Pepper Chicken Fry is a great way to cook chicken without an added curry base, without an intense spice profile, and with ingredients that enhance a flavorful chicken dish. This recipe doesn't have tomatoes, reducing the acidity of the dish. Yet, it's palette friendly for kids or anyone looking for a starter dish to cook! I always say that adding spices to enhance flavor doesn't mean it will be "spicy". Give this recipe a try, and you be the judge of this Spice-No-Spice Pepper Chicken Fry!
Ingredients:
2-3 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into medium sized pieces.
2 large onions, sliced.
4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped.
2–3-inch piece ginger, chopped
1 sprig curry leaves
1 green chili, sliced.
Avocado oil to coat bottom of a nonstick wok or other nonstick pot.
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp curry powder
1 heaping Tbsp garam masala
1 heaping Tbsp of chicken masala powder (I used Eastern brand from the local Indian grocery store)
1 tsp ground black pepper
Sprinkle of ground black pepper in between cooking process
Salt to taste; 1 tsp was added to this recipe.
Recipe:
1. Heat nonstick wok or pot to medium/high heat. Add avocado oil to the wok and heat the oil through. A wok is a great vessel to get even crispy edges on the chicken pieces. Avocado oil is a healthy, high heat cooking oil to ensure the ingredients don’t burn, but instead, caramelize uniformly.
2. Add the mustard seeds, fennel seeds, and cumin seeds to the hot oil and use that lid to cover, as the mustard seeds will pop, and oil splattering is avoided.
3. Once the seeds have stopped popping, add the onions, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, and green chili to the wok. Sauté the onion mixture just until the onions begin to caramelize, the green chili and curry leaves become a vibrant green color, and the seeds are mixed through.
4. Add the spice powders at medium/low heat, including 1 tsp ground black pepper and sauté for spices to bloom, but not burn. Stir so that the spice powders coat the onion mixture, evenly.
5. Add the chicken pieces and coat everything thoroughly with the blend of spices and onion aromatics. The chicken will be cooked at medium/high heat, covered, for approximately 30-40 minutes, depending on heat source and intensity of heat.
6. Check the chicken periodically and stir. Add ground black pepper pinches, once or twice in between checks. The chicken will release water, so no extra water is added. As it cooks, the water will evaporate, and the pieces will caramelize on all edges. To aid in evaporation, tilt the lid slightly ajar to the wok.
7. Lastly, one optional step is to grind a finishing sprinkle of black pepper over the chicken. The chicken will have crispy edges, caramelized onions in the mix and a delicious, yet a mild spice coating.
8. Serve with rice, as an appetizer, with veggie sides, or with flatbreads. The options to serve are many! Enjoy!
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