Ingredients
Scale
For the marinade
- inch nubs of ginger (1)
- 3 whole cloves of garlic
- 1 Tbsp . Garam Masala
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 small handful of cilantro (about a 1/4 cup washed)
- juice of one lime
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp of water (this will get the marinade a bit more liquidy)
- 2.5 pounds boneless (skinless chicken thighs)
Sauce
- 1 tbsp of butter
- 1 large shallot sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 inch of ginger (minced)
- 1 can of Red Gold Diced Tomatoes or comparable
- 1 can of lite coconut milk
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/4 cup of frozen peas
- limes to garnish
- cilantro to garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- First we need to make a marinade for our nice lean boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You can use the breast as well, I just find the thighs are way more flavorful. A mixture of Greek plain yogurt, cilantro, lime, garlic, ginger, turmeric, garam masala, salt and pepper gets placed into a food processor or a blender. BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ goes the blender.
- In the meantime, cut off any access fat off the chicken and place into a large ziplock bag. Pour marinade over it and let it sit for 2-24 hours.
- Slice one shallot, mince 4 garlic cloves and 1 inch sized piece of ginger.
- Place 2 tbsp of olive oil into a large pan and heat up on high. Place the chicken into the pan making sure not to over crowd it and sear until gorgeous and golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
- Remove the golden brown chicken and set aside.
- Turn the heat to medium and place 1 tbsp of butter into the pan.
- Add in your shallots, garlic and ginger. Let them sweat for 3-4 minutes until they are nice and fragrant.
- Pour in one 15 oz can of Red Gold Tomatoes or any brand of choice. Let this reduce a bit for 2-3 minutes. Then go ahead and add in your one can of lite coconut milk.
- And to make the sauce a bit thicker, pour in a cornstarch slurry, equal parts corn starch and cool water. It will start thickening up as soon as your mixture comes to a boil…so preferably do this once your mixture is boiling.
- Add in your chicken thighs and let it simmer for another 7-8 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Turn off the heat and add in some frozen peas.
- Sprinkle with some cilantro and serve with naan or over rice.
Notes
Grama masala you can find online or in Indian grocery stores. In fact, most decent grocery stores will have it in their ethnic section. And if not, there’s always Amazon 🙂 It is the heart of Indian dishes and combines several spices including coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, black cumin seeds (shahjeera), dry ginger, black cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves. It gives Indian dishes its telltale flavor.