My Slow Cooked Coriander Chicken with Cumin and Cardamom Bread Sauce

We customarily have Coriander Chicken for our Christmas Day dinner. However, every so often it makes a welcome change for Sunday dinner. Chicken legs, in a coconut gravy, with lots of fresh coriander and fresh green chillies. Yummy. This Sunday, I tested out a new idea, bread sauce infused with cumin and coriander. Winner, winner to my chicken dinner!

Chicken from Azavedo Farms Candolim, Goa Opp Candolim veg market.

Because Azavedo  Farms chicken breasts are so big, there was enough on each leg for Mr R and I to have cold chicken and bread sauce cobs for tea. Spreading the bottom of the cob with horseradish sauce, then spread on the cold bread sauce. Top with chicken and then spread the top of the cob with cranberry sauce. Mummmmm….

Coriander Chicken Serves 2

(Remember just double the amounts for 4)

1 ½ tbsp. sunflower or Vegetable oil       2 large chicken legs      20g fresh coriander leaves

 1-1 ½ large fresh green chillies, deseeded and chopped      1 large onion thinly sliced

3 cloves of garlic chopped      1 tsp turmeric      3/4tsp ground cumin      ¾ tsp ground

 coriander    75ml chicken stock (This can be boiling water with a stock chicken stock

 cube)      150ml coconut milk      1/2tsp salt      Fresh coriander to garnish.

1.       Heat 1 tbsp. of the oil in a frying pan and brown the chicken legs on both sides. While the chicken legs are browning, place the coriander and the green chillies into a processor or blender and blitz until it makes a paste.   Remove chicken and put into slow cooker.  In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the onions over a medium heat until they are soft but not brown.

2.       Stir in the garlic, turmeric, cumin and coriander, stirring for 2-3 mins.  Reduce the heat to very low and add the coriander paste, stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes.

3.       Add the stock, coconut milk and salt and bring to the boil. Then pour over the chicken legs.

4.       Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 1/2 – 5 hours. Or until the juices of run clear when skewered.

5.       Transfer to plate, cover with a little of the gravy sauce and sprinkle with coriander. Put the remaining gravy sauce into a gravy boat.

NOTE IF YOU WANT YOU CAN DO THIS ON THE OVEN TOP IN A HEAVY BASED PAN. FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS, INSTEAD OF PUTTING CHCIKEN IN SLOW COOKER ON STEP 1 JUST LEAVE TO ONE SIDE. CARRY ON UNTIL STEP 4 AND INSTEAD, ADD THE CHCIKEN, COVER AND SIMMER FOR 50 MINS.  CAREFULLY TURNING THE CHCIKEN OCASSIONALLY.  

Cumin, cardamom Bread sauce. Serves 2

1 large onion peeled      4 cloves      1 bay leaf      3 peppercorns     3 cardamom pods      

2 tsp cumin seeds       ½ pint milk      2 slices medium sliced bread broken up into bits

     20g butter       salt and freshly ground pepper

1.       Stud the onion with the cloves then place into a milk saucepan with, bay leaf, peppercorns, cardamom pods and cumin. Bring to the boil then remove the pan. Leave on the side for 5-10 minutes longer if you wish a more intense flavour.

2.       Remove the onion, bay leaf, peppercorns and cardamom pods. Mix in the bread bits.

3.       Return the pan to the heat and cook gently stirring so the bread is absorbed into the milk and it becomes quite thick. But don’t let it stick to the bottom of the pan.

4.       Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and then season to taste.