Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients :

1. Chicken - meat from 1 chicken breast and 2 chicken thighs (blitz in the food processor or mixie to make a rough mince)
2. minced garlic or garlic powder- 1 tsp
3. black pepper powder - 1 tsp
4. soy sauce - 1 tbsp
5. salt - to taste
6. herbs of your choice , oregano or parsley -2 pinches 
7. chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
8. vinegar - 1 tsp
9. Bread - 2 slices
10. milk - 1/4 cup
11. egg - 3
12. fresh bread crumbs - 2 cups 
13. all purpose flour - 1 cup
14.  Oil - 2 cups fry

Method:
soak the bread slices in milk and crush with your fingertips and set aside
into the minced chicken , add the garlic ,pepper,soy sauce,salt,herbs,chilly powder,vinegar , 1 egg and soaked bread and mix well with your hands .
to check for salt and spice I usually saute a small pea sized meat mixture on a pan (it will only take a minute to cook such a small portion).
Adjust seasonings and cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes .
After 30 minutes remove from fridge and shape the mixture into nuggets .
apply oil on your fingers and palm and shape it as the mince will stick to your hands if not oiled.
place the formed nuggets in a single layer on a plate and freeze for 15-30 minutes (you can skip this step - but it is easier to handle the nuggets when they are hardened in the freezer ,else it is very delicate and takes a lot of time and effort to coat the nuggets)
beat 2 eggs
place bread crumbs on a sheet of news paper
all purpose flour on a flat plate - season with 2 pinches of salt .
Remove the nuggets from freezer and roll in the all purpose flour
then dip in the beaten egg
then coat with bread crumbs and keep aside .
At this stage they can be frozen by placing flat in a single layer on a plate and once hard transfer to ziplock bags to fry whenever needed.
heat oil until medium hot and fry the nuggets on medium low flame until cooked (if frozen it will take about 7 minutes )
once the nuggets are cooked they float to the surface of  the hot oil.
fry until golden brown. drain on paper towels and serve with ketchup


NOTE : you can make your own breadcrumb . Save the sides and ends of the loves of bread when you make sandwiches in a ziplock bag in the freezer . remove from freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes , break into small pieces and process in a food processor or mixie for 30 seconds  to make fresh bread crumbs

Chicken & Pasta Soup

 
Ingredients :

1. home made chicken stock - 6 cups 
2. carrots - 1 large chopped
3. celery - 2 stalks chopped
4. onion -1 chopped
5. chicken - 1 breast 
6. fettuccine pasta - handfull 
7. salt - to taste
8. pepper - to taste
9. oil - 1 tbsp

 Method:
Heat oil in a saucepan and add the  carrots , celery and onion.
saute until it starts to soften.
Add in the chicken stock and the chicken breast and bring to a simmer.
Add salt to taste.
reduce the flame and cook for 15 minutes until the chicken breast is cooked through.
Remove the chicken breast from the broth and keep aside covered.
Add in the pasta to the broth and cook for another 10 minutes until the pasta is cooked through but still retains a bite.
Turn the flame off , add salt and peppper to taste.
cut or shred the poached chicken breast and return to the soup.
Serve hot .


For homemade chicken stock : 
wash and rinse chicken neck,back and wing tips well.
chop into small pieces .
add to a stock pot and pour water to cover plus a few cups.
add in 1 chopped carrot,stalk of celery,few cloves of garlic , few whole peppercorns and bring to a boil.
remove the scum from the broth using a slotted spoon.
cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain the solids out and use the stock for soups and gravies.

