Slow-Cooker Chicken Curry with beer

Share

Lately, I have been traveling over the weekends--often leaving on a Thursday and not returning until Sunday evening.  Traveling this often makes it tricky to cook dinner at home because I am low on both time and groceries.  Whenever I am in a time crunch, I turn to my favorite kitchen appliance:  the slow cooker.  This week's recipe is great because the slow cooker does most of the work for you, allowing you to unpack your suitcase and throw in a load of laundry while it is cooking!  

I already mentioned that the ability to multi-task while food is cooking in a slow cooker is a huge benefit.  Another thing that is great about slow cooking chicken:  it turns out very tender!  

You may be wondering why there is beer in this recipe!  A bit of "science" about cooking--you need to use an ingredient which will tenderize the meat.  Many ingredients act as tenderizers--including beer!  Other tenderizers include citrus juices (like lemon juice), vinegar, yogurt, and coconut milk.  In the same way that red wine is used in cooking, the alcohol of the beer will be cooked away once it is exposed to heat.

Now, on to the recipe!  First, chop the tomatoes and onions.  Finely mince the garlic and chop the ginger into small pieces.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a saute pan on medium heat and add the turmeric.  Next, add the ginger and garlic and mix.  

Add the onions and stir them to coat them with the oil and turmeric.  Let the onions cook until they start browning.

Add the tomatoes and stir to combine with the other ingredients.  Lower the heat and cover the pan for 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes soften.

Meanwhile, dice the chicken breasts into bite-size pieces and add them to the slow cooker.

Remove the cover from the pan and smash the tomatoes with a spatula to create a paste.

Add the tomato and onion mixture to the chicken in the slow cooker.

Add several spices to the slow cooker:  ground coriander, ground cumin, lal mirch (red chili powder), dried fenugreek (methi) leaves, ground nutmeg, whole cloves, whole black peppercorns, and salt.

Add olive oil, beer, and lemon juice to the slow cooker and then stir to combine.  It may seem odd to add beer to the chicken, but by the time the chicken is done cooking you will not get a strong taste of beer.

Cover the slow cooker with its lid and turn to the "high" setting.  Leave the chicken cooking for 1 to 1.5 hours.  Every 30 minutes, stir the chicken in the slow cooker just to move the ingredients around.  After 1 hour in the slow cooker, keep your eye on the chicken because you do not want the chicken to overcook and become tough.  Turn the heat off once the chicken is just tender.  Add more salt and red chili powder to taste, if needed.

The smell of this dish cooking in your kitchen will be heavenly!  The best part is that you can take care of other chores while it is cooking; or you can even prepare another dish to eat with the chicken!  I recommend making my favorite, bhindi bhaaji, to go along with this dish.

Garnish with cilantro and lemon peel!  Bon apetit!

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, diced
• 1 cup diced tomatoes 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp chopped ginger
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp red chili powder (lal mirch), plus more to taste
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek (methi) leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp whole black peppercorns or ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 8 oz beer (any kind)
• juice of half a lemon

Recipe (serves 4):

1. Dice the onions and tomatoes, finely mince the garlic, and chop the ginger into small pieces.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saute pan and add turmeric, garlic, and ginger.  Stir to combine.
3. Add onions and stir to combine.  Cook until onions start to brown.
4. Add tomatoes and stir to combine.  Cover, lower heat, and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Dice the chicken breasts and add them to the slow cooker.
6. Once the tomatoes have softened, mash them with a spatula.  Then add the tomato onion mixture to the slow cooker.
7. Add the cumin, coriander, red chili powder, fenugreek (methi) leaves, nutmeg, peppercorns or pepper, and salt.
8. Add the olive oil and beer.  Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the pot.
9. Stir all the ingredients to combine.  Cover the slow cooker and set to cook on "high."
10. Cook the chicken for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until tender.  After 1 hour, keep an eye on the chicken to make sure that it does not overcook and become tough.
11. Once tender, add more salt and red chili powder to taste.
12. Garnish with cilantro and/or a lemon peel and serve.

Share