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Chicken Masala featuring homemade Garam Masala is easy, yummy, and super nutritious. Either chicken drumsticks or chicken thighs will work well. The vegetable assortment of tomatoes, red onion, and green pepper complement the flavor so well. Just adds to a bed of freshly steamed rice and blanched leafy vegetables for a satisfying healthy meal.
By the way, no water will be needed for the cooking. All the juice are coming from the vegetables and chicken.
How to make a tasty and healthy scratch chicken masala at home?
The first thing first is to blend homemade Garam Masala powder at home using organic wholesome spices
It is straightforward to blend Garam Masala at home using the all-natural best quality organic wholesome spices. A spice grinder is a very handy tool in the kitchen to turn wholesome spices into powder. For spices such as coriander, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and black mustard seeds, it is easier to get organic quality spices in the whole form.
Read here for a detailed recipe on how to blend a homemade delicious Garam Masala.
Step 2 is to marinate the chicken with Greek Yogurt and spice blend before cooking Chicken Masala
Once you have the homemade Garam Masala, use that to blend with additional spices including ginger powder, garlic powder, salt, and chili powder to make a chicken marinating spice blend.
If you are using chicken drumsticks, remove the skin first and then slit open the drumsticks for easier absorbing flavor and cooking.
Toss them with a splash of plain Greek Yogurt, toss, and mix using a pair of bamboo spatulas until the chicken drumsticks are evenly coated with the plain Greek Yogurt.
Then add the marinating spice blend, toss and mix well again.
Step 3 is to pan-fry the chicken until crispy before braising
For pan frying, I recommend using a quality hard anodized fry pan which helps use less oil and has a superb nonstick function.
Last but not least is to cook the chicken with the vegetables and spice blend
Stir Fry the vegetables with the leftover oil from pan frying for about 3 minutes with a sprinkle of salt or until they are wilt.
Add the previously pan-fried chicken to the pan, sprinkle the chicken masala spices on top, and then turn the heat to simmer. Let it cook for 20 minutes. Toss, flip, and fold chicken with the rest of the ingredients halfway through the simmering.
By the end of the 20 minutes, the vegetables are all softened and there will be plenty of juice in the pan. Turn the heat to medium, flip and fold the chicken with the sauce in the pan and cover the lid and cook for another 10 minutes.
All done! Enjoy a super yummy and healthy Homemade Scratch Chicken Masala!
Homemade Scratch Chicken Masala Recipe
Chicken Masala featuring homemade Garam Masala powder is easy, yummy, and super nutritious.
Ingredients
- 3 lb chicken drumsticks or bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 lb tomato,
- 0.5 lb green pepper
- 1 lb red onion
- a bunch of cilantro
- 1/2 tsp salt, such as Himalayan pink salt
- 1/4 cup of avocado oil
For Marinating the Chicken:
- 65 g plain Greek yogurt, organic preferred
- 1 tbsp homemade masala powder
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1 tsp salt, such as Himalayan pink salt
- 1/2 tsp - 1 tsp chili powder. Use 1/2 tsp for a mild spicy level
For Braising Spice Blend:
- 1 tsp homemade Garam Masala powder
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds powder, freshly ground
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Greek fenugreek seeds powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, such as Himalayan pink salt
Instructions
Blend homemade Garam Masala Powder In Advance:
- Use a spice grinder to turn the organic wholesome spices into a powder and blend the homemade Garam Masala in advance.
Marinate the Chicken:
- Rinse the chicken, remove the skin, and slit open the drumsticks for easier marinating and cooking.
- Add the chicken to a large mixing bowl along with the Green Yogurt. Use a pair of bamboo spatulas to toss and mix well.
- Add everything under "for Marinating the Chicken" to a small bowl, mix/blend well and add to the mixing bowl. Toss and mix well and set aside while you are preparing the vegetables.
Other Prep Work:
- Wash and rinse all vegetables. Cut tomato into small cubes, and cut red onion, green pepper, and cilantro into bite size.
- Add everything under "For Braising Spice Blend" into a bowl and mix well.
Cook the Chicken:
- Turn the heat to medium-high and heat a large deep frying pan for 1 minute and then add 1/4 cup of oil and spread evenly across the base using a silicone spatula. Add the chopped vegetable, save some cilantro for garnishing later, and toss and turn for about 1 minute.
- Sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt onto the vegetables in a circular motion and continue to toss and fold for another 2 minutes, or till the vegetables are fragrant and wilt.
- Add the previously pan-pried chicken on top of the vegetable sautee, and sprinkle the braising spice blend from the bowl on top of the chicken in a circular motion. Turn the heat to simmer, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. Fold the chicken with the vegetable and juice in the pan midway.
- Turn the heat to medium, and use a slotted turner to turn and fold the chicken constantly and cook for 10 minutes.
- All done! Enjoy a super yummy and healthy Chicken Masala.
Recommended Products
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Avocado Oil - Organic Whole Cloves
- Organic Green Cardamom Pods
- Bay Leaves
- Organic Anise Seed
- Organic Saigon Cinnamon Sticks
- HQOExpress | Organic Fennel Seed Whole | 14 oz. Chef Jar
- Soeos Whole Black Peppercorns 18OZ + Himalayan Salt 38oz + Grinders 2 Packs.
- Organic Whole Cumin Seeds
- Organic Coriander Seeds
- Organic Himalayan Pink Salt
- 365 by Whole Foods Market, Garlic Powder Organic, 2.33 Ounce
- Soeos Premium Sichuan Chili Powder 8oz(226g), All Natural
- Organic Ground Ginger
- Organic Turmeric Powder
- Coffee/Spice Grinder
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 473Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 237mgSodium: 939mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 48g
Nutrition calculation is provided by Nutritionix to the best knowledge per ingredients description and isn't always accurate.
