Pollo do pyaza

Ingredienti

• 1 kg boneless skinless thighs (cut into about 3-inch chunks)
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika (or regular ground paprika)
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp ghee (separated)
• 2 large onion (diced, divided)
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 4 jalapeno peppers (seeded and diced)
• 3 Roma tomatoes (diced)
• 100 g plain yogurt (or use sour cream)
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• Salt (to taste)
• Small bunch of fresh cilantro leaves (finely chopped)

Preparazione

1. 1

   --- Marinate the chicken pieces: ---

2. 2

   Place the chicken pieces along with turmeric, lemon juice, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Toss everything to make sure the chicken pieces are well coated with the spices and juice. Cover and let it marinade for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or if longer than that, put it in the fridge, but no more than 24 hours. Simply let it come to a room temperature 30 minutes before you plan to cook

3. 3

   --- Prepare the sauce base: ---

4. 4

   Melt 1 Tbsp of ghee in a large skillet or heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Add half of the onion and saute until they are aromatic and slightly caramelized. This takes about 15 minutes or so. Remove from the pan and set aside

5. 5

   To the same pan, add the rest of the ghee and add the rest of the onion and diced jalapeno peppers and saute for about 3 minutes, just until both are tenders. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 1 minute

6. 6

   Add the diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup of water and the spices.

7. 7

   Bring to a simmer and then cover and lower the heat slightly and let it simmer for about 10 minutes

8. 8

   Add the chicken pieces and give everything a stir to combine.

9. 9

   Cover and let the chicken cook for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. The cooking time depends on how big and thick the chicken pieces are. They should be tender and cooked through

10. 10

    Stir in the yogurt and give everything a good stir. Have a taste and add more salt if needed. Turn off the heat. Add the cilantro leaves and the caramelized onion you made earlier. Give everything a final stir to let the flavors combine

11. 11

    --- To serve: ---

12. 12

    Serve with plain rice, naan, turmeric rice, chapati