Cilantro Chicken ala Madhur Jaffrey

Cilantro Chicken

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey

Kathy made this last night… WOW!  There are so many cookbooks out there.  After a while you just get a sense what will and will not work. Madhur Jaffrey is one of our 'go to' food writers that pay off time and again.
This low fat dish is amazing!

One 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, coarsely chopped

5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. Fresh squeezed, lemon juice

8 pieces chicken, skinned (whole, cut up chicken or 4 large breasts)

1 medium tomato, chopped

3 lightly packed cups cilantro leaves and small stems

3 Serrano chiles, coarsely chopped

1 tsp. Tomato paste

3 Tbl. olive or corn oil

1-cup yogurt, (Greek or regular) lightly beaten with a fork




1. Place the ginger, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the lemon juice into a blender. Add about 2 tablespoons of water and blend, working down with a rubber spatula if necessary, until smooth. Place the chicken pieces in a non-reactive bowl. Pour the ginger mixture over and rub it in. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (foil will react) and refrigerate for 30 minutes or for up to 24 hours.

2. Without bothering to clean the blender, put into it the tomato, cilantro, chilies, tomato paste, the remaining 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of water. Blend until smooth.

3. Pour the oil into a large, nonstick, lidded pan and set over high heat. When very hot, but not smoking, put in the chicken pieces, together with the ginger marinade. Fry, stirring, until the chicken pieces are lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.

4. Add the tomato mixture from the blender. Continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce is thick and clings to the chicken and the oil separates, another 10 minutes.

5. Add the yogurt. Stir and cook until the yogurt disappears and leaves a thick sauce edged with oil, 4 to 5 minutes.

6. Cover, reduce the heat as low as possible, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the chicken is tender. If you think that the pan is drying out too much, stir in a tablespoon or two of water.

Serve with Basmati or Jasmine rice and Pita or Naan bread.