January 11th, 2022: Singapore Chicken (Delhi, India)

“There is something magical that happens when you make a great curry. The flavors all come together and each mouthful leaves you swearing, in a cacophony of aromas and flavors. Just consider how many wonderful flavors are present. The chicken thigh meat was cut into bite size chucks, then marinated in plain yogurt, minced garlic, garam masala, turmeric, ground cumin, chili powder and salt overnight. The chicken was browned in a little olive oil before being set aside and kept warm. The curry sauce was made with onions, garlic, ginger, ground cumin, garam masala, ground coriander, crushed tomatoes, red chili powder, peri peri and salt. It was then put in a blender to puree. Once smooth, add heavy cream and dried fenugreek leaves. The flavors all came together as it simmered and it was served on Jasmine rice with ice cold beer. Heaven!”

Chef Chasan Recipe Notes

• Prep Time: 15-minutes
• Cook Time: 30-minutes
• Serves: 5-6

Chicken Marinade:

• 8 boneless and skinless chicken thighs; cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 T. minced garlic
• 1 T. minced ginger (or finely grated)
• 2 tsp. garam masala
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. of salt

Sauce:

• 2 T. olive oil
• 2 T. clarified unsalted butter
• 1 large brown onion, sliced or chopped
• 1 garlic bulb, minced
• 2-inches ginger, finely grated
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp. garam masala
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp. red chili powder (adjust to your taste preference)
• 1 T. peri peri
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
• 1 c. of heavy cream
• 1 T. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. dried fenugreek leaves

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate overnight.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3-minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
3. Heat butter in the same pan. Fry the onions until they start to sweat (~ 6-minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. 
4. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1-minute until fragrant, then add ground coriander, cumin and garam masala. Let cook for about 20-seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
5. Add crushed tomatoes, chili powder, peri peri and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red color.
6. Remove from heat, scoop mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup). Work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
7. Pour the puréed sauce back into the pan. Stir the cream, sugar and crushed fenugreek leaves through the sauce. Add the chicken with juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling.
8. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with Jasmine rice.