Skinny Indian Saffron Chicken Recipes

SKINNY CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until golden.
• Add the crushed ginger, stir for a few minutes then add the garlic and cook another minute. Add cumin, garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, and salt; mix well until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in tomatoes, yogurt and milk. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes.
• Add chicken and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until cooked through.
• Add a generous amount of chopped cilantro and serve with Bamati Rice or Naan.

SKINNY CHICKEN BIRYANI

Steps:

• In medium bowl, stir together yogurt sauce ingredients, reserving half of the mint for garnish; cover and refrigerate.
• Place chicken broth in small bowl, and add saffron threads. Set aside.
• Heat 10- to 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add butter; heat until foaming. Add chicken; brown on all sides, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, using slotted spoon.
• Add onion and salt to same skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until translucent. Add garam masala; cook 1 minute longer or until fragrant.
• Add broth mixture, stirring first if using saffron threads. Add chicken; stir to coat. Reduce heat to medium; simmer 3 to 5 minutes longer to allow flavors to combine.
• Divide rice among 4 shallow bowls; top with chicken mixture, yogurt sauce and remaining mint.

SAFFRON CHICKEN KORMA

Steps:

• Combine the yogurt with the garlic and ginger pastes in a large bowl or casserole dish. Add the chicken thighs, then spoon over the marinade, making sure that the chicken is totally covered. Cover and chill for 30 mins. Gently warm the milk in a pan. Don't let it boil; it should only be tepid as you do not want to scald the saffron. Touch the surface of the milk to check the temperature, then when the milk is tepid, take off the heat, add the saffron strands and leave to infuse.
• In a deep pan or wok that has a lid, heat the vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and fry gently, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelised, about 10-15 mins. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions from the pan, leaving as much of the oil in the pan as possible, and place on a plate to drain. Spread the onion rings across the plate so they crisp as they cool.
• Add the whole garam masala to the pan with the oil in. After a few seconds, add the ground coriander and continue to cook, stirring. After 1 min, add the marinated chicken to the pan along with the marinade from the container. Keeping the heat on medium-high, continue stirring gently. After 5 mins, or when the oil separates from the yogurt and comes to the surface, add the chilli powder and 1 tsp salt. Lower the heat, cover the pan with the lid and simmer gently for 35 mins. The chicken is ready when the edges have softened and are slightly curled.
• Remove the pan from the heat. Add the saffron-infused milk, ground almonds and sugar. Stir the chicken gently to avoid breaking it up.
• Before serving, taste to check the seasoning and adjust as necessary. Garnish with the flaked almonds and the fried onions.

BRAISED LEMON-SAFFRON CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a mortar and pestle (or the bottom of a spoon and a bowl), grind the saffron threads into a powder as best you can. Add the 2 tablespoons hot water and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Place the chicken in a 9-by-13-inch roasting pan or baking dish. Cut large potatoes into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan. Drizzle the chicken and potatoes with the oil, then season well with salt and pepper.
• Add the lemon juice to the saffron water, mix to combine, then pour over the chicken and potatoes, stirring to coat. Arrange the chicken skin-side down. Sprinkle evenly with the whole black peppercorns, if using, then cover tightly with foil. (It's OK if everything is close together.)
• Cook until the meat is tender and easily pulled from the bone, and the potatoes are soft, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last 15 minutes, remove the foil, flip the chicken, stir the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes more, uncovered, to reduce some of the liquid.
• Season with black pepper and serve with rice or pita to soak up the lemony juices.