Chicken and Oats Soup with mixed vegetable

Ingredients:

1. Oats- 1/4 cup
2. Chicken stock - 5 cups
3. Chicken thighs - 1 deboned and cut into cubes 
4. Mixed vegetable - 2 cups
5. tomatoes - 1
6. garlic - 2 cloves crushed
7. black pepper crushed - to taste
8. salt -to taste
9. Olive oil - 1 tbsp

*** for mixed vegetable I have used carrots,mushroom,tomatoes,beans,leeks,spring onion,celery and onion.

Method:
 Dry roast the Oats in a pan or microwave and keep aside.
marinate the chicken cubes with salt,few drops of vinegar and pepper and keep aside.
Heat oil in a sauce pan and add the marinated chicken cubes and stirfry for 5 minutes until it has turned opaque.
remove with a slotted spoon and reserve .
Add all of the vegetables into the same pan and stirfry- add salt to taste and fry until they start caramelizing slightly.
Add in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.
Cover and cook for 10 minutes ,until the vegetables are tender.
Add the chicken pieces back to the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes.
If the liquid is less ,you can add more stock .
While the soup is simmering add in the toasted oats and cook until the oats is cooked and the soup has thickened slightly.
Season with salt and pepper .
garnish with spring onion and serve hot.

Chicken Green masala

 
Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 3/4 th kg with bone cut into medium/small pieces
2. Ghee - 3 tbsp
3. Onion - 3 large finely chopped
4. Tomatoes - 3 medium chopped
5. Green chillies - 5
6. garlic - 1 pod
7. ginger - 3  inch piece
8. corriander leaves - 1 bunch
9. lime - 1/2 of one
10. corriander powder - 4 tbsp
11. turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
12. black pepper - 1 tbsp powdered coarsley
13. Green cardamom - 4 crushed
14. Fennel seeds - 1 tsp crushed
15. curry leaves - 2 springs
16. salt -to taste

Method:
make a paste of chillies ,ginger,garlic,corriander leaves and curry leaves and keep aside
Heat the Ghee in a pan and add the thinly sliced/chopped onions and saute until it starts to brown lightly.
Add the corriander powder,turmeric powder,pepper powder,crushed cardamom & fennel seeds ,salt  and stir well.
Add the ground masala paste and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken pieces and mix well.
cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
The chicken will give out enough water for the gravy - cook in its own juices ,if you see the mixture is drying up ,add 1/4th cup water and cook.
Once the chicken is cooked , squeeze juice of 1/2 lime and check for balance .
Season with more salt,lime,chilly if required.
Serve with rice/chappathi/pathiri etc.

Thai style Chicken and Rice bowl with fried Egg

Ingredients :

1. Chicken breast - 1 cut into thin strips as a diagonal
2. Broccoli/ mushroom/bell pepper (any one or a mix) - 1 cup sliced 
3. Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
4. fish sauce - 1 tsp
5. Oyster sauce - 1 tbsp
6. garlic - 8 cloves chopped fine
7. Ginger - Julianned 1 inch piece
8. Thai Basil - 1 handfull
9. fresh ripe chilly - 5 chopped fine
10. chicken stock - 1/4 cup
11. Oil - 2 tbsp
12. white rice - 1 cup washed and drained.
13. egg - 1 per serving

Method:
cook rice adding 2 cups of water until the water is absorbed. cover and keep aside.
heat oil in a wide wok/frying pan .
add the chopped garlic,chilly and half of the ginger and saute for 1 minute.
add in sliced chicken and mix well.
Once the chicken starts turning white ( in 30 seconds ) add 1 tbsp soy sauce and fish sauce and stir well.
cook on high heat for 1 minute.
Add in vegetables - broccoli, mushroom,bell pepper.
mix well. Add remaining soy sauce and oyster sauce and stir .
Add in chicken stock , stir until hot .turn flame off .
Serve with rice and fried egg .

Mixed Chinese Hakka Noodles

Ingredients:

1. Noodles - 400 gms
2. Carrots - 100 gms (cut into long thin strips)
3. Beans - 100 gms(cut into long thin strips)
4. Cabbage - 50 gms(cut into long thin strips)
5. Capsicum - 50 gms(cut into long thin strips)
6. Egg - 2
7. Chicken - 1 chicken breast
8. Spring Onion - 5 stalks
9. Pepper - 1 tsp
10. Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
11. chilly sauce - 1 tsp
12. Vinegar - 1/2 tsp
13. Oil - 1/2 cup
14. crushed garlic - 4 cloves
15. ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp 
16. salt - to taste

Method:

 

Keep a large pan with salted water to boil.

Add in 1/4 cups oil and 400 gms uncooked noodles and cook until done. 

