Chicken with Roasted Spices

Posted on | August 18, 2010 | 21 Comments |

Chicken With Blackened Spices

I really don’t have a valid excuse for the prolonged absence from this space, so I won’t try and blame it on work or the hot weather or anything like that. Instead let’s just say that I was on a summer vacation and now I am back, that too with a new look! A brand new template always inspires me to get back into blogging. I am still tweaking it and adding new functionality, let me know what you think of the new look and if you find any bugs or usability issues. The geek in me always has more fun working on the template than actually writing a recipe.

I don’t know how many chicken recipes I have posted already. No, actually I do know how many – 39!! (It is easy with the new template, just click on Chicken from the menu on top and you can see them all in one place. See how I did that plug?). So this is my 40th chicken recipe and I am sure I will be posting many more. I made this for our Friday night cocktail hour when we were in the mood for something spicy hot with beer. I used a couple of Cornish game hens in this recipe, but you can use regular chicken pieces too. What makes this dish different from my other 39 chicken recipes is that fact that here I marinated the chicken in ground roasted till almost blackened-spices which gave a rich aroma and a deep brown color to the dish.

Ingredients

2 Cornish game hens, quartered (~2lbs bone-in chicken pieces)
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbsp julienned ginger pieces
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp white vinegar
Salt to taste

For Dry Roasting

2 tbsp coriander seeds
1.5 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp fennel seeds
6 Cardamom pods
4 Cloves
1 star anise

Method

If using Cornish game hens, remove as much skin as you can, I usually leave the skin on the wings which is difficult to remove. If using chicken, go for skinless bone-in pieces, unless of course you love skin. Wash and pat the meat dry with paper towels.

Heat a heavy skillet and dry roast all the spices till they start to smoke, making sure not to burn the spices. When it is cool enough to handle, transfer the roasted spices to a spice grinder or a coffee grinder and grind to a smooth powder.

Add the powdered spices, salt, vinegar, ginger and garlic to the chicken and mix well to coat all the pieces evenly with the marinade. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Place a large pan on the stove and add the oil. When the oil gets hot, add the shallots and sauté till soft. Then add the marinated meat and sauté for a few minutes turning the pieces frequently to not let the spices burn. Add in the chopped tomatoes and mix well to combine. Cook for a few minutes till the meat and the tomatoes start giving out some liquid. When there is some liquid in the pan, reduce the heat to medium high and cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the meat is cooked through. Add a bit of hot water if the pan dries up during this time.

Once the meat is cooked, remove the lid from the pan and increase the heat to high. Use a spatula to keep turning the pieces to make sure they are evenly coated with the thick gravy. You can either serve this with some thick gravy or you can dry it down till all the liquid is gone, both versions are delicious.

As always, it goes best with cold beer, regardless of the temperature outside.

Category: Chicken

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Comments

21 Responses to “Chicken with Roasted Spices”

Arch
August 18th, 2010 @ 11:19 pm
Reply

I like the colour on this chicken..looks really peppery spicy…40 chicken recipes…wow…i come here, check them out, bookmark them and I have managed to make 2 of your chicken recipes, so far…
prajusha
August 18th, 2010 @ 11:51 pm
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chicken looks spicy and colorful
http://www.icookipost.com
nags
August 19th, 2010 @ 12:19 am
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yummmmm! i was just wondering yesterday why there’s no new post from you. if only i had the skills to change my templates at will like you do love the new look although i really liked your old template a lot!
Priya
August 19th, 2010 @ 2:35 am
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Was routed to your blog through some other blog and am hooked on it ever since.
Your blog is a boon to all us newly weds who are a novice to the cooking world.. and the fact that your blog is a visual treat and so appealing definitely helps.
And I loved the Kerala-Tam recipes. Am a Keralite who’s lived in Mumbai all her life and married to a Keralite who hails from Chennai..
so thank you from a grateful Mallu.
nisha
August 19th, 2010 @ 3:26 am
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sig this looks like the ever famous trivandrum chicken fry that i crave for so so much…
love the colour
Jaya Wagle
August 19th, 2010 @ 6:48 am
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Sig, this chicken reminds of the one my sis made, last time I was visiting, using goda masala. This looks oh so good and so simple to make, I am tempted to start cooking chicken at home.

BTW, you had to put up a recipe this week that required blackening of spices, hun?
Radhika Vasanth
August 19th, 2010 @ 7:16 am
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I actually like this template better and the content arrangement is awesome. I have been drooling at all your chicken recipes and even on this 40th one. Looking forward to see more chicken recipes from you.
BongMom
August 19th, 2010 @ 7:20 am
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I like this template Sig, pretty neat. Your chicken dishes are always awesome. This one will be on the menu soon
Tanvi
August 19th, 2010 @ 7:22 am
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OMG!!!!
That looks so delish!
Method of roasting the spices is new to me for such a dish….will it try next time!
Cheers.
Pravs
August 19th, 2010 @ 8:48 am
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The 40th chicken recipe with it’s dark looks, looks delicious
Chaitali
August 19th, 2010 @ 8:49 am
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Every chicken recipe I’ve tried from your site tastes amazing. I especially love the drumstick gravy you’ve posted. It’s the best!
Please please keep posting more chicken recipes
Arch
August 19th, 2010 @ 9:12 am
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ok, back here to let u know that i tried your kerala chicken masala for dinner tonight..it was awesome…thank u
Rashmi
August 19th, 2010 @ 11:05 am
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Sig,

Love love the new look.And i am so going to make this chicken dish.Sounds very good for Friday evening.
Anu
August 19th, 2010 @ 11:37 am
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I love this new look, Sig! And the chicken dish looks good, my hubby might love it!
smitha
August 19th, 2010 @ 4:16 pm
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oooh a new post… im soo excited
Miami Culinary Tours
August 19th, 2010 @ 5:34 pm
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Oh gosh, that chicken got my attention, this is my first time here at your blog and I like how detailed the steps are – good for people like me =) that I do not know how to cook if I don’t have the directions written right in front me. I usually let the experts do the cooking but I love everything with spices – so I might just be courageous and try it.
Cheers,
aqua
August 19th, 2010 @ 8:01 pm
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This is a great appetizer, I make a similar chicken masala but that is more of a side dish than an appetizer, and yours is way easier to make than mine is.

And your new layout looks very nice.
bergamot
August 19th, 2010 @ 10:04 pm
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wow really nice and spicy… i like the chicken dry so I am going to bookmark this one
Forme of Cury
August 20th, 2010 @ 9:27 am
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I make something similar to this from a recipe I got from a woman from Sri Lanka. It’s all about layers of flavor and a kiss of heat – perfect for the summer.

Cheers.
Saurav
August 31st, 2010 @ 8:55 pm
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Thanks a lot! I actually tried ur recipe exactly as u’ve written. It turned out AMAZING! Got a lot of compliments.. Full 5 stars to your recipe!
Radhika
November 7th, 2010 @ 3:42 pm
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I have made this recipe twice now and it is definitely going to be part of my repertoire now! Your recipes are awesome and I make quite a few of them all the time. Thanks!