Chicken Vindaloo

We have been looking for a good vindaloo recipe for quite a while and each one we’ve tried has been a bit of a disappointment.  They never turn out quite like what we get in restaurants, even though that’s not really authentic it’s what we know.  Until today.  The flavor in this recipe was exactly what we wanted, we could have made it hotter, but the flavor was right.

1 ½ tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs coriander seeds
1 tbs dried mustard powder
6 cardomom pods
3 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cayenne pepper
5 tbs red wine vinegar
1 large red onion
3 green chillies, chopped
1 ½ inch piece of ginger
6 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sugar
5 small Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
4 large vine-ripened tomatoes, diced or pureed
2 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbs chopped cilantro
1 cup water
4 tbs vegetable oil
~1 tbs salt

In a spice grinder or blender, grind the first 6 ingredients and set aside in a bowl.  To this add the turmeric powder, sugar, salt, cayenne and vinegar.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Once the oil is hot add the onions and fry until dark brown.  Using a spoon transfer the onions to a blender and add 4 tbs of water to make a paste then add to the spice mix.  This is your vindaloo paste.

Puree the ginger and garlic with a couple tbs of water.  In the dutch oven, set the heat to medium and add the pureed garlic/ginger mixture with a bay leaf.  Stir for about 2 minutes, but don’t let the garlic burn.  Add the chicken and fry for 3-4 minutes.  Add the vindaloo paste, potatoes and tomatoes.  Cover and cook on medium low for about an hour or until your potatoes are cooked.  For about the last 20 minutes move the cover over to allow the sauce to cook down some.

Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve over basmati rice.

Serves 5, 425 calories, 18 g fat

My only complaint with this was that the tomato flavor was a little pronounced, I think next time I will cut back on the tomatoes.  It could also use a little extra heat, vindaloo is supposed to be hot and this was pretty mild. This recipe will definitely remain in my bank though.

White Wine Lemon Chicken

For my bridal shower my girlfriends and I went to a cooking class.  The theme was Italian food and I came away with some really good tips and great recipes.  Since then I have made it our tradition to cook the entrée that I learned in that class on our anniversary.  This week was Year 3.  I can’t believe time has gone by so fast, because we are still having fun.  One piece of advice that the instructor gave me was to always make sure my husband was satisfied at dinner because meals really are an important bonding experience and I have taken that to heart.  Other needs wax and wane but he’s always gotta eat.

When I’m cooking a big meal like this, especially on a weeknight, J always helps me, and that makes it even more fun.  So I pulled my last bit of fresh pasta out of the freezer for him to roll and cut, nothing too complicated ;-).

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to about ¼”
½ cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs, whisked
1/8 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp garlic powder
½ cup dry white wine
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs olive oil
4 oz fresh linguini

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Season the egg wash with salt, pepper, garlic powder and oregano.  After pounding the chicken breasts to about ¼”, dredge them through the egg wash and bread crumbs, coating the chicken well.  Once the oil is hot add the chicken to the skillet one at a time.  Cook on each side 2-3 minutes to fry the bread crumbs.  When all of the breading is  a golden brown, remove the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels.  Repeat with the second chicken breast.

Place the chicken in a baking dish and pour the white wine and lemon juice over them.    Cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.  The chicken will of course take longer if you don’t pound it much so adjust accordingly.

If you are making fresh pasta, which I highly recommend you do, and you are making a new batch today, you should have done so prior to making the chicken so you can roll it out while the chicken is cooking and boil it just before the chicken comes out of the oven.

After your chicken is cooked through, remove it from the oven and allow to rest for ~5 minutes.  Serve it atop a bed of pasta and pour the sauce that is remaining in the baking dish over each piece of chicken.

Serves 2, 685 calories per serving

This dish is not too complicated but always impresses.  The calories in this really isn’t too bad but you can always hold back on the amount of pasta you serve and of course the size of the chicken breast to fit your needs.  I had a small breakfast and lunch and skipped one of my snacks so I could eat all the pasta I wanted, I haven’t made fresh pasta in a while so it was extra good this time.