Do not cook until mushy , the noodles should still retain a bite.

rinse in cold water several times and keep aside.this removes the starch and stops cooking the noodles.

Heat a large wok and add 1 tbsp oil . 

Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper powder and make an omelet.

Remove from pan cut into strips or shread and keep aside.

In the same wok - add 1 tbsp oil and crushed garlic , saute for a minute.

Add the thinly sliced chicken breast and saute until looked (about 5 minutes)

add it with the eggs and keep aside.

Add remaining oil into the wok and add ginger garlic paste and saute until raw smell is gone.

Increase the flame to high , Add in the shredded  vegetable (carrot,cabbage,beans) and saute , add 1 tbsp soy sauce and mix well.

Add in the capsicum and remaining sauces and vinegar and mix well.

Add in the cooked and drained noodles , stir until combined.

taste for salt and spice and adjust as needed.

Add in cooked egg and meat , sprinkle pepper powder and mix well.stir until the noodles are warmed through.

Fettucinne in a Creamy tomato sauce

Ingredients :

1. Fettuccine - 3 cups cooked , drained & rinsed in cold water 
2. Fresh Cream - 1 cup
3. Steamed corn kernals - 2 tbsp
4. Chicken Breast - 1sliced into thin pieces
5. Dried Oregano - 1 tsp
6. Redpepper flakes - 1 tsp
7. Tomato - 1 ripe chopped fine
8. Garlic - 3 cloves crushed
9. Butter - 2 tbsp
10. All purpose flour - 1tsp
11. Milk - 1/2 cup
12. Onion - 2 tbsp chopped fine
13. Fresh basil leaves - hand full

Method:
 
Heat 1 tbsp butter in a wide nonstick pan .
Add the crushed garlic and pepper flakes
Add in the chopped Onions and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are mushy and disintegrated.
Add in the chicken and stirfry until the chicken turns translucent - about 2 minutes.
season with Oregano , remove this mixture from pan and keep aside.
In the same pan add the remaining 1 tbsp butter and maida and stir until the raw smell is gone - about a minute.
Add in the milk - scraping up the bits from the pan and deglazing it . cook until it starts to thicken.
Add in the cream and mix well.

add the stirfried chicken back into the sauce and mix well.
season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan and mix well. Heat until it is warmed through.
Add basil and serve immediately.

Chicken in black pepper sauce with steamed & Sauteed baby vegetable

Ingredients :

1. chicken leg quarters (thighs and leg attached) - 2 pieces 
2. chicken stock - 1 cup unsalted (** see notes for substitution)
3. soy sauce - 1 tbsp
4. black pepper - 1.5  tsp crushed freshly
5. butter - 2 tbsp
6. corn flour - 1/2 tsp
7. vinegar - 1/2 tsp
8. salt - to taste
9. garlic - 5 cloves with skin crushed
10. onion - 2 medium thinly sliced
11. Vegetable - carrots , beets, beans,broccoli,cabbage,peas,corn,potatoes - anything you like 

Method:

Marinate the chicken in soysauce , vinegar , 1/2 tsp crushed pepper and crushed garlic. (you can do this overnight or 30 minutes prior to cooking)
When you are ready to cook the chicken , take it our of marinade and squeeze out the marinade and save it for the sauce , then dust the chicken pieces lightly with cornflour and keep aside.
heat a large pan (nonstick)  that can hold the chicken pieces without crowding .
Add 1 tbsp butter to the nonstick pan and add the chicken pieces and fry uncovered for 5 minutes on each side. You should get a good sear/brown color on the outside.
Remove the chicken pieces and keep on a plate .
Add the chopped onions and 1 tsp crushed black pepper to the same butter /pan and stirfry until limp and golden.
add in the chicken stock and deglaze the pan .
Bring it to a simmer .
add the chicken pieces back into the sauce and cook for 10 minutes (until the chicken is cooked through)
Remove the chicken pieces and keep warm in a plate.
bring the sauce back to a simmer - if it has reduced too much ,add 1/2 cup water and cook until the onions are soft.
turn the flame off.
Strain the onion sauce through a wire mesh strainer pushing all the liquid through. The sauce will be thick with the onion puree passing through.
Discard the solids left in the strainer.
return the sauce to the same pan and heat it - taste and season with salt or vinegar as needed.
once the sauce has thickened to your preferred consistency ,turn the flame off and stir in 1 tbsp of butter and mix well.
Serve the chicken with the sauce drizzled over it and a side of sauteed /steamed vegetable .

