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Indian: Indian Fried Chicken with Cumin Yogurt

Source of Recipe

From "Fried Chicken" by Jessica Lang


Recipe Introduction

"Curry leaves are different from the ground curry in your spice cabinet, which is a blend of spices, herbs, and seeds. Curry leaves are small and look like lemon leaves. If you love Indian food, you'll recognize the flavor immediately. Look for them in international markets and store them in the refrigerator. You'll need about three 7.5-ounce jars of Indian-style clarified butter, ghee. Look for it in specialty grocery stores."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ ¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt
â—¦ ¼ cup chickpea flour
â—¦ 1 small onion
â—¦ 6 cloves garlic
â—¦ 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
â—¦ 1 teaspoon garam masala
â—¦ ½ teaspoon whole cumin, toasted and ground
â—¦ ½ teaspoon whole coriander, toasted and ground
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
â—¦ 4 chicken drumsticks
â—¦ 4 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ Ghee, for frying
â—¦ 6 curry leaves

Cumin Yogurt:
â—¦ 1 ½ cups plain whole milk yogurt
â—¦ 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
â—¦ 1 teaspoon whole cumin, toasted and ground
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
â—¦ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ â…› teaspoon cayenne pepper


Recipe

To make the marinade, place the yogurt, chickpea flour, half of the onion, 3 cloves of the garlic, ginger, garam masala, cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process until throughly combined. Lay the chicken in a large shallow baking dish, sprinkle with the salt, and add the marinade. Toss the pieces until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour, turning the chicken two or three times during chilling.

To make the yogurt sauce, in a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, cumin, cilantro, mint, salt, and cayenne pepper. Cover and chill until ready to use.

In a large heavy skillet, heat ghee over medium-high heat to 340° F. It should be 1 inch deep when melted. Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Peel off the layers of the remaining half of the onion and add to the hot ghee along with the remaining three garlic cloves and curry leaves.

Working in batches, carefully place the chicken in the hot ghee, skin side down. Fry, turning often, for 10 to 13 minutes, or until golden brown and juices run clear. Maintain a frying temperature of 330° F. Drain the chicken on the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining pieces. Discard the onion, garlic, and curry leaves in the ghee after all the chicken is fried. Serve the chicken with the cumin yogurt.

Serves 4