Chicken vindaloo

Chicken Vindaloo is an Indian curry dish that tends to be one of the spicier curries. Though the name of the dish suggests that there is potato, the original recipes omit this ingredient. It can be made with chicken or lamb and is served with a rice pilaf, naan, or chapattis. I have looked and looked for a authentic traditional Chicken Vindaloo recipe, but each one was different from the other one way or another. Solution? Combine the methods together and make a new recipe!

Chicken Vindaloo

Recipe adapted from myrecipes.com and currytastic.com

Cooking time (excluding marinating): 1 hour 30 min

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tbsp minced fresh ginger

1/4 cup distilled vinegar

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp chili paste

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp canola oil

1 cup sliced red onions

1 tbsp minced garlic

3 dried chili de arbol

500 grams canned tomatoes

1/2 cup water (or as needed)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

1. Blend together the ginger - garlic cloves to form a paste. Mix together with the chicken making sure all the chicken is coated. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and dried chili; saute for 4 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken with the marinade and the canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and let the curry simmer for about 1 hour. If the sauce reduces too much and the vindaloo dries out, add 1/2 cup of water at at time, as many times as necessary. Once the chicken is cooked and the consistency of the curry is similar to a gravy, re season the curry with salt and pepper. Serve hot with rice.

Optional: While the curry is simmering, if you prefer it to be spicier, add chili powder until the desired level of heat is achieved.

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving:  338.8 calories, 13.6g fat (2.9g saturated, 3.8g polyunsaturated, 5.6g monounsaturated), 17g carbohydrates, 4.3g fiber, 37.4 protein.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

When you are preparing the spices for the marinade, many stores sell cumin, coriander, mustard, and cardamom in the whole seed form. If this is the case for you, make sure you toast the spices before you use them. This allows the spices to concentrate their aromatic properties. To toast the spices, heat a small pan over low heat and add the spices. Stir frequently. Once you can smell the aromatics releasing, they are ready. 

Cardamom comes in a form of a pod. Toast just as is, than open the pod and only use the seeds inside. Using a spice grinder, grind the spices until fine. 

The paste from this recipe is runnier than you would expect. It is the consistency of a smoothie more than an actual paste. 

I chose to use chicken breast for this recipe instead of chicken thigh, but I highly recommend chicken thigh instead. As it cooks, the breast becomes drier and drier, while chicken thigh stays soft and moist.  Chicken Vindaloo is generally thicker than other curries I've made, but for the sake of the people at my company, I added more liquid. For those of you at home, I would stay with the recipe and let the sauce reduce to create a thicker consistency. I honestly wish the curry was spicier for my taste, but again, I am limited since there are a few people here who cannot eat any amount of spice. 

Is this similar to the traditional Chicken Vindaloo? Probably not exactly. There are different variations of this dish so it's hard to say which is truly the authentic version. However, for what it's worth, it's still a great curry, resembling other curries I have had at Indian restaurants. Serve with refreshing tzatziki and a bowl of rice and there you have your meal!