It has been a while since I had a recipe blog post. I tried a new thing tonight, and it came out worthy of a mention. The kids had what they called an "end of summer shindig," and it was a semi-potluck (not everyone brought something, but not everyone was required to). A few days ago, I had been doing my usual "I'll watch anything on YouTube as long as it amuses me" scrolling. I came across a guy doing a deep dive on garlic, to determine whether using jarred, powdered, or fresh made a noticeable difference in the final product. (Spoilers: yes.) One of the dishes he made to see how it did when garlic wasn't the featured flavor, but was just a supporting character, was something he called cilantro chicken. It was this I made to take to the party, and I think it was a hit. I didn't have a lot of leftovers to bring home.
I didn't write down exact measurements. I don't cook that way. As far as I'm concerned, everything is to taste. So take that as you will. I followed his basic instructions, and that is presented here.
Take boneless chicken thighs, and spread them out on a prep sheet. In a food processor or blender, purée fresh peeled ginger chunks and fresh garlic cloves, with the juice of a fresh lemon and salt. Rub on the chicken and let it marinate. Make the sauce, also in the processor or blender. I used fresh tomatoes from our garden, but the guy called for a couple Romas. To this add a couple green chiles (I used two small serranos), a bunch of fresh cilantro, and a little salt. He called for a squirt of tomato paste, which I didn't have so I skipped it. Sear the chicken in a neutral oil. Because I was making enough for a party, I did it in batches and removed each batch to a tray. When it was all done, I chopped it up into small pieces, but this can be done at the end if you're only serving a few people. Put the chicken back in the pan and pour the sauce over it to reduce. It simmered for a very long time, and then suddenly the water was nearly gone, so check it more often than I did. At the very end, stir in plain, whole fat yogurt. Serve over rice.
I took a picture of it simmering, when my daughter texted to ask why I hadn't arrived at the party yet, along with images of the rice and a tray of brownies (King Arthur gluten-free, and I highly recommend). I don't want a pan of chicken in sauce to be my thumbnail, so I'll start with a picture I used in a Threads comment, when someone asked for followers to show their current POV, as a timeline cleanse.
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