate Chicken

• Yoghurt 3 tbsp
• Chilli Powder ¾ tsp
• Turmeric Powder ¼ tsp
• Salt

Preparation:

• Slit green chillies. Cut Capsicum and Tomato (Big) into cubes. Chop Ginger and Garlic into fine pieces.
• Chop Onions lengthwise. Marinate Chicken and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Method:

• Roughly chop Onions (2) and Tomatoes (2). Heat little Oil in a Pan. When hot, add chopped Onions. Fry till they turn translucent. Keep it aside. Now add Tomatoes and fry till its skin separates. Grind them to a paste when cooled.
• Heat Oil in a pan. When hot add aniseeds, cumin and cloves. When the seeds crackle and turn slightly brown, add lengthwise chopped Onions, chopped Ginger and Garlic. Few seconds later, add Ginger-Garlic paste and Chillies. Fry till onions turn translucent.
• Now add cubed Tomatoes. Fry till its skin separates.
• Add Capsicum. Fry for a while and then add the Tomato-Onion Paste. Throw in all the powders and Salt.
• Mix well and fry for some more time. Add marinated Chicken pieces and water. Close the lid and allow boiling.
• When it is almost done, add the cream, mix well and cook for five more minutes and serve.

Serves: 2

Serve with any Indian bread or any flavored Rice.

Rotisserie chicken

Rotisserie is a style of roasting where meat is skewered on a spit - a long solid rod used to hold food while it is being cooked over a fire in a fireplace or over a campfire, or roasted in an oven. The rotation cooks the meat evenly in its own juices and allows easy access for continuous basting if desired. Source - Wiki.

I had a very strong desire to bake the whole chicken in this Rotisserie style. But my Hus alone cannot eat so much chicken. So decided to experiment with a small piece. The end results were good, said my hus who tasted it. I was very happy as my son liked it. Who knows what kids like??

Ingredients:

• One whole leg of Chicken – approx 200g
• Pepper Powder ½ tsp or acc. to your taste
• Salt
• Juice from a Lemon
• Oil 2-3 tsp

Preparation:

Marinate Chicken with all the other ingredients and keep it aside for half an hour.

Method:

• Preheat Oven to 225°C for 10 minutes.
• Once done, arrange the marinated chicken in between the rotisserie spit.
• Allow to bake for 35-40 minutes or till done.

Linking this recipe to Anyone can cook series of Taste of Pearl City and Iftar Nights of Jabeen's Corner. 

Chettinad Chicken kuzhambu (Curry)

This is a combined version of many chettinad recipes available on Internet and those shown in TVs. I cannot credit you all as I couldn’t save all the links as I searched for many months together and took notes.

Chettinad Chicken – I’ve never tasted it. But I think it received so much fame and popularity because of the combination of freshly ground spices, Pearl onions, Poppy seeds, Cashewnuts and Coconut with marinated Chicken.

Do not panic seeing so many ingredients. The preparation takes some time, once done it is a very easy task then.

Here comes the famous recipe.

Ingredients:

• Chicken ½ kg (with bone)
• Pearl Onions 15 (approx 1 ½ cup)
• Curry Leaves 
• Salt
• Oil

Make a Paste:

• Tomatoes (Big) 2
• Green Chillies 2
• Poppy seeds 1 tsp
• Cashew Nuts 6-8
• Finely chopped Ginger and Garlic 3 tsp each

Dry Roast and Powder:

• Coriander Seeds 4 tsp
• Dried Red Chillies 5-6
• Pepper Corns 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds ¾ tsp
• Aniseeds 1 ½ tsp
• Cloves 2
• Green Cardamom 2 each
• Bay Leaf 1
• Cinnamon sticks a small piece
• Shredded Coconut 5-6 tsp

For Seasoning:

• Cumin seeds ¼ tsp
• Aniseeds ¾ tsp
• Bay Leaves 3
• Green and Black Cardamom 2 each
• Cinnamon sticks few
• Green Chillies 1-2

For marinating Chicken:

• Juice from 2 Lemons
• Chilli Powder ½ tsp
• Salt

Preparation:

• Combine all ingredients under marinating chicken and refrigerate for 1-2 hrs. 
• Peel and Chop Pearl Onions. Slit chillies for seasoning. 
• Soak Poppy Seeds and Cashew nuts in water for an hour.

