Day 42: Indian Butter Chicken

Today's recipe is another Indian Dish. I am really intrigued by Indian food. The mix of spices is really unusual but good. Like I said before when I posted the tikka chicken, I have never had Indian food before so I have no way to know how authentic any of these recipes are. I just know that they are good. The butter chicken is mild, without the kick that I've always thought Indian food had. This recipe comes from a Taste of Home magazine, so I'm sure it is pretty Americanized.

Indian Butter Chicken

10" dutch oven

2 Tbs. butter

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 Tbs. grated ginger root (I used just a little ground ginger)

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

3/4 tsp. each ground coriander and ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. each ground cinnamon and ground cumin

1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. each salt and black pepper

2 cups cooked chicken, cut up (rotisserie would work great)

1/3 cup sour cream

1 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro (I didn't have any)

Melt the butter in your DO. I used about 15 coals. Add the onions and garlic. Cook, stirring often until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger root, chili powder, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and cumin. Cook 1 minute. Add the drained tomatoes, broth, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. I used 14 coals on the bottom and 7 on top. Stir in the chicken and heat through. Remove from the coals and stir in the sour cream and cilantro. Serve over rice. 5 servings.

The Finished Product

What I Learned

Using DOs is getting a lot easier for me, so unless I make a new discovery, or I am cooking something challenging, I probably won't have anything for this little section.

The Review

This was really good, but I am still acquiring a taste for some of these spices. The turmeric gave it a cool yellow color that my kids really liked. I forgot to drain the tomatoes so mine was too runny as you can see in the pic. The kids liked it and I don't think the leftovers will last very long. Even though it is really easy, this probably isn't something that I will make very often. Not because I don't like it, but because it is really different than what we are used to. That being said, you should try it and see what you think. This recipe probably rates in the B range, I can't quite decide.

Day 24: Chicken Tikka Masala

One of my goals for this dutch oven experiment was that I not change the kinds of food I cook, only the way I cook them. And so far I have mostly succeeded. The only thing that is different about my cooking now is that I am branching out with what I cook. Tonight's dish is Indian. I have never had any Indian food, so I had no idea what to expect, except that it would be spicy.
This recipe got rave reviews at My Kitchen Cafe, so I thought I would try it out. Her recipes never disappoint.

Chicken Tikka Masala

10" dutch oven

1 cup plain yogurt

1 Tbs. lemon juice

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. cayenne pepper (I only used one)

2 tsp. black pepper

1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger (I didn't have any)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate 1 hour. Fry the chicken in your D.O. using 18-20 coals until cooked through. When chicken is cooked, remove from the D.O., drain any liquid and make the sauce.

Sauce:

1 Tbs. butter

1 clove minced garlic

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. salt

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 cup cream

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Melt the butter in your D.O. I used about 15 coals on the bottom. Add the garlic and jalapeno and saute for about 1 minute. Add the spices. Stir in the tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes or until the sauce thickens. I covered the D.O. and added about 7 coals to the top. Then add the chicken and simmer for 10 minutes more. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

The Finished Product

What I learned

I am getting the hang of simmering foods in a dutch oven. I have found it works best if I reverse the normal rule for adding coals. For a 10" oven I would use 14 coals on the bottom and 7 on top. I also learned that I like Indian foods.

The Review

I have never had a mix of flavors quite like this. It was not at all what I expected. The chicken was tender and it was nicely spiced. I cut the cayenne in half and didn't add the jalapeno. It would have been too hot for my kids. The flavor was amazing, and very unusual. The fam ate it up and there aren't any leftovers. It also came together really quickly and easily. If you are like me and have never tried Indian food, this is the place to start. I will definitely make this again. Grade: B+