Spicy Chicken Stew with Basmati Rice

 

Since there was a lot of chicken breast (not my favorite, to be honest) I could use, I basically threw a bunch of stuff together and made a curry-like stew out of them.

I don’t use a rice cooker, and I do measure. Rice cooked this way has always come out perfect, so there’s no reason for me to change the way I cook my rice.

• 4 full chicken breasts/8 half chicken breasts, cut into 1” pieces
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tblsp mustard seeds
• 4 onions, thinly sliced
• 4” fresh ginger, peeled and crushed
• cloves from 1 garlic bulb, peeled and crushed
• 4 tblsp turmeric
• 3 tblsp ground coriander
• 1 tblsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 can chicken broth (14.5 oz)
• 2 tblsp tomato paste
• Salt to taste
• 1 part basmati rice (1/3 cup per person) to 1-1/2 parts chicken broth

1. In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat vegetable oil until very hot and smoking. Pour in the mustard seeds and cover with a lid immediately. 
2. After the mustard seeds have stopped sputtering, add the onion and sauté until soft. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the ground spices and sauté until fragrant.
3. Add the chicken and sauté until it is no longer pink. Pour in 1 can of chicken broth and stir in the tomato paste. Bring the liquid to a boil, add the bay leaves, then cover and turn the heat down to simmer for an hour. Add salt to taste.
4. In the meantime, pour the remaining chicken broth and rice into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Once the liquid starts boiling, partially cover and lower the heat to medium. Let cook for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, cover tightly and turn the heat down to low. Let cook for another 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, turn the heat off and leave the rice to steam for at least 15 minutes. Fluff before serving.