Foodies Files– The 20 Minutes Creamy Coconut Chicken

The first time I cooked this, it was for adding some basic flavors to a simple boiled chicken dish to make it more palatable. The little experiment I did with flavors, turned out to be refreshingly delectable and the next couple of times I repeated it, I kept adding basic ingredients to enrich and perfect its mild, sweet – succulent flavor. The idea was to keep it fundamentally low fat and yet with all the goodness of soft, creamy chicken that could be whipped up in 20 minutes flat.

Here is the recipe if you wish to try…

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Chicken breasts
• Cup of fresh low fat curd
• 6 – 8 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 medium sized onions, diced
• Curry leaves
• Mustard seeds
• Coconut Milk, about half a cup 
• Dry coconut powder, a handful 
• 2 – 4 dry red chillies, kashmiri variety preferred as they are mild and flavorful, chopped

RECIPE

1. Cut the chicken breasts into chunks to a size of your liking, add some water and pressure cook for about 4 – 5 whistles (10 – 12 minutes approximately)
   
   
   
2. While the chicken boils, add the low fat curd and garlic cloves with some water into a mixer and blend it to a watery base slightly more viscous than milk.
   
   
   
3. Heat two tablespoons of cooking oil in a skillet or pan and add mustard seeds and onions and cook until onions turn golden. Add in the fresh curry leaves. We don’t want the curry leaves to overcook so drop them once the onions are just about done.
   
   
   
4. Add your curd and garlic blend into the pan and let it simmer for a while.
   
   
   
5. Get the chicken out of your pressure cooker. It should be tender by now. Add any water from the cooker to the skillet (nothing goes waste) and drop in the chicken pieces into the reduced curd base.
   
   
   
6. Add salt to taste and let it cook for 3 – 4 minutes
   
   
   
7. Once the chicken is covered in the curd base properly, add the coconut milk and grated coconut or dry coconut powder.
   
   
   
8. Cover the pan and let it cook over slow heat for next 6 – 7 minutes till the coconut milk is reduced to a thicker gravy. Stir occassionally in between as needed.
   
   
   
9. OPTIONAL - In another small pan, heat a tablespoon of oil or ghee (clarified butter) as preferred, add some mustard seeds, a few curry leaves and the chopped dry red chillies till they just about begin to crackle. Add a spoon of coconut milk from the skillet to this and pour this sizzle to the chicken cooking in the pan.
   
   
   
10. Turn off the stove and serve with plain boiled rice.

Enjoy !!! and send me a note of thanks, if you like what you cooked.