Food blogger Denisiya Hemraj shares three ways to spice up your chicken dishes:
Popcorn Chicken
Ingredients:
4 chicken fillets
1 cup milk
1 tbs vinegar
¼ tsp cumin (jeera) powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
¼ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp dhania powder
2 sachets of KFC chilli salt (alternatively use ½ teaspoon regular salt)
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp chicken spice
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp red chilli flakes
2 tsp chili powder
vegetable oil for deep frying
Method:
Rinse the chicken fillets and dice them into bite-sized chunks.
Place them into a bowl and pour the milk and vinegar into the bowl. Alternatively, you may use buttermilk. Allow the chicken to soak in the milk for 30 minutes. This will allow for the chicken to get moist and a tender texture.
Next, add the flour, salt, cumin (jeera) powder, garam masala, dhania powder, garlic powder, chilli powder, dried mixed herbs red chilli flakes, ground black pepper and the chicken spice to a bowl. Mix well.
When the chicken is done soaking, it's time to start coating them.
Take one piece of chicken at a time and dunk it into the flour mixture, making sure to properly coat it. Place all the coated chicken chunks onto a plate.
Heat enough vegetable oil in a deep pot for deep frying. When the oil is hot, carefully drop in the coated chicken chunks. Test the oil by putting in one of the chunks - it should sizzle. Do not over crowd the pot.
Fry the chicken for about 4 minutes until golden.
Drain the Popcorn Chicken on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Serve while hot and crispy.
Air Fried Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
1 onion
½ green bell pepper
½ red bell pepper
½ yellow bell pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp red chilli flakes
1tsp garlic powder
1tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin (jeera) powder
1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried sweet basil
2tsp chilli powder or paprika
1 tbs ginger and garlic paste
splash of vegetable oil
½ lemon
For The Wrap:
tortillas (store bought)
salsa (store bought)
shredded cheese of your choice (I used Gouda)
sauces of your choice (I used Gorima's Mexican sauce & creamy jalapeño sauce)
Method:
Rinse and cut the chicken breasts into chunks.
Peel and sliver the onions.
Rinse and cut the bell peppers into strips.
Next, make sure your food tray is in your air fryer basket. There is no need to coat it with any spraying oil.
Thereafter, add the chicken breast chunks, the slivered onions and the bell pepper strips into the air fryer basket. This can be added to a bowl if you prefer but I find this to be a quicker way with less clean-up.
Next, add the salt and black pepper.
Now it's time to add in the spices. Add the red chilli flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin (jeera) powder, coriander (dhania) powder, turmeric powder