Indian Chicken Korma

In the last city we lived in, the little kids and I used to frequent this little Indian restaurant.  I dare say it was our favorite guilty pleasure.   One of those places that just walking in and smelling those exotic spices makes you feel so incredibly happy.   An additional perk to Indian food is that the spices used are super healthy, so at one point I got brave enough to try out a few recipe of my own.   We've made Naan and Curried Chicken Salad (which is probably NOT authentic Indian at all), and we've done this Korma recipe several times.   

It may seem like you have to gather up quite a few odd spices, but really you are just dumping them all together.  And Lordy, the smell!  Wow.   I will say that you could probably make this a lot more spicy than I did, but my little girl is quite sensitive to heat, so I limit the amount of chili powder to accommodate her.  This is a very simple recipe.

#Paleo #Glutenfree #Whole30 #Dairyfree #Grainfree #Clean

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Ingredients:

• 2-3 pounds chicken, cut into pieces
• I used chicken breasts
• 8 Tbsp butter
• or ghee for Paleo or Whole30
• 2-3 onions, thinly sliced
• 3 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 inches fresh ginger root, grated
• 2 tsp chili powder
• Add more for extra heat
• 1 tsp turmeric 
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp+ salt (probably more)
• 1 Tbsp flour
• sub almond flour for glutenfree or Whole30
• 1/2 cup milk
• sub almond milk for Paleo, Whole30
• 1 cup half and half
• sub coconut milk half and half 
• Fresh cilantro leaves to garnish
• Freshly cooked basmati rice to serve with

Step-by-Step:
Put the chicken into a large saucepan, covered with water and bring to a boil.  Simmer only until the chicken is cooked through.  This does NOT take long!  Remove the chicken and set aside, reserving 4oz of the cooking liquid.  Empty the saucepan and use for the rest of the recipe.

2-3 pounds chicken, cut into equal sized pieces

water to cover

1/4 cup retained cooking liquid

cooked chicken pieces

Heat the butter in the saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring for around 3-5 minutes until the onions are softened.

8 Tbsp butter

2-3 onions thinly sliced
Go with your preference and the size of your onions.

3 large cloves garlic, crushed
Or equivalent amount of garlic paste.

Add the ginger, chili powder, turmeric, ground coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and salt and cook for five minutes more.

2 inches fresh ginger root, grated
Or equivalent amount ginger paste.

2 tsp chili powder
*Add more for increased heat.

1 tsp turmeric

**oops.. forgot to take a pic of the 1 tsp coriander!  Don't forget to add it!  

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp coriander at top right

1+ tsp kosher salt
You can always adjust this later.

And oh my goodness.  When you mix these spices together... the smell is just amazing!  

Add the reserved cooking liquid.  Cook for around two minutes.

1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid from the chicken

Blend the flour with a little of the milk and add to the pan.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer.

1 Tbsp flour + 1/2 cup milk

Stir in the half and half and simmer until it reaches the desired consistency.  This may take around five minutes.   

1 cup half and half
You can use heavy cream if you'd like it to be richer.

Add the cooked chicken and heat just until the chicken is hot (it's already cooked).

The poached chicken.

Garnish with cilantro leaves.  

Serve over freshly steamed basmati rice and some warm naan.

Here are some bonus recipes I hope you'll enjoy!
Dreamsicle Mimosas  - tailgating parties, anyone?

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup - equally perfect for after those soccer games and under the RV awnings for football game gatherings.

Sesame Shrimp and Asparagus Stir-Fry - quick, low carb and elegant!

Tomato Basil Chicken - all fresh ingredients.  MmmMmm good.

5-Ingredient Berry Crisp Dump Cake - five pantry ingredients that you probably have on hand right now!  Great for emergencies like unexpected dinner guests or dinner invitations.

Written Method:
Put the chicken into a large saucepan, covered with water and bring to a boil.  Simmer only until the chicken is cooked through.  This does NOT take long!  Remove the chicken and set aside, reserving 4oz of the cooking liquid.  Empty the saucepan and use for the rest of the recipe.

Heat the butter in the saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring for around 3-5 minutes until the onions are softened.  Add the ginger, chili powder, turmeric, ground coriander, cardamom, cinnamon and salt and cook for five minutes more.

Add the reserved cooking liquid.  Cook for around two minutes.

Blend the flour with a little of the milk and add to the pan.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer.  Stir in the half and half and simmer until it reaches the desired consistency.  This may take around five minutes.

Garnish with cilantro leaves and serve over freshly steamed basmati rice and some warm naan.