Cinnamon-Curry Roasted Chicken with Tomato-Yogurt Sauce
Aromatic and full of flavor, cinnamon-curry roasted chicken is complemented by a cool, silky tomato-yogurt sauce. Round out this Indian-inspired meal with pappadam and a simple basmati rice.
Photo courtesy of Rori Trovato
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
Chicken:
Sauce:
Directions
To make chicken: Preheat oven to 450°. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place on a rack in a small roasting pan or baking dish. Set aside.
In a small frying pan over medium heat, combine cumin seeds, black peppercorns, coriander seeds and cardamom pods. Swirl until lightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly; grind using a mortar and pestle. (To save time, or if you don't have equipment, use pre-ground spices and toast in pan 45 seconds.) Mix with curry powder, cinnamon and red pepper flakes.
Finely chop peeled garlic cloves and combine with ginger and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub mixture over entire chicken. Sprinkle with salt, then with spice mixture. Place unpeeled garlic, shallots and cinnamon sticks inside chicken cavity. Tie legs with kitchen string. Roast 30 minutes before basting with 1/2 cup chicken broth. Roast 20 minutes more, then baste with remaining 1/2 cup broth. Continue cooking until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife and meat is no longer pink, about 1 hour and 15 minutes total. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
To make sauce: Transfer juices from pan into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Slowly add in yogurt, stirring constantly with a whisk so yogurt doesn't curdle. Remove from heat. Add most of the tomatoes and cilantro, setting some aside to garnish top of chicken. Serve with sauce on side.
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 1 roasting chicken, approximately 4 pounds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 head garlic cloves, separated and unpeeled, plus 6 cloves, peeled
- 2 tbsp finely grated ginger
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2 shallots, unpeeled and quartered
- 3 sticks cinnamon
- 1 cup chicken broth
Sauce:
- 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt, at room temperature
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Directions
To make chicken: Preheat oven to 450°. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Place on a rack in a small roasting pan or baking dish. Set aside.
In a small frying pan over medium heat, combine cumin seeds, black peppercorns, coriander seeds and cardamom pods. Swirl until lightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly; grind using a mortar and pestle. (To save time, or if you don't have equipment, use pre-ground spices and toast in pan 45 seconds.) Mix with curry powder, cinnamon and red pepper flakes.
Finely chop peeled garlic cloves and combine with ginger and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub mixture over entire chicken. Sprinkle with salt, then with spice mixture. Place unpeeled garlic, shallots and cinnamon sticks inside chicken cavity. Tie legs with kitchen string. Roast 30 minutes before basting with 1/2 cup chicken broth. Roast 20 minutes more, then baste with remaining 1/2 cup broth. Continue cooking until juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife and meat is no longer pink, about 1 hour and 15 minutes total. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
To make sauce: Transfer juices from pan into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Slowly add in yogurt, stirring constantly with a whisk so yogurt doesn't curdle. Remove from heat. Add most of the tomatoes and cilantro, setting some aside to garnish top of chicken. Serve with sauce on side.
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