Indian Style Chicken Fajitas

We're wild about chicken tikka masala in our house, and this recipe uses a very similar preparation with the chicken. I thought about using it in another dish, and what could be more perfect than fajitas? Paired with a refreshing and creamy raita, they couldn't have turned out better. 

This recipe comes together fast, and my 2 year old loved it. Its a lovely little twist on a classic favorite, and fun enough to make for company. It can easily be made vegetarian by subbing some extra firm tofu for the chicken thighs.

INGREDIENTS

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs or

   1 lb firm or extra firm tofu
16 oz plain whole milk yogurt
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground coriander
pinch cayenne pepper
5 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
1 - 2 red peppers thinly sliced, or any
combination you prefer
1 medium - small red onion, thinly sliced
milk mayonnaise made with 1/2 cup fresh
cilantro (optional)
1 Tbsp canola oil

6 spinach or plain flour tortillas 

for the raita:

1 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 English cucumber, seeded and finely 
   chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion

Combine the plain yogurt with the next 9 ingredients in a medium glass bowl and stir well to combine. Add the chicken thighs one at a time, thoroughly dredging each one in the yogurt marinade before adding the next. Cover with plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid and let marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to 4.

Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the raita in a medium glass bowl and stir well. Season to taste. Cover tightly with plastic and place in fridge for at least 1 hour for the flavors to marry. 

When ready to cook the fajitas, line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil and set in a large cooling rack, like this one. Spray well with canola oil. Turn your oven's broiler on to high (you can also grill this if you like). Pull the chicken out of the dish on piece at a time, running hand along chicken to remove most of the yogurt. Lay atop the rack in a single row. 
Place under the broiler and cook for 12 minutes a side, flipping the chicken after the first side has received a nice char. Remove the chicken and set aside to let cool, then slice into thin strips.

While the chicken is broiling, set a large non-stick pan over medium high heat and add the canola oil. Add the onion and saute for 4 minutes, or till they begin to soften. Add the peppers and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet or nuke them for several seconds in the microwave to soften them. Add an equal amount of chicken to peppers and onions. Drizzle with cilantro milk mayo and serve raita on the side or in the fajita. Serve immediately.

Chicken Tikka Masala and Coconut Rice with Cashews

This past week I was really in the mood for some chicken tikka masala, and set about finding a recipe that wasn't too daunting, yet still promised complex flavor. I soon discovered there were about as many ways to make this dish as there are people willing to eat it. Since Indian food isn't exactly old hat for me in my kitchen, I didn't feel comfortable winging it from just one recipe. There were things I really liked in some, but I couldn't seem to find a recipe that seemed to stand up on its own - either it was too complex, or didn't seem to have much flavor from the technique used. I realized that not many spices were necessary to have a delicious turn out, but the combination of them was key. 

In the end, this is an amalgamation of about 4 different recipes that I found interesting. I'm not including where I found them, because that would be just too confusing, as well as perhaps insulting to the creators of them. The coconut rice is something I've been working on for years, and finally stumbled upon a preferred method (at least in our house) this past year. It's very easy to riff off of by incorporating a slew of Asian, Middle Eastern, or Indian interpretations. I'm pretty aware these dishes aren't exactly 'authentic', but they were insanely good and left us with hardly any leftovers. The rice never even made it to the tupperware. 

INGREDIENTS
                                                                               

for the chicken:

2 1/2 - 3 lbs boneless, 
   skinless chicken thighs
1 cup low or whole fat plain 
   yogurt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced or
   grated
2 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp kosher salt 
1 tsp coarse ground pepper

for the rice:

1 1/2 cups basmati rice, rinsed well (or not - if you don't mind sorta sticky rice, don't rinse)
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
3 large or 5 small scallions, sliced on a diagonal
1/2 - 2/3 cup raw  unsalted cashews
1 1/2 cup water
1 can full fat coconut milk 
1 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp canola or coconut oil
                                                                       
for the sauce:

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp canola or coconut oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced or grated
1/2 inch piece ginger, grated
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
1 Tbsp double strength tomato paste
1 Tbsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp allspice or ground clove
2 tsp sweet curry powder
1 can full fat coconut milk
salt to taste
1/4 - 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Mix together the yogurt and the other spices for the chicken in a large bowl. Place the chicken thighs into the yogurt mixture, ensuring that each one gets well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator to marinate for at least one hour, or up to overnight.

