Herb Chicken

Hi everybody,

Today I will share my herb chicken recipe. I have been making variations of this recipe for over 2 years now. Every time I cooked it, it would turn out different and sometimes really blah.... 😂 I tried various permutations and combinations of ingredients, and so this recipe is an evolved one.

One major concern on my mind is that many readers prefer to use an oven rather than a stove top for cooking. This is an obstacle I have to overcome since the traditional method for cooking in my country is heavily skewed towards stove top cooking. It would be wrong for me to give temperature and time for oven roasted recipes, when I am not too sure myself, and often find myself looking up temperature and cook time online for basic recipes. Over time I hope to get used to it, but for now, I will show you what I know best, and think worthy of blogging from my viewpoint.

Here goes... my patient readers...hope you try it out soon.
 Simple ingredients:

• Any cut of chicken (on the bone) I have photographed only half the amount of chicken here... Actually, I have used about 1 kilo of chicken tangri.
• Some olive pomace oil (suitable for cooking) or any vegetable refined oil is also fine.
• Dark soy
• 2 medium sized red onions
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• Some fresh chilly of you choice (I have used cherry pepper)
• Most importantly, a bunch of fresh dhania patta(coriander leaves) and some garlic shoots/scapes. 

Start by using a kitchen towel/paper to pat dry the chicken well. In a deep pan, add in 3/4th of a cup of oil to poach the chicken. Put your chicken in when the oil is cold and cover it with a lid. Start with high heat.

Let the chicken poach in the oil for about 5 minutes on high heat or till it gets a slightly golden color on one side, and then turn it over gently. Put the lid on again and leave it for 5 more minutes on the other side. After this, lower the heat to allow the chicken to cook slowly from the bone. (10 minutes on low heat with a lid)

This is still not enough to cook the chicken thoroughly, so do not feel tempted to try a bite😉

While the chicken was bathing in oil, I used the time to prepare the veggies. Slice the onion, tomatoes and chilly (anyway you find comfortable... But try to make them small for easy cooking) 

Wash the fresh herbs thoroughly and give them a rough chop...I use a pair of scissors for this.

 After your chicken is ready, do not discard the remaining oil, use the same pot for the next stage as it will enhance the taste in my opinion. (Do not remove excess oil at this stage)

Crank up the heat and throw in the sliced onion and chilly together...giving them a good toss.... Wait till light golden.

Once they turn to a light golden color, throw in the fresh herbs and give it a good mix. The aroma is heavenly.

Once the herbs are mixed well and begin to change color add in the tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of dark soy and salt to taste.

Spread the veggies evenly on the base of the pot and add in your chicken. Give it a good toss and let the veggies and oil coat the chicken well. I like to add a few pinched of red chilly powder here for a good colour.

Now put a lid on the pot and leave it on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes (if you are using large chunks keep them for at least 20 minutes, if you are using small sized pieces 15 minutes and if boneless then 7 to 8 minutes should be fine). For the last 3 minutes or so, increase the heat and open the lid to allow the chicken to develop some beautiful reddish golden colour. Once done, let the chicken rest in the pot with the lid on for about 10 minutes minimum.

  

You may remove the excess oil now. I don't remove it because I enjoy this chicken with a good helping of fluffy white rice (and this is why I prefer using olive oil over refined vegetable oil). Easy and yummy... Good luck and remember to cook from your heart❤