**NOTE: Instead of using chicken stock , you can add a few bone pieces ,backs and necks of chicken to the pan when you are cooking the chicken thighs and legs and allow it to simmer with the sauce and remove when you strain the sauce . In this case ,in the step where you add chicken stock ,you can add water - the bones will cook down with the water to form a stock.

Pasta with Basil & Cashew Pesto

Ingredients:
For Pesto

1. Fresh Basil leaves - 1 cup
2. Olive oil - 3 tbsp
3. Parmesan Cheese grated - 1 tbsp
4. Garlic - 2 cloves
5. Cashew nuts - 4 

For Pasta

1. Chicken breast or thighs thinly sliced - 1 breast or 2 thighs
2. red pepper flakes - 1 tsp
3. crushed garlic - 5 cloves
4. fresh cream - 3 tbsp (optional)
5. bell pepper - few slices (optional)
6. Parmesan cheese - 1 tsp
7. Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
8. dried Oregano - 1 tsp
9. dry basil - 1 tsp
10. Pasta - 3 cups cooked 

Method:

Cook Pasta in salted water , drain and keep aside.
To prepare pesto - Add the  basil, garlic, Parmesan, Cashewnuts and Olive oil  in a food processor / blender jar and blend until mixture is smooth and creamy. (About a minute)

Heat Olive oil and add the crushed garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for a minute . Add in chicken slices and stirfry on high , add salt to taste .cook until chicken turns white .Add in sliced peppers and the cooked and drained pasta to the chicken mix  .Add dried basil & oregano and mix well.

Add the pesto and 3 tbsp fresh cream and mix until all the pasta is coated with the sauce .Serve hot sprinkled with Parmesan.

Penne Pasta with Chicken & Mushroom in Homemade White sauce

Ingredients :

for the white sauce

1. Butter - 2 tbsp
2. Maida -2 tbsp
3. Milk - 1 cup
4. fresh cream - 1/2 cup
5. crushed pepper - 1 tsp
6. salt -to taste

for the Chicken and Mushroom

1. chicken - 1 breast piece cut  into thin slices
2. Mushroom - 8 button mushroom ,cleaned and sliced thin
3. Butter - 1 tbsp
4. Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
5. Onion - 1 sliced
6. Basil - 5-7 leaves 
7. Oregano /Pizza seasoning - 1 tsp
8. salt -t o taste
9. red pepper flakes - 1 tsp
10. garlic - 8 cloves crushed

 You also need around 3 cups of cooked and drained pasta.

Method:
Bring a large pot of water to boil , salt generously and add pasta and cook according to package directions.
stir in between , while the pasta is cooking prepare the sauce .When pasta is done drain and rinse in cool water and keep aside.

In a sauce pan melt the  butter over medium-low heat; stir in the maida and stir well until  roux is well blended and turns a slight yellow color .
At this stage add in the milk and stir  until thickened, about 3 minutes.
Add cream and salt and pepper to taste and turn the flame off and set aside .

Heat a non stick pan , add 1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp olive oil and garlic  , stir until it has heated through, now add red pepper flakes and mix well.
Add in the chicken , mushroom and onions and salt to taste and stirfry on medium /high flame until the chicken is cooked and starts getting a golden brown color along the egdes .add in the dried oregano and stir . Taste for salt and adjust as needed .

To the same pan add the drained pasta and stir to combine. Pour the sauce over the pasta until it is coated well , once it has heated through , add basil leaves and turn the flame off. You can add cheese at this stage if you wish to.

Serve immediately .

Homemade Chicken Sausage

Use  a mix of equal quantities of  chicken breast and thigh meat plus the bits of fat  from the bird. Using white meat alone gives a dry sausage .

