Chicken in the Pot with Potato and Indian Spices

By lorik

When making this dish, be sure to place the vegetables on top of the chicken after sauteing; that way, they won't be crushed by the meat and will render their juices to the chicken. If you like, you can substitute two medium leeks for the onion in this recipe. To prepare leeks, trim the dark green leaves and root end, keeping the base intact. Quarter each leek lengthwise and rinse thoroughly. Cooked white rice makes a nice accompaniment. You can make this dish in a smaller sauté pan, but you will then need to brown the chicken in batches.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, rinsed, patted dry and cut into 8 pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 medium carrots, halved crosswise, then halved or quartered lengthwise depending on thickness
• 3 all-purpose potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Pinch ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat butter and oil in 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. When butter foaming subsides, add chicken; sauté until browned on both sides, moving around to brown evenly, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.


2. Discard all but thin film of fat from pan. Add onion, carrots, and potatoes; sauté, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until pan juices evaporate, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant.


3. Return chicken and accumulated juices to pan, moving vegetables to top. Add thyme sprigs and spices. Mix yogurt and chicken stock together and add to the pot; bring to a bare simmer. Lower heat, cover, and barely simmer, basting three or four times, 20 minutes. Add thawed peas and cook 3 minutes more or until chicken is cooked through. Place portion of chicken on each plate; top with vegetables. Ladle juices over both chicken and vegetables and serve immediately.