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.
I've been wanting to try making mayonnaise for a long time now, and with having a toddler in the house and knowing there weren't pasteurized eggs available anywhere in my area, I thought this would be a luxury we couldn't enjoy till she was much older. But oh, I was wrong. I came across this intriguing recipe for milk mayonnaise on David Leite's 'blahg' on his wonderful site Leite's Culinaria. He shares his discovery of this small, yet seemingly miraculous emulsion on his humorous and always charming blog section of this great site.
The first time I made it, I was a little dubious it would turn out. And then all of a sudden it does, and it is knee buckling good. You'll find the original recipe here, but I'm including the one I made since it is slightly adapted, and with it will be a very simple recipe for chicken salad. Which will probably be one of the best you've ever tasted since it's using leftover roasted chicken and this ridiculously good mayo. And it's true what they say... once you make mayo from scratch, you'll never go back.
INGREDIENTS
for the milk mayonnaise:
1/3 cup very cold whole milk
1 small garlic clove, peeled
1 tsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice
few turns of your pepper mill
2/3 cup canola oil
salt to taste
Break our your immersion blender (or regular blender, although I've never used it for this since Mr. Leite highly recommends the immersion method) and add the milk, vinegar, pepper and garlic to a 2 cup capacity glass measuring container. Place this in the freezer while you measure out the oil. Pull out the milk and begin to blend till frothy, about 30 seconds. Slowly begin adding the oil with the blender on, beginning with drops and slowly increasing to a thread-like stream. Once the mixture begins to emulsify, set the oil to the side and move the blender up and down to get it really going. Continue adding the oil with the blender running till its all combined. Move the blender up and down, and give it a little stir every so often with the blender while its off to help incorporate it. Add a pinch of salt to taste and stir well. Voila- milk mayonnaise. Place in fridge and pull out any leftover chicken...
for the chicken salad:
1 1/2 - 2 chicken breasts, or 1 leg and 1 breast, skin removed and meat pulled off and shredded by hand (do not chop it with a knife into pieces- this is guaranteed to produce a dry tasting chicken even with copious amounts of mayonnaise)
1 tsp celery seed
1/3 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley or 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 - 2/3 cup milk mayonnaise (depending on how moist you like your chicken salad- start with a little at first since you can always add more)
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let flavors meld. Serve on your favorite toasted bread with some crisp butter lettuce, or eat it straight from the bowl with a spoon. The mayo should be good for up to a week in the fridge, although I've never had it last that long. It only makes a cup at a time you know.
1 - 2 red peppers thinly sliced, or any
