Coriander Chicken

I love this dish. Why? 1. Because it's Indian - and I love anything Indian. 2. It's rich in cilantro flavor. 3. It's meditative to make. Taking this recipe from the goddess of Indian Cooking, Chef Madhur Jaffrey, we tweaked it ever so slightly and humbly to make it a little less time consuming and equally enjoyable.

Chef Jaffrey calls for 7oz of cilantro leaves - that's just the leaves, which means you need to remove the leaves from the stems. One bunch of cilantro yields about 1 oz of leaves.

To remove the leaves, try this handy kitchen hack - take a fork and turn it upside down with prongs facing down. Push the fork into the bunch at the top of the stems below where the leaves start and run the fork up the bunch to quickly remove a hunk of leaves at once. See photos. This works for any herbs when a recipe calls even for a handful.

After you've cleared most of the leaves from the stems, you need to go back in and pick out the rest by hand. You can look at this as frustrating or time consuming or you can look at this as meditative and cathartic. Opting for the latter? Stay connected to your breath, don't rush, and be mindful of your actions. It should take about 20 minutes to clear 7oz and you'll end up with a large salad bowl full of cilantro. BUT...if that is out of the question, do 5 oz of cilantro and 2 oz of spinach, which is what we did here.

Fun "Fact": Rumor has it when Jaffrey's book came out in London featuring this recipe on the cover, the city experienced a shortage of the herb!

Cilantro, also called coriander or Chinese Parsley, is rich in Vitamin K, an essential vitamin that directs calcium to your bones, and has also been shown to control blood sugar levels and contain antibiotic compounds.

Slow cooker adaptation below from my friends at the zen of slow cooking.

Ingredients

6 T extra virgin olive oil
2 pieces (1-inch cubes) fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup water
2 lbs - boneless and skinless chicken breast and thighs mixed or 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium bunches fresh cilantro, long stems trimmed.
2/3 cup water
2 T lemon juice
1/2 jalapeno, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Kosher salt

Instructions

Heat oil over medium-high heat in wide, heavy pan.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
When the oil is hot, put in as many chicken pieces as the pan will hold in a single layer and brown on both sides. Chicken will cook through later. Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl. Sear all the chicken pieces this way.
Add the garlic to the hot oil. As soon as the pieces turn a medium-brown color, turn heat to medium and add ginger. Stir-fry it for a minute. Add jalapeno, cayenne, cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt. Stir and cook for a minute.
Combine cilantro, water and lemon juice in Vitamix or high speed blender until well combined.
Put in all the chicken pieces as well as any liquid that might have accumulated in the chicken bowl. Add the fresh cilantro purée. Cover tightly, turn heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
Turn the chicken pieces over. Cover again and cook another 10 minutes or until the chicken is tender. If the sauce is too thin, uncover the pan and boil some of it away over a slightly higher heat.
Serve with basmati rice, quinoa and/or naan if you eat gluten.

Slow Cooker instructions

Heat the oil and sauté the ginger, garlic and jalapeno for 2 minutes over a medium heat.
Transfer the ginger mixture to the slow cooker.
Coat the chicken with the salt and cayenne, cumin, coriander and turmeric and place in the slow cooker.
In a small blender chop the cilantro with the water and lemon juice
Transfer to the slow cooker
Stir, cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hour or HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Time: 75 minutes with cilantro prep

Serves: 4

HEARTFUL RECIPE – One of our real food recipes that focuses on veggies, protein, healthy fats and/or healthy carbs and doesn't include gluten, dairy, soy, refined sugar, corn or peanuts.

Write-up by Pam.