Green Chicken Curry

Simple flavorful chicken curry

I am no expert in chicken curries,neither am I a chicken lover (not a meat lover in general) but there are a few meat preparations that I crave and Shilpa’s green chicken curry is definitely one!

Shilpa is a family friend in NJ, USA and is one of the sweetest people, not to mention one of the best cooks I know! I will forever remember the cold November morning when I was sore and tired from all the moving and Shilpa had invited me over for lunch. I lost count of the bowls of chicken curry and slices of bread I had that day (so unlike me!). The chicken was perfection! Juicy, full-of-flavor and literally melting in my mouth. The freshly baked bread she got from a local farmers market was the perfect accompaniment.

I made sure to get the EXACT recipe from her! So here it is:

This recipe is for 2 lbs of chicken (bone-in) serves 4-6 people and is best served with light and salty bread such as ciabatta or fresh bhakris.

You will need:

2 lbs chicken (bone in cleaned and rinsed – little less than 1 kg)

For marination:

1.5 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 heaped tsp Malvani masala (or you can use 1 tsp garam masala)

salt

For the curry:

whole spices: 1 bay leaf, 2-3 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon, 6-8 black peppercorns

2 medium-sized onions finely chopped

grind together – one bunch of cilantro/ corriander leaves (about 2 cups of leaves) and 3-4 green chillies with a little salt. I have used a cup of leaves and some stems that I had saved from sorting my bunch of cilantro. you can add more or less chillies depending on the heat level you like.

2 tablespoons desiccated coconut (or shredded dry coconut) – toasted golden-brown and powdered – this helps with binding the watery curry together, in addition to imparting a toasty, nutty flavor.

Procedure:

• Marinate the chicken with the ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt and malvani masala. let rest at room temperature for at least an hour.

• In a large pan, heat 2-3 tbsp oil and sauté the whole spices
• Next add in the chopped onions and fry until dark golden-brown

• Add the green ground mixture (cilantro + green chilies) and sauté just for about a minute
• Add the marinated chicken to this mixture and mix until the green masala coats the chicken evenly.

• Add salt as needed and cook covered on low flame for 20-30 minutes – until chicken is tender and falls of the bone. You can also cook in a pressure cooker/ pan or instapot
• check in between and add warm water if needed (depends on what consistency you prefer)
• Add the powdered toasted coconut and let it cook for just another couple minutes.

Serve garnished with chopped cilantro or sliced green chilies. Goess perfectly with sliced bread or Bhakri.