Traditional Indian Chicken Curry in a Slow Cooker
Slow cooker size: 5-quart, Cooking time: 8 hours on low, Yield: 6-8 servings
3 pounds (1.36 kg) skinless chicken cut up into 8 pieces including breast, wings and legs (boneless can also be used)
1 large or 2 medium yellow or red onions, peeled and chopped into 8 pieces
2 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 (4-inch [10 cm]) piece ginger, peeled and chopped into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon (15 mL) salt
1 tablespoon (15 mL) turmeric
1 tablespoon (15 mL) garam masala
1/4 cup (59 mL) vegetable or canola oil
1 cup (237 mL) plain yogurt
1 tablespoon (15 mL) red chili powder
1 cup (237 mL) dried methi leaves
1 (2-4 inch [510 cm]) cinnamon stick
4 green cardamom pods
4 cloves
4-6 green Thai, serrano, or cayenne chilies, stems removed, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup (118 mL) boiling water (optional)
1/2 cup (100g) fresh cilantro, chopped
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Put the chicken in the slow cooker. (If the meat was frozen, make sure it is thoroughly defrosted. Never use frozen foods in a slow cooker, because it takes too long to raise the heat to an appropriate level for safe, bacteria-free cooking.)
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In a food processor, grind the onion, tomato, ginger, and garlic until smooth. This may take a few minutes, so be patient. You want the paste to be as smooth as possible.
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Transfer the paste to a bowl. Whisk in the salt, turmeric, garam masala, oil, yogurt, red chili powder, and methi. Pour this mixture over the chicken.
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Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, and green chilies. Mix gently.
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Cook on low for 8 hours. If you want more broth with your chicken add the water toward the end of the cooking time. Remove the whole spices.
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Garnish with cilantro and serve over bed of basmati or brown rice or with roti or naan.
To make this dish in a 31/2-quart slow cooker, halve all the ingredients and proceed with the recipe. A half recipe makes 3-5 servings.
Source: Anupy Singla, Author of The Indian Slow Cooker