Curried Chicken in Cilantro Chili Pepper Sauce

Last week I cooked up this recipe for Curry Chicken in Cilantro Chili Pepper Sauce. I love curry, but it can be challenging to make without heavy cream and/or butter. Honestly, what appealed to me the most about this particular adaption was the distinct lack of either of these 2 rather unhealthy items. An added bonus was the oodles of cilantro. Sidenote- As much as I love cilantro is how much I loathe parsley, which is ironic because they're in the same family of herbs. Oh, and never tell someone that doesn't like parsley that "you can barely even taste it" or "it's just garnish." No.

I recommend serving this curry with rice (I used brown), but Naan would be delicious so sop up the extra sauce. mmm.  I also doubled the recipe, which we got some quality leftovers out of!

Recipe from: Ecurry.com

Ingredients: (serves 3-4 )

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, (or chicken thighs, of equal weight), cubed

to marinate:

1. 1 teaspoon chile powder/paprika/cayenne pepper
2. salt
3. 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For the Sauce:

1. 6 tablespoons oil
2. about 4 turns of  freshly ground black peppercorn
3. 1.5 teaspoon red crushed pepper
4. 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
5. 2.5 cups chopped onions
6. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
7. 1 tablespoon ginger paste
8. 2 small tomatoes, grated
9. salt
10. 1 teaspoon turmeric
11. 1/4 cup coconut milk
12. 3/4 cup base green chutney (recipe follows)

Base Green Sauce/Chutney: (makes approx. 1 1/4 cup)

1. 3 cups packed fresh cilantro/coriander leaves. tender stems included –washed well and drained
   
2. 8 cloves of garlic
3. 6 hot green chili pepper, (remove seeds and membranes if you do not want it spicy)
   
4. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
5. 1 teaspoon sugar
6. salt
7. 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
8. 2-3 tablespoon water

Preparation:

To make the green sauce/chutney:

Remove the tough stems of the cilantro before measuring. Blend/puree all the ingredients for the green sauce in a food processor until smooth. You might have some of the chutney/green sauce left over from the recipe above. Use it as a condiment or freeze it for later use.

Wash the chicken and pat dry. Rub the lemon juice, salt and chile powder on the chicken cubes and let them rest for at least an hour, overnight works better.

Heat the oil, add the crushed pepper and black pepper. After a couple of minutes add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start to sizzle, add the chopped onions and the sugar. Fry the onions at high heat for about 8 minutes. They will start to brown on the edges.

Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and add them to the pan. Cook for about 12-15 minutes till all the water evaporates and the chicken starts to brown and the oil comes up on the sides and bubbles. You will have to frequently toss the chicken pieces during this time, so they do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the ginger  paste, grated tomatoes and the chutney/green sauce to the pan; lower the heat, stir everything together in the pan and let it cook covered for 15-20 minutes. Uncover and toss everything frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan. The chicken should be cooked at the end of this time.

Uncover and 1 cup of water combined with the coconut milk. Simmer for 10 more minutes uncovered and switch off the heat. Let it sit for about half an hour before you serve. Garnish with more fresh cilantro if you wish.

Serve with rice or flatbreads.

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