Mughlai Chicken

This is Mughlai Chicken.  I can't even pretend that I know how to pronounce this but I can tell you that it was heavenly.  It is Indian inspired- but don't let that scare you.  This recipe is full of the most warm, delightful, aromatic spices that will arouse your palette.  I love Indian food because it uses spices that American cooking does not typically use, so we are tasting flavors we are unfamiliar with.  They all work together beautifully to create a sweet and savory combination that will leave you wanting more. 

Here we have cloves, coriander, cumin, cardamom, garam masala, bay leaves, ground cinnamon, and red pepper flakes.  You can find garam masala at Whole Foods but you can also google how to make your own garam masala with spices you can find at the regular ole' grocery store (even the commissary, Columbus ladies!)

So, here are our Ingredients:

• 1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• 4 tablespoons of sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup water
• 5 cardamom pods, bruised (or be like me and just sprinkle cardamom heavily)
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half, or a heavy sprinkling of cinnamon
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 pounds bone in chicken thighs
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup Greek yogurt (you all should know how I feel about this: don't spend the money on Greek yogurt. just strain your regular plain ole' yogurt to get that extra moisture out and you've got Greek yogurt, my friends)
• 1/2 cup sultanas (golden raisins); I didn't have these on hand so I used reg raisins
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

Directions:

get out your food processor, ladies and gentleman.  you could also use a blender if need be.

throw in your garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, cumin, and coriander.

this is what it will look like after you blend it

now add your almonds and blend away

now add your water and blend again

at this point, I tasted it and it needed a touch of salt

now, get out your chicken

salt these bad boys on both sides generously with salt and pepper and get 'em in a hot pan with your vegetable oil

make sure your pan is nice and hot (medium high heat so you can hear them sizzle).  place them skin side down, let them cook for about 4 minutes on each side, or until they come off the pan easily

when the chicken is seared on both sides, transfer it to a plate (we're going to do that thing again where we partially cook a chicken by searing it in both sides then put it in our sauce and let it finish cooking in the sauce)

ok so now that your chicken is removed to a plate, reduce the heat to medium and throw the rest of your spices (cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, cloves...everything but the garam masala and sugar) and let them cook in the oil for a sec.  now add your onions and cook everything together.

cook your onions until soft and translucent. pour in the blended paste and your greek yogurt

throw in your raisins (throwing them in the heat plumps them up and turns them from drab to fab)

now put your browned chicken, and any juices that have collected into the pan

let this simmer for about 20 minutes until cooked through

in the meantime, preheat your oven to 425, slice up some carrots, toss with olive oil, salt, and coriander

throw 'em in the oven for 20 minutes and you've got a delicious, healthy, and simple side dish

once your chicken is cooked through, plate it and top it with cilantro.  I served my chicken over brown rice (I use the 90 second bag), had the carrots, and topped it all with a generous amount of cilantro and it.was.PERFECT. 

oh, and I put some Naan on the side to soak up the sauce.

SO YUMMY!!!!  Expand your taste horizons and try this dish! (courtesy of Nigella Lawson from my Food Network recipe box but I adapted it to fit my needs...ie; not using heavy cream in addition to the greek yogurt, and adding cilantro).