Skip to main content

Chicken with Vindaloo Spices

Vindaloo implies garlic and vinegar, and this dish certainly has plenty of both. Make it as hot as you like. The heat balances the tartness. This dish holds well and, because it does not have too much sauce, is wonderful to take on picnics.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive or canola oil
4 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds
5 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
15–20 fresh curry leaves or 10 fresh basil leaves, torn up
8 chicken thighs
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
15 teaspoons salt
14 teaspoons ground cumin seeds
1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
4–1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more if you wish
1 tablespoon bright red paprika

Preparation

  1. Pour the oil into a very wide pot, large sauté pan, or wide frying pan—anything large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. Set over medium-high heat. When hot, put in the mustard seeds. As soon as they pop, a matter of seconds, put in the fenugreek seeds and peppercorns. A few seconds later add the curry leaves, chicken, and all the remaining ingredients. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, turn heat to high, and cook, stirring and turning, until all the liquid evaporates and the chicken browns on all sides.

Image may contain: Human, Person, Madhur Jaffrey, and Plant
Excerpted from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey: Simple, Delectable Dishes from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka by Madhur Jaffrey. Copyright © 2010 by Random House. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the full book from Amazon.
Read More
Grab your Easter basket and hop in—you’ll want to collect each and every one of these fun and easy Easter recipes.
A warmly spiced Ashkenazi charoset, perfect for your Passover seder—or spooned over yogurt the next morning.
Like airy lemon chiffon cake and a Cadbury egg–inspired tart.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
Like lemony risotto and tandoori-style cauliflower.
Think a Hugo spritz, a gin basil smash, and plenty more patio-ready pours.
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Caramelized onions, melty Gruyère, and a deeply savory broth deliver the kind of comfort that doesn’t need improving.