I ate this on one of my trips to India and the flavor is amazing and really robust. If you like fresh cilantro and spicy food, this dish is for you. Its heavy use of cilantro often gives it the name, Green Chicken and it is common in the Bengal region.
It has the mixture of chicken and yogurt, which allows the meat to tenderize and this is common to northern Indian regional cooking and is a holdover from the Mogul emperors.
Ingredients
1 ½ lb of boneless and skinless Chicken, white, dark or both
1 cup of Yogurt
1 ½ tsp Salt
½ cup of Ghee(clarified butter) or canola oil
5 whole green Cardamom
10 whole Cloves
1 inch piece of stick Cinnamon
1 ½ cup of sliced Onions
4 tsp. chopped Garlic
4 tsp. chopped fresh Ginger
6 sliced green Chilies
1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 cup of chopped Tomatoes
1 ½ cup of chopped fresh Coriander
4 tsp. Ginger root julienne
Marinate the chicken in the yogurt and salt for at least one hour. Heat the oil or ghee in an oven proof pot and add clove, cardamom, onions and sauté until lightly browned, then add chilies, garlic, ginger. Keep cooking until the mixture is fragrant. Be careful not to burn the mixture.
Add the cayenne pepper and tomatoes and cook until the oil separates from the mixture. Add the chicken mixture and stir thoroughly.
Add 1/4- 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil and simmer just until the chicken is tender. You may add more water if the curry becomes too thick.
Sprinkle the chopped fresh coriander and julienned ginger over the top, cover and put into a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Serve with hot basmati rice and chutneys of your choice.
The Louisville Chef 