Add 1 Tbsp coconut or canola oil to a medium pot and heat over medium. Pour in the rinsed (or not) rice and stir frequently till the grains are nearly opaque. Add the turmeric, scallions, cashews, water, salt and coconut milk. Stir well and crank heat to high. When rice comes to a boil, give it another thorough stir and cover, dialing heat back to low. Cook for 18 minutes, then remove from heat and let the rice continue cooking (still covered - don't remove the lid!) for 10 more minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

While the rice is simmering away, prepare the sauce. Add the 3 Tbsp oil to a dutch oven or large heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook till softened, 8 - 10 minutes. Add the jalapeno and cook for a couple more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala, coriander, allspice and curry. Stir frequently till spices start to bloom, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and coconut milk. Simmer for about 10 minutes on medium low. Add cilantro and salt to taste. 

Once the rice and sauce are done, it's (finally) time to cook the chicken! Place a cooling rack on a foil or silpat lined cookie sheet, and spray the rack down well with canola oil. Turn the broiler on high, and place an oven rack in the 2nd to the top slot. Remove the chicken from the yogurt and place on rack, about an inch or 2 apart from each other. Pour the remaining yogurt marinade into the sauce and let simmer while the chicken cooks. Place the chicken under the broiler and cook on each side for about 5 minutes, until a nice char develops. Remove from oven and cut into large chunks and toss them into the sauce, as well as any pan drippings. If the chicken is a little underdone, just keep the heat on low under the sauce and leave it for a few minutes to finish cooking. 

Serve  the chicken with plenty of sauce and lots of fresh cilantro over the rice. Not in the mood for rice? Sop up the amazing sauce with some naan bread. 

Chicken Chili

This chili has been in my arsenal for quite some time now. It's really easy to make, can feed a crowd, and the leftovers are great. It seems that the longer this sits in the fridge, the better it tastes. Of course, it's still delicious the first day. 

Chicken chilies I've had in the past always seemed more like a soup to me - the flavors were kind of there, but the consistency just wasn't reminiscent of chili. Since the chicken isn't ground (nor would I want it to be), there is kind of a sacrifice to the comforting thickness of a ground meat chili. I tried adding some corn meal to thicken the broth, and haven't turned back. Not only do you get a more satisfying viscosity to the liquid, there is fantastic flavor imparted by the corn meal. It works really well with the combination of beans and peppers used in this recipe. 

As far as chilies go, this one is super fast. You don't have to simmer for a long time in order to get nice developed flavors. You can also use whatever combination of peppers look good to you; as long as you have a jalapeño in there, you're good to go.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 - 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
2 - 3 large poblano, anaheim, cubanelle, or banana peppers, small dice
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
8 - 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp Mexican (or regular) oregano
1 Tbsp cumin
Adobo seasoning (if you can't find this in the grocery store, its easy to make your own.)
2 bay leaves
2 quarts low sodium chicken stock
2 cans great northern or cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
~1/2 cup corn meal
cilantro (optional)

Add oil to a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat. Pat chicken thighs dry on both sides and lightly sprinkle (as you would with salt) Adobo on each side. Nestle thighs into pot (you may have to do this in 2 batches to avoid crowding the pan) and cook for 5 - 6 minutes on each side till golden brown. Remove chicken to a plate and set aside.

There should be enough residual oil left in the pot, but if not add ~1/2 Tbsp more. Add the onion and peppers, and dial heat back to medium. Add a couple splashes of the chicken stock and scrape up all the browned bits. Cook for about 10 minutes till the onions and peppers are softened, stirring often.  Add the garlic, oregano, and cumin and stir for about 1 minute or so. Add the remaining chicken stock and bay leaves. Place chicken back into pot and cook covered over medium low heat for about 20 - 25 minutes. 

Remove chicken thighs and place on a cookie sheet to expedite cooling. Add the beans to the stock and increase heat to medium. Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite size pieces using your hands. Add the chicken back to the pot. Slowly add the corn meal into the chili while stirring constantly, ensuring the corn meal isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot, for about 5 minutes or until chili is thickened. You may want to add a bit more if the chili isn't as thick as you want it, but a word of warning - it takes a couple minutes for the corn meal to swell and thicken the chili, so don't be over zealous.

If you like, tear off a handful or two of cilantro and add to chili. Stir well and serve immediately. A squeeze of lime and some Mexican crema are lovely additions.