We invited readers to share some of their favourite recipes with us. As part of a continuing series, we publish three tasty chicken recipes we've received so far:
Sasmita Sahani sent in two preparations, both of which she learned from a master chef and mastered over time. Here is the first, Chicken Risotto:
Cuisine: Italian
Type: Non-vegetarian
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups white rice (you can also use brown)
- 150-200 gms chicken, chopped into small pieces and marinated in lemon juice and salt for a minimum of 30 minutes (size: 1/4th of an inch)
- 3-4 cheese slices/cubes
- 1 cup fresh/packaged coconut milk
- 2 large red tomatos (chopped)
- 2 onions (sliced)
- 1 tsp black pepper powder
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 2 tbsps butter or olive oil
- Salt
Preparation:
- Use a kadai or large, deep frying pan to heat up butter/ olive oil.
- Fry onion slices and when golden-brown, add chopped tomatoes and add a little salt -- this helps the tomato to mix easily.
- When tomato is soft and mixed with onions, add rice and fry for 3-4 minutes on a high flame. Add required salt while frying.
- Now add 4 cups of water and coconut milk and bring to a boil. When it starts boiling, add the cheese cubes/ slices and let it cook on low flame.
- When the cheese has melted, add the chicken and keep stirring. Add pepper and oregano and keep mixing. Add 1-2 cups of water if required, but take the precaution not to overcook the rice. When the rice is perfectly done, stop cooking.
- If the risotto still has gravy, do not cook it to evaporate; it will be soaked up by the chicken and rice soon. Now it is ready to eat. You do not need any other sidedish with it, but if you do, then cook Chicken Flamboyant (recipe below).
Health quotient: Protein-rich, with healthy ingredients.
Since Sasmita says Chicken Risotto goes well with Chicken Flamboyant, that's the second recipe she sent in:
Cuisine: Italian
Type: Non-vegetarian
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- 400 gms chicken, boneless cubes marinated in only salt and lemon juice for minimum 4 hours
- Chicken jumbo plain sausages (if possible buy Meatzza chicken sausages, but you can use others)
- 200 gms mushrooms (optional)
- 40 gms butter
- 4 tbsps olive oil
- 5-6 cloves of garlic
- 3 large onions, cut into thick slices
- 2-3 green chillies (only if you want it a bit spicy)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/2 cup brandy (optional)
Preparation:
- Heat the butter and olive oil together in a deep frying pan. Add the marinated chicken; you do not have to put salt in as it is marinated with salt and lemon juice.
- Fry on a high flame to evaporate the water. Then add crushed garlic and thickly cut onions into it. Keep stirring. Then add pepper powder.
- After 1-2 minutes, put in the sausages (cut into small pieces) and keep frying. When you realise the chicken is tender, add the mushrooms and stir for 5 minutes on high flame.
- Before removing the chicken from the flame, take a deep serving spoon and pour 1/2 a cup of brandy into it and heat it. Within a minute, the brandy will start burning. Immediately pour all over the chicken which is on the high flame and wait till the fire extinguishes and the mild smell of brandy is felt. Enjoy this with either risotto or French loaves.
- You can prepare Chicken Flamboyant without brandy, but remember, do not use vinegar to marinate the chicken -- lemon brings out the best taste.
Health quotient: Protein-rich.
And here's how to cook that standard favourite, Roast Chicken, by Malrina Ferreira:
Cuisine: British
Type: Non-vegetarian
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 kg chicken
- 2-3 tbsps lime juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 red chillies (whole)
- 6 pieces cardamon
- 8 cloves
- 4 cinnamon sticks (1-inch long)
- 1 tbsp garam masala powder
- 4 tbsps ghee
Preparation:
- Wash the chicken pieces and drain the excess water.
- Marinate the chicken with salt and lime juice and keep aside for 1/2 an hour.
- Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add chicken pieces and fry for 5 minutes.
- Add the cardamom, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Break the red chillies into two pieces each and add to the chicken.
- Fry the chicken for some more time, till all the water has dried up and the chicken turns brown.
- Add the garam masala powder and water left over from the marinated chicken.
- Add 1/2 a cup more of water and cook till done (till all the water evaporates and it becomes dry).