Ingredients :

1. Ground Chicken  -  Breast and thigh meat from 1 large sized chicken (about 500 gms)
2. Onion - 1 medium
3. Garlic - 4 cloves
4. Fresh red chilly - 4
5. Parsley - handfull
6. whole corriander seeds - 1 tsp
7. whole fennel seeds - 1 tsp
8. whole pepper corns - 1 tsp
9. vinegar - to taste 
10. salt - to taste
11. soy sauce - 1 tbsp
12. oregano -  1 tsp
13. oil - 1 tsp

Method:
add the onion, chilly and garlic to the blender and blend coarsely. add chopped parsley to this and keep aside.
In a small frying pan add a tsp of oil and saute the ground mix for 2 minutes.

Dry roast the whole spices (corriander,fennel,peppercorn ) in a microwave for 1 1/2 minutes and crush coarsely.

Add the ground chicken to a bowl and add the sauteed mix , and ground spice mix.
Add in soy sauce and salt to taste. Mix well.

Keep this mix in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare some aluminum foil . cut into square shapes and set aside.
Remove the meat mixture from the fridge . form into logs about the thickness of 3/4 inch .
Place it on the edge of an aluminum sheet and roll into a tight sausage.squeeze and seal one end first .
applying a bit of pressure with your hands push the meat mixture into a tight log and squeeze the other end forming a sausage roll.

Steam these rolls for 10 minutes in a covered pan , placing the sausage on a perforated tray so that it does not touch the water.

Allow the rolls to cool .

The rolls can be refrigerated or frozen in the aluminum foil as such .
These can be used in soups, pastas, sausage rolls , sandwiches etc.
Saute in a tsp of oil and use in a hotdog roll .

Dhai Chicken / Chicken cooked in Yogurt gravy

This is the chicken gravy that is used in Malabar Chicken Biriyani . You can layer this curry with Ghee rice and have it as Biriyani or serve it as a side dish.The Dhai makes the chicken really tender and moist.
















Ingredients :

1. Bone in Chicken - 1/2 kg 
2. Thick yogurt /Curd - 1 cup
3. Onion - 2  medium sliced 
4. Ginger -1 inch piece
5. Garlic - 8 cloves
6. Green chilies - 6 
7. Cashew nuts - 5
8. Corriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
9. Mint leaves - 10 leaves 
10. Tomato - 1 quartered
11. Ghee - 2 tbsp
12. Salt - to taste
13. Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp

Method:

Wash and dry the chicken pieces .Add the curd and enough salt to taste and keep the chicken aside for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator.

Grind the cashew to coarse paste and keep aside.

Make a coarse paste of ginger and garlic. Add the green chillies and pulse once to break up the green chillies.

Add Ghee to a frying pan and add in the onions and fry until its starts to turn slightly brown.

Add in the ginger,garlic,green chilly mix and stiryfry until raw smell is gone.

Add the chicken and curd mixture and mix well.

Cover and cook the chicken in its own juices + curd mix until its cooked (about 15-20 minutes)

add the ground Cashew paste, Quartered Tomatoes and chopped corriander and mint leaves and mix well.Sprinkle the garam masala and mix.

Cook for a minute , taste for salt , spice, sourness. Adjust as necessary .

Serve with Ghee rice.

Buffalo Wings

Ingredients :

1. Chicken Wings - 1 kg (approximately 12 whole wings )
2. Chilly powder - 1 tbsp
3. turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
4. salt - to taste
5. garlic powder or crushed fresh garlic - 1 tbsp
6. Hot Sauce - 1/4 cup
7. Butter - 1/2 cup
8. Maid - 1 cup
9. Oil - 1.5 cups (enough to fry the wings)

Method:

Cut each wing into 2 pieces at the joint - Discard the tip.
Wash and drain.
Add the wings ,chilly powder,turmeric,powder, garlic and salt to a pan and mix well.
Cook this in a closed pan ( about 8 minutes) - Do not add water , cook the wings in its own juices.
The gravy should have coated the wing pieces when done.

Allow it to cool a bit .Keep the pan aside to make the sauce .
Spread out the all purpose flour on a plate .
dip each wing in the flour , shake off the excess flour and keep aside.

