Jeera Chicken (Cumin Chicken)

Chicken has to be one of the best ingredients out there for pretty much any type of dish! You can flavor it as much or as little as you want. You can bake, roast, fry, broil, boil, curry, stuff it, bbq, eat it hot, eat it cold, add into salads and sandwiches; make it into anything you can possibly imagine. Every country, region, part of the world, and family has its own chicken recipe. It’s just so versatile and easy for most to get their hands on.

But here’s the thing – with all these amazing recipe options available, why are so many of us still struggling for ideas on what to cook every night? Haha! You know I’m right because sometimes even I struggle for meal ideas during a rushed week!

Here is a really simple, yet full of flavor chicken recipe that has been one of my all-time favorites since I was little. My friends mom used to make Jeera Chicken (Cumin Chicken) it for us everytime we went to her house and I LOVED IT! The best part of this dish was the little broken bits of chicken that fell off during the cooking process and was completely saturated with the lemon, cumin and parsley! They were a bit charred on the edges and absolutely delicious! This recipe will definitely satisfy your hunger and become a go-to dish once you try it and realize how easy it is to make!

For this recipe, I used chicken thighs that I cut up into large chunks but you can use chicken breast or even chicken legs if you prefer that instead. The flavor will not change and one is not better than the other – the cumin and chili pieces that coat this chicken is the real star and makes the chicken taste even better than one can imagine. Once you squeeze lemon on top of it before serving, you will get this amazing gravy that you will want to dip each piece of chicken in before eating. It’s simply irresistable!

JEERA CHICKEN

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (chicken legs or breast can also be used)
• 3 Tbsp. ground cumin seed (ground jeera) + ½ Tbsp (*optional for stronger flavor)
• 2 Long hots or 3-4 green chilies cut in small lengthwise pieces
• 1.5 tsp. Salt (add more to taste)
• 1 tsp. Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. Black pepper (coarsely ground)
• ½ cup of Coriander (cleaned and finely chopped)
• ¼ cup of cooking oil
• Lemon wedges

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pot on medium heat
2. Once oil is hot, add black pepper and 3 Tbsp ground jeera an allow to toast in oil for 1-2 minutes
3. When lightly browned, add chili peppers and allow to sizzle for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add chicken piece, salt and turmeric to taste.
5. *(Optional) Add the remaining ½ Tbsp of ground jeera and make sure all chicken is fully coated.
6. Make sure all chicken is fully coated. Keep stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to pot and burning – cook for 20-25 minutes or until fully cooked.
7. Chicken should have slight char marks on them, but not too much.
8. When almost cooked, add chopped coriander and cook for another 5 minutes.
9. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Let me know what you think of this recipe. Tag me on IG @cmspiceculture or leave a comment below!

And if you have some extra Jeera Chicken left over – send it my way okay?

Enjoy! :O)