Method:

• Chop Tomatoes into 4-6 pieces. Make a paste with all other ingredients under “Make a Paste”.
• Dry roast each ingredient under “Dry Roast and Powder” separately and powder them together.
• Heat Oil in a Pan. When hot, add all the ingredients under “Seasoning”. When the seeds crackle, add chopped Onions.
• When Onions turn golden brown, add Tomato Paste and sauté till the oil separates.
• Now add the ground Powder. Mix well and then add marinated Chicken Pieces. Fry for sometime so that the Masala gets combined well with the chicken.
• Add 2-3 cups of water and Salt. Close the lid and boil till done.

Serves: 2-3

Serve with Steamed Rice or chapati.

Notes:

Some prepare the same recipe with finely chopped Tomato and not grinding it. In that case, add one more Tomato.

I do not get Poppy seeds here, but have mentioned as it is inevitable in chettinad cooking.

Star Anise is also used for seasoning. 

Linking this recipe to Iftar Nights of Jabeen's Corner.

Chicken Biryani

I always cook Biryani with Tomatoes. But in Restaurants, I do not always find the same. I thought let me try that way. And I did not much patience and time to do layering. Found this method after trying 2-3 times. This way, grains are separate and flavorful. The best part is need not drain water from the Rice and thus more healthy.

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice 1 ½ cups

Chicken 250g

Onions (Medium) 2

Ginger Garlic Paste 2 tsp

Green Chillies 1-2

Pudina and Coriander Leaves few

Chilli Powder ¾ tsp

Coriander Powder 1tsp

Biryani Spice Powder ½ tsp

Garam Masala ¼ tsp

Water 3 cups

Kesari powder 2-3 pinch

Saffron

Milk 1-2 tbsp

Yoghurt 3-4 tsp

Turmeric Powder 2-3 pinch

Salt

Oil and Butter

Whole Garam Masala

Aniseeds and Cumin ¼ tsp each

Cloves 4

Green and Black Cardamom 2 each

Bay Leaves 2

Cinnamon sticks few

Preparation:

Marinate Chicken Pieces with Yoghurt, Ginger-Garlic Paste (½ tsp), Salt and Turmeric Powder for atleast one hour.

Chop Onions into fine pieces lengthwise. Slit Chillies. Soak Basmati Rice for 20-30 minutes and drain completely. Soak Kesari Powder and Saffron in Milk.

Method:

Heat little Oil in a Pan. When hot, add chopped Onions and fry till slightly brown. Keep it aside in an absorbent Paper.

Heat required Oil and Butter in a Pan. When hot, add Whole Garam Masala. When they turn slightly brown, add Ginger-Garlic Paste (1 ½ tsp), Green Chillies, Pudina and Coriander Leaves. Saute for a while and then add marinated Chicken. Add little water (less than ¼ cups of water). Close the lid and cook it for 8-10 minutes on a medium flame.

Now open the lid. Add Rice, 3 cups of Water, Salt, and ½ tsp Oil. Stir well. Increase the flame to a high and allow boiling.

When the water level decreases the rice level (you can see small holes), reduce the flame and then add fried Onions, Milk with Kesari Powder & Saffron and Garam Masala Powder.

Now simmer the flame (the lowest), close the lid and cook for another 5-6 minutes. Now open the lid. Use a fork to see whether rice is done. If not, cook for some more time.

Serves: 2

Serve with Kurma and Raita.

Notes: Make sure the lid is used is tight. If not, close the pan with a kitchen towel and then close the lid. Chilli Powder can be added during marinating Chicken.

I have used less spice. Increase it according to your taste.

Sending this to Iftar Moments of Taste of Pearl City.