Heat oil in a small frying pan - on high

Drop the flour coated wings into the hot oil in batches and fry for a minute (the chicken is already cooked , we are only trying to get a crisp skin without drying out the meat .)
Drain and keep aside.

In the pan that you cooked the chicken there would be some gravy remaining . drain any fat that is in the pan and then add the butter and hot sauce into it and warm it until the butter is melted and the sauce is combined.
Use a hot sauce that is spicy and has a good Vinegar content.I mixed the thai Chilly sauce and hot sauce.

 Do not boil (the butter will split and the oil will separate)
Toss the fried chicken into the sauce and mix well until all the wings are coated with the sauce.
Serve with celery sticks and dip

Chicken Satay With Peanut dipping sauce

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - Breast of 1 whole chicken sliced into long thin strips. Slice it at a diagonal after freezing the chicken breast.
2. Soy sauce - 1.5 tbsp
3. Honey - 1/2 tsp
4. Garlic - 6 cloves crushed and chopped very fine
5. Chillies - 5 chopped very fine
6. Ginger - 1/2 tsp chopped very fine
7. Spring onion - 1 tbsp chopped fine
8. vinegar - 1 tsp
9. Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp for grilling /sauteing

For the peanut sauce :

1. Peanut butter - 2 tbsp
2. Coconut milk - 4 tbsp
3. Chilly garlic sauce - 1 tbsp (or you can use 1 finely chopped ripe red chilly and 2 cloves of garlic)

Method:

Marinate the chicken strips in all of the ingredients mentioned in the chicken section except for the 2 tbsp of oil.(Keep that oil aside for sauteing/grilling)
Refrigerate and leave for an hour .
Meanwhile soak the bamboo skewers in water and keep ready.
Thread the chicken strips onto the skewers ,just like how you would stitch with a needle, brush the marinade on it and prepare a grill or saute pan.
I sauteed it on my chappathi tawa.
Heat the pan on high and add 1 tbsp oil and spread the oil around.(you might have to cook it in 2 batches)
Place the chicken skewers on the pan

Grill until cooked - The chicken pieces are sliced very thin so it only takes 2-3 minutes to get cooked.
Overcooking it makes the satay dry .Depending on the thickness of your satay cook the chicken until done.
serve hot with peanut dipping sauce and salad .


To make the peanut sauce - combine the peanut butter, coconut milk and chilly garlic sauce in a microwave safe dish or sauce pan and stir well.
Once the ingredients are well combined , cook or microwave until it has thickened . (About 2 minutes in microwave stirring in between).

Stir Fried Chicken with Basil

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – Breast of 1 whole chicken sliced very thinly
2. vegetable oil – 2 tbsp
3. Garlic – 5 cloves chopped
4. Chillies (mix of red and green for color) – 5 sliced
5. Ginger – 1 tsp Julienned
6. Long beans – 2 cut into ½ inch pieces (optional)
7. Fish sauce – 1 tbsp
8. Oyster Sauce – 1 tbsp
9. Sugar – ½ tsp
10. Low sodium Soy Sauce – 1 tbsp
11. Chicken stock or water – 6 tbsp
12. Thai basil – 15 leaves
13. Broccoli – 8 florets
14. Onion – ½ a small onion sliced.

 Method:

Keep all the ingredients ready before you start cooking .

The whole coking process only takes 7-8 minutes and you need to add the ingredients fast.

Heat the pan on high heat and add oil garlic, ginger and chilli and stirfry until fragrant (about 30 seconds)

Add in the chicken breast and long beans and stir around quickly until the chicken  changes color and becomes opaque/white.

Now add the fish sauce, Oyester sauce , sugar and stir .

Add in the Broccoli and onion . Stir for a minute.

Add the chicken stock and mix well.

Add the basil leaves , stir for 30 seconds and turn the flame off.

Serve with rice.

