If you’re like me, you’re always looking for the perfect lunch or light dinner. I’m always looking for new ways to cook with chicken breast to make it flavorful; truth be told, a lean piece of chicken breast without the skin and bone can often be quite bland. Marinating the chicken in spiced yogurt for a couple hours packs the chicken with flavor as well as tenderizes the meat.
This recipe was perfected by Oliver who was inspired by an old Indian cook book my mother found in a remote village in India while traveling a couple years ago. The book eloquently describes yogurt as “the diplomat of Indian cuisine. It is often there, but in the background, seeing that things go smoothly; it is sweet, but – at times – slightly sharp”.
Yogurt Spiced Chicken with Cilantro
2 skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of plain yogurt
1 tablespoon of coriander seeds
2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
1 tablespoon of grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons of curry powder
2 teaspoons of kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 lime
1/4 cup of sour cream
A handful of cilantro, coarsely chopped
Naan bread
Toast the seeds in pan (without oil) and toss until fragrant. Then, grind the spices until you obtain a powder. Mix the yogurt, spices, ginger, garlic, curry powder salt and pepper in a bowl. Cut the chicken breasts into bite size cubes and add to the yogurt mixture. Toss to coat all the pieces, cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 350F. Remove the chicken from the bowl, shaking off any excess marinade. Place the chicken on the grill sheet that goes in your oven, and place a an aluminum-lined sheet below (marinade will drip down as it cooks). Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 10 minutes. Turn your oven to broil and cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown and just cooked through.
Serve with warmed Naan bread, a dollop of sour cream, a good drizzle of fresh lime juice and garnish with a small handful of cilantro. Enjoy!
Enjoy the read!
Sippity Sup
April 29, 2009 at 1:35 pm (15 years ago)This is indeed a lovely dish. I also think the yogurt at diplomat is a great metaphor! Such a great way to describe it’s subtle importance in Indian cuisine. As usual your photo is spectacular! GREG
Justin Schwartz
April 29, 2009 at 1:45 pm (15 years ago)i love that photo. i’m not really a chicken-guy, but this shot is changing my mind.
Sara
April 29, 2009 at 3:09 pm (15 years ago)I love marinating meat in yogurt, it makes it so tender! This looks really delicious.
Chocolate Shavings
April 29, 2009 at 4:24 pm (15 years ago)Justin Schwartz: I hope you get to try it.. it make change your mind about chicken!
Dawn
April 29, 2009 at 5:23 pm (15 years ago)I know this will sound odd, but I am so thankful for warmed Naan bread. And this my friend is the PERFECT meal to serve on top of warmed Naan bread.
I always love your new photos.
MissBliss
April 29, 2009 at 10:31 pm (15 years ago)Y.U.M. I am crazy for lime and cilantro… and just brought a little pot of cilantro home from the store… 🙂 hopefully I can keep it alive.
MissBliss
April 29, 2009 at 10:34 pm (15 years ago)btw, I like Dawn, love warm Naan! what a blissful thing in life. 🙂
talkingcookies
April 30, 2009 at 9:01 am (15 years ago)Hi
You have a really good blog page and nice photos..
this is look delicious !!!
talkingcookies
April 30, 2009 at 9:02 am (15 years ago)Hi
You have a really good blog page and nice photos..
this is look delicious !
Junglefrog
April 30, 2009 at 10:24 am (15 years ago)Beautiful photo! This looks so delicious. It is funny, but I am seeing so many chickenrecipes today. it must be because I am doing a grilled chicken tonight myself for the first time…:) This looks lovely!
nicole
April 30, 2009 at 12:07 pm (15 years ago)I love your photo of this dish- it’s convinced me to put this on next week’s menu. Looks very good!
Laura [What I Like]
April 30, 2009 at 1:08 pm (15 years ago)My mom used to make something like this when I was growing up and I just adored it. I think hers had paprika and cayenne instead of the curry though…but I do recall lots of ginger, cumin and cilatro. Yours looks so beautiful!
Cakespy
April 30, 2009 at 2:48 pm (15 years ago)This sounds awesome!! I love a good naan-wich. I am a sucker for yogurt sauce, and having it with cilantro is intriguing!
Jennifer
April 30, 2009 at 3:17 pm (15 years ago)I LOVE curried chicken with spiced yogurt!! yum yum yum!! beautiful pic!!!
MaryBeth
April 30, 2009 at 8:49 pm (15 years ago)My husband is a cilantro freak, he just can’t seem to get enough so I know he would be all over this dish. He would most likely still ask someone to pass the cilantro!
Debbie
May 1, 2009 at 9:21 am (15 years ago)What a great looking dish. It looks very tasty and sounds delicious!
Brittany (He Cooks She Cooks)
May 1, 2009 at 3:42 pm (15 years ago)That looks sooo good. Spice, cream, cilantro and lime are just a killer combination. It’s why I love Indian and Mexican food.
La Marquise des anges
May 3, 2009 at 4:31 am (15 years ago)how is it possible !!! it’s only 10 am here inFrance and I already have a craving for yogurt spiced chicken … ME , who can just eat sweet things during mornings …
mmmm …. yummy 🙂 thanks for sharing
sabine
CookiePie
May 3, 2009 at 2:31 pm (15 years ago)That looks fantastic! Love the yogurt idea.
Room design studio
May 3, 2009 at 2:39 pm (15 years ago)you dont know how much I love indian food! and this is a great twist from the traditional ! I cant wait to make it !! easy enough!
Jamey
May 3, 2009 at 5:33 pm (15 years ago)I made this meal and marinated the chicken over night, which worked out fine. It grilled up lovely and is now sitting happily in my belly – YUM!
Chocolate Shavings
May 3, 2009 at 5:38 pm (15 years ago)Jamey: I’m glad you liked it! I worked it into my meal plan for next week because I was craving it again!
Elyse
May 4, 2009 at 2:42 am (15 years ago)What a great way to fit a ton of flavor into chicken. This dish sounds absolutely fabulous. I love Indian-inspired dishes. Great job!
Ian
May 4, 2009 at 7:37 pm (15 years ago)mmmmm I have to convince Christie to make this 😀
oneshotbeyond
May 5, 2009 at 1:57 pm (15 years ago)your photo makes me want to try this.
Deborah
May 5, 2009 at 11:06 pm (15 years ago)I agree with you – chicken can sometimes be bland, but this doesn’t look bland at all!
Koruklu
May 6, 2009 at 8:57 am (15 years ago)Looks wonderful!!!I guess it tastes even better!!!
finsmom
May 6, 2009 at 3:27 pm (15 years ago)I love pretty much anything if it involves naan bread to dunk! Sounds great!
Geay Varrey
June 11, 2009 at 7:02 am (15 years ago)Absolutely spectacular dish! By far the best homecooked Indian style chicken I’ve ever managed to cook, many thanks for sharing this fantastic recepie.
Chocolate Shavings
June 11, 2009 at 8:26 am (15 years ago)Geay Varrey: I’m glad you enjoyed it!