Dragon Chicken

It has been more than a week since I experimented with Chicken. When I saw this recipe in a TV Show, got excited and tried immediately. It came out really good and would definitely be a treat to Chicken Lovers.

Ingredients:

Chopped Chicken ½ cup (350ml cup) 180g approx

Chopped Capsicum ¼ cup
Egg White 1
Corn Flour 1 tbsp
All Purpose Flour (Maida) 1 tbsp
Pepper Powder ½ tsp
Soya Sauce 1 tbsp
Tomato Sauce 1 ½ tbsp
Chilli Sauce 1 tbsp
Chopped Ginger and Garlic 1 tsp each
Spring Onions Few
Salt
Oil for deep frying

Preparation:

Chop Chicken and Capsicum into fine lengthwise strips.

Method:

Combine chopped Chicken, Maida, Corn Flour, Pepper Powder and Salt in a Bowl. Add Egg White and mix well. Keep it aside for 10-15 minutes.

Heat Oil in a Pan. When hot, add Chicken pieces and fry till done. Keep it aside in an absorbent paper.

Now heat little Oil in a Pan. When hot, add spring Onions and add chopped Ginger and Garlic. When they turn slightly brown, add chopped Capsicum and required Salt. Fry for a while and then add Chicken Pieces and all the Sauces. Mix well and fry till done.

Serve garnished with chopped spring onions.

Serves: 1-2

Serve as side dish to Fried Rice.

Chicken is a good source of Protein. Sending this recipe to Sobha Shyam's Cook It Healthy; Protienicious event and Iftar Moments of Taste of Pearl City.

Chicken Curry with Vegetables

My Hus wanted Chicken Curry with Vegetables yesterday. I gave it a try with Pearl Onions. My Mom and Grandma always use Pearl Onions with Chicken. I tasted a little; it was good. My Hus liked it very much and asked me to prepare the same next week. This would tell you how good it tasted.

Here is the tasty recipe.

Ingredients:

Chicken 400g

Potato (Medium) 1

Peas Handful

Tomatoes (Medium) 2

Pearl Onions 15 OR ¾ of 350ml cup

Dried Red Chillies 5

Turmeric Powder ¼ tsp

Chilli Powder ¾ tsp

Coriander Powder 2 tsp

Garam Masala ½ tsp

Chicken stock 3 to 3 ½ cups

Yoghurt and Turmeric Powder for marinating

Coriander Leaves

Whole Garam Masala

Aniseeds and Cumin 1/8 tsp each

Cloves 4

Bay Leaves 2

Cinnamon a small piece

Black Cardamom 2

Preparation:

Roughly chop Pearl Onions and Tomatoes. Clean and cut Chicken and Potato into medium pieces.

Rub Yoghurt and Turmeric Powder over chicken pieces and refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.

Method:

Heat oil in a Pan. Add Chillies and chopped Onions. When Onions turn translucent, add the chopped Tomatoes. Fry till its raw smell goes off.

Let it cool and then puree the mixture.

Heat Oil in a Pan. When hot, add the whole Garam Masala. When they turn slightly brown, add the pureed mixture.

Saute for a while and then add all the Powders. Fry till the oil separates.

Now add chopped Potatoes and Chicken Pieces. Mix well. Fry for a while and then add Chicken stock, Salt and Peas. Stir well. Close the lid and cook till done.

Garnish with Coriander Leaves.

Serves: 2-3

Serve with hot steamed Rice or Chapati.

Notes:

Chicken Stock can be replaced by Water and Pearl Onions by normal Red Onions.

Grated Coconut can also be added. But I didnt use Coconut as the gravy was already thick with ground Onions, Vegetables and Chicken.

 

Whole Moong Dhal (Pachai Payaru) Kurma, Channa (Kondai Kadalai) Kurma and this Curry goes to Sobha Shyam's Cook it Healthy: PROTEINicious Event..

Moong Dhal, Channa, Chicken and Peas are rich in Protein.