Soy and Honey glazed Sauteed Chicken legs

Ingredients :

1. Chicken leg and thigh - 4
2. Low sodium soy sauce - 4 tbsp
3. Honey - 1 tsp
4. Garlic - 8 cloves crushed
5. Vinegar - 1 tsp (adjust to taste depending on the strength)
6. Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp
7. Crushed Black pepper - 1 tsp
8. Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
9. corn flour - 1 tsbp
10. Chicken stock - 1 cups

Method :
Make incisions on the chicken pieces, wash and pat dry and add the marinade .
everything except the cornflour and chicken stock.
Marinate the chicken for few hours upto overnight in the refrigerator.
When you are ready to cook the chicken , Take a nonstick frying pan with lid and add the chicken and marinade and cover and cook on a medium flame for 10-15 minutes ,until the chicken is cooked and the sauce starts thickening and coating the chicken pieces.
You dont have to add any water , the marinade and the moisture the chicken gives out is enough too cook the chicken.
Remove the lid and lightly fry the chicken pieces in the same oil/fat that is remaining in the pan , just to get a colour on it - you are not deep frying it.
Do it on a medium low flame . Remove the chicken pieces and keep warm.
Pour out any excess oil/fat remaining in the frying pan and add the chicken stock into the frying pan and scrape the bottom to make a pan sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil.
Mix the cornflour in a tablespoon of water and add 1/2 of it to the stock and cook until the sauce is thickened to your liking. If you like the sauce thicker add the rest of the cornflour mixture and simmer.
Taste for salt and seasonings and adjust if desired.
Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve with rice ,bread or grilled /steamed vegetable.

Chicken meatball Marinara

This is a very versatile sauce that can be used as a pizza sauce or to top pasta . You can spread it over grilled fish or meat , add it to cooked rice and stirfry for a flavored rice. Add it to your soup to thicken and enhance flavor.

Ingredients for the Marinara Sauce :

1. Red ripe tomatoes - 12 ,peeled ,cored and crushed roughly with your hands
2. Onion - 1 chopped fine
3. Garlic - 3 cloves crushed
4. Red pepper flakes - 1/2 tsp
5. sugar - 2 tsp (add more or less as per taste)
6. salt - to taste
7. Parsley - 1 tbsp chopped
8. Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:
Bring a large pot of water to boil . mark an 'X' of the top end of the tomato and drop into boiling water for a minute . This is to remove the skin. remove from water and when it cools down you can peel the skin off.crush with your hands and keep aside . If you like a smooth sauce you can blend it.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the onion, garlic and pepper flakes and saute until onion is soft .
Add the crushed tomato and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil, reduce flame and simmer until the sauce thickens to coat the back of the spoon.
Add sugar and salt to taste and add the parsley . Adjust seasonings . Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
It can be stored for 2 weeks in the fridge.

Ingredients for the chicken meatballs:

1. Chicken without bones - breast and thigh meat from 1 chicken , keep the fat pieces along .
2. Onion - 1
3. Garlic - 3 cloves
4. Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
5. Vinegar - 1 tsp
6. chopped parsley - 1 tbsp
7. crushed black pepper - 1 tsp
8. bread - 1 slice soaked in water and squeezed out
9. Egg - 1 optional (I did not add egg)

Method:
Add the raw chicken cut into small pieces along with the onion and garlic into the food processor or blender and blend . It only takes about 30 seconds to get the meat ground.
Add all the ingredients to the meat mixture and mix with your hands till combined.
Soy sauce has enough salt depending on the type you are using , so you might not have to add salt.
Form into lemon sized balls and saute in a nonstick frying pan with a drizzle of oil.
You dont need to cook it , just brown the outside of the meat balls.
Take enough of the marinara sauce in the same pan that you browned the meat balls  and dilute it with chicken stock ( add 1/2 a cup of stock ) and bring to a simmer .
Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid and simmer until the sauce thickens .
Serve over spaghetti or pasta.

Soy Pepper Braised chicken ( pressure cooker method)

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 1 medium sized , skinned and cut into 6- 8 pieces
2. Light/ low sodium Soy sauce - 1 cup
3. Vinegar - 2 tbsp
4. Fresh cracked pepper ( not powdered) - 2 tbsp
5. Ginger - 2 inch piece crushed
6. Garlic - 1 pod , around 12 cloves crushed
7. Cornflour - 3 tbsp mixed in 1/2 cup water
8. Oil - 1/2 cup
9. Vegetables of your choice - Onion, Carrot, Tomatoes , Potatoes, cauliflower , broccoli , mushroom, Squash ,baby corn etc are good choices.

