Sometimes all I crave is a good, spicy chicken curry with some hot garlic naan and a cold drink. That is something I get excited about! I love making Butter Chicken at home, but there are days when I want something different and spicier.
Enter Methi Chicken! This is a really flavorful dish that has similar ingredients to a traditional Chicken Curry, but loaded up with Fenugreek (Indian Name is “Methi.”) Fenugreek is a green herb with short, oblong leaves – imagine a smaller sized spinach leaf. It has a little bit of a slightly bitter taste when eaten raw. But when it is cooked, it has a sweet, nutty taste. Imagine a cross between a celery and maple flavor. I know it must sound a bit odd but it’s worth the try..trust me! When fenugreek is cooked, it gives dishes a beautiful earthy flavor with a slight sweetness that is not overpowering at all. Plus it makes your dishes heartier and healthier! (There are so many health benefits of fenugreek by the way.)
My recipe for Methi Chicken uses my favorite piece of chicken – the thighs, of course. It is cooked in a thick sauce made with lots of fenugreek, onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and lots of spices. It is a dish you will want to make over and over again once you’ve tried it. Plus, you can utilize either dried or fresh fenugreek in this recipe.
Check out the recipe and you will see it is loaded with lots of vegetables and fresh ingredients that you can easily make at home. Indian food is not difficult to make at all. You can use a lot of basic ingredients to achieve some truly delicious Indian meals!
METHI CHICKEN (Chicken with Fenugreek)
Servings: 6-8
Ingredients:
- 2-2.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (cut into medium size chunks)
- 2-3 medium tomatoes (diced small)
- 1 medium onion (diced small)
- 1-2 jalapenos or serranoes (diced small)
- ¾ cup to 1 cup of fenugreek leaves (fresh or dried)
- 1 Tbsp. salt (Add more as needed)
- 1.5 tsp. chili powder (add more if desired)
- 1 Tbsp. coriander powder (freshly ground if possible)
- 1 Tbsp. cumin powder (freshly ground if possible)
- 1.5 tsp. turmeric powder
- 2 Tbsp. of Italian parsley (finely chopped)
- 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
- 1 Tbsp. garlic paste (minced garlic works too)
- 2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. garam masala powder
- 2 Tbsp. of curry paste (I sometimes use the store brand PATAK)
- 1/2 cup oil
- ¼ cup tomato ketchup
- 1/2 tsp. asafetida powder
- 1 cup water (1.5 cups for a more liquid curry sauce)
- ¼ cup cilantro (for garnish)
Instructions:
- In a large pot, heat ½ cup oil on medium heat.
- Once oil is hot, add asafetida, garlic, ginger, garam masala powder, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder, chili powder and let sizzle for about 1 minute to season the oil.
- After time, add tomatoes, onions, jalapenos/serrano, methi/fenugreek, Italian parsley, ketchup, sugar, curry paste and mix all together on medium-low heat and the let it cook covered for about 5-7 minutes, or until all the veggies soften and cook down a bit. (A thick, but chunky sauce should result)
- Once veggies have cooked down, add chicken and make sure all pieces are fully coated.
- Add 1-1.5 cups of water, cover pot and allow to cook on low heat for about 20 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Then uncover the pot and let it cook on low for another 5-7 minutes to evaporate some of the liquid and allow sauce to thicken.
- Once cooked, remove from heat and transfer to desired serving dish. Garnish with chopped cilantro and eat hot with Indian bread or rice.
There you go! Now you will know how to make another type of Indian dish and be ready to impress your guests, or just make a big pot of this deliciousness for yourself – why not?
Let me know what you think of this recipe and/or if you make it! Feel free to comment below, tag me on IG @cmspiceculture or catch me on FB at “Spice Culture Cooking.”
Enjoy! :O)
