Slow Cooking Thursday: Indian Spiced Braised Chicken

slowcookingbanner.jpgI love, love, love Indian food, but I’ve never made it at home. (I don’t think that the simmer sauces from Trader Joe’s really count, even though they’re quite tasty). However, after having a delicious Indian buffet lunch at Basera when we saw “Rent” I have been craving it. I remembered a recipe from the April 2007 issue of Everyday Food that I wanted to try and thought this would be the perfect opportunity! Since I had a lot of cleaning to do yesterday, I had wanted to use my slow cooker, and I rememberd it being a Crock Pot recipe. Perfect!

Of course, I almost never make a recipe exactly as dictated and this one is no exception. I omitted the tomato paste because I didn’t have any, and neither of us really like the flavor it gives food. I didn’t have any cayenne pepper on hand, so I substituted chili powder. Also, after slow cooking all day, the sauce was really thin and watery so I transfered everything into a large pan on the stove, cranked the heat, and thickened it up with a bit of Wondra. I also adjusted the seasonings. I found it needed more salt, as well as heat so I added some Frank’s Red Hot and sprinkled on a bit more Garam Masala as well. I didn’t have basamati rice on hand, so I just made regular old white rice to serve along with it. Drew loved it! (I did too!). Next time I would probably use chicken breast, though. The thighs were fine, but they have a bit of a stringiness to them. I don’t know… I guess we just prefer the white meat. But even so, it was excellent. I hope you enjoy!

Indian Spiced Braised Chicken

Indian Spiced Braised Chicken

1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs — boneless and skinless
1 medium onion — thinly sliced
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes — drained
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. ginger — grated from 1″ piece
2 cloves garlic — minced
1/2 tsp. coriander — ground
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup yogurt — plain
1/4 cup cilantro — chopped
1/2 teaspoons garam masala — optional
Cooked white rice, for serving

In a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker, stir together chicken, onion, tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger, garlic, coriander, and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Cook on high 4 hours (or 8 hours on low) until fork tender. Stir in yogurt, cilantro and, if using, garam masala. Serve with rice.

For more delicious slow cooker recipes, be sure to head over to Diary of a SAHM!

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