Method:
Add the washed and drained chicken pieces along with soy sauce , vinegar , black pepper, garlic and ginger into a ziplock bag or a container with lid that can be refrigerated.
Keep it aside to marinate in the fridge for 4-5 hours.
When ready to cook , add the chicken and marinating juices into a pressure cooker and cover and cook for 1 whistle. Lower flame and keep cooking for another 3 minutes.
Turn the flame off and keep the cooker aside until the pressure is released.
When it has slightly cooled down - pick out the chicken pieces from the gravy and keep aside.
strain the gravy to remove any pieces if you like the sauce very fine , if you prefer a chunkier sauce just remove the ginger, garlic and big pepper pieces with a slotted spoon.
Keep the gravy aside.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the cooked chicken pieces until it starts to brown slightly.Keep aside.
In the same oil saute the vegetables that you want to use and keep aside.
Discard the remaining oil.
Add the strained gravy into the pan and bring to a simmer.
Pour in the cornflour mix and boil until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency .
You can serve the chicken with the sauteed vegetables and the gravy on the side OR
Add the fried chicke back into the gravy and braise it for another 5 minutes and serve .
It goes well with bread.

Indo Chinese Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - 1 kg (use broiler chicken)
2. Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp
3. Chilly powder - 2 tbsp
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Vinegar - 2 tbsp
6. Soysauce - 4 tbsp (increase or decrease to taste depending on how salty the soysauce you use is)
7. cornflour - 3 tbsp
8. pepper powder - 1 tsp
9. curry leaves - 5 springs
10. Oil - 1 cup to fry

Method:

Add the chilly,turmeric,pepper powder , ginger garlic paste, soysauce and vinegar into a container .
Add in the chicken pieces and mix well.
Keep aside for an hour or up to 3-4 hours.
When ready to fry , heat oil to medium heat .
Add the cornflour to the marinated chicken and mix well.
Shallow fry the chicken pieces in hot oil with curry leaves - fry in batches and dont crowd the pan .

This helps the chicken stay crispy on th eoutside and moist on the inside.

Garnish with sliced Onion and Lemon.Serve hot as a snack or with rice/roti

Rasoi Magic + Shan masala Butter Chicken

Butter Chicken is not on my list of favorite dishes. It is too rich , kind of sweet and not spicy for my liking.Dont get me wrong ..I like rich , I like creamy , I like sweet - but not in my non veg preparations . The rest of the family enjoy it .I happened to get a packet of Rasio magic butter paneer masala as a sample to try out from a grocery store.This is not the real butter chicken recipe , I just made it up with what I had on hand.

Ingredients :

1. Chicken - 1/2 kg skinless bone in
2. Shan Tandoori masala - 2 tbsp
3. Lime Juice - 1 tbsp
4. Onion - 2 big cut into big chunks
5. Tomatoes - 2 cut into big pieces
6. Rasoi Magic Paneer Butter Masala - 1 pack
7. Milk - 1 cup
8. whole spices - 1 tbsp (2 cloves , 3 cardamom , 10 black pepper , 1/2 inch piece cinnamon stick)
9. kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp
10. Oil - 4 tbsp

Method:

Wash and drain the chicken pieces and marinate it with lime juice and shan tandoori masala. Keep aside for an hour.
Heat oil in a pan and add the marinated chicken pieces and saute until chicken is almost cooked.
Remove the chicken pieces and into the remaining oil , add the whole spices and onion chumks.
Saute until onion starts to turn brown.
Add in tomato and saute until tomato gets mushy.
Turn the flame off .
transfer the sauteed onion and tomato mixture into a blender/food processor and blend until it is smooth.
Return the blended masala into the same pan in which you fried them and saute for 5 minutes.
Add in the chicken pieces and cover and cook until chicken is completely cooked.
Add the Rasoi magic masala to a glass of milk and stir well.
Add this mix to the chicken and simmer for another 5 minutes .
Sprinkle a tbsp of Kasuri methi on top and garnish with cream .
Serve with Naan or Roti.