Green Chicken Masala

Mmmmmm. Mom made this dish when I was visiting back in June. My first reaction (before tasting it) was to take a quick inventory of her refrigerator to see what else I could subsist on for the next few days because I do not like Indian food. I did eat a small bowl of the marsala (because it would have been rude to refuse outright) and proceeded to have leftovers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until it was gone. It seems my aversion to Indian food has more to do with the heavy-handed use of curry than anything else; and this recipe uses no curry.

After a little prodding, mom sent me the recipe the other day and I stopped at the store after work yesterday to pick up whatever ingredients I didn't have on hand. It's a long list of ingredients, but it's easy to assemble. I did spend a fair amount of time cursing my limited counter space as I barely have enough room to have the cutting board, ingredients, and a mini food processor out at the same time. This will be one of the recipes I'll run through in my head when we're house hunting again.

Green Chicken Masala

Green Chicken Masala

Ingredients

2 cups cilantro leaves

cup mint leaves

3 jalapeño, coarsely chopped (plus 1 serrano)

8 garlic cloves, crushed

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

½ cup water

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 large onions, finely chopped

1 roasted chicken, cubed or shredded

1½ teaspoons turmeric

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup unsweetened reduced fat coconut milk

4 cups chicken broth

Kosher salt

Basmati rice, for serving

Directions

1. In a blender, combine the cilantro, mint, jalapeño, garlic, lemon juice and water and puree until smooth.
2. In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the chicken, cilantro puree and coconut milk, chicken broth, season with salt and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Serve with basmati rice.

I left out the ½ cup of water while preparing the puree and, as a consession to Scoob's onion aversion, I only used 1½ onions instead of a full 2. I thought since I was using Walla Wallas he wouldn't object as much, but I did decide to puree them with an immersion blender once they'd finished cooking.

I've found he's much less likely to whine about the onions if he can't even find them. That, and I wouldn't have to watch him pick them out of his food. He really liked the meal and didn't even mention the onions until I specifically asked about it.

I had also seeded the jalapeño and serrano chiles before adding them to the food processor, mostly out of habit since the instructions don't call for it. When I make this again I'll probably keep some of the seeds in for a little more heat.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's time for lunch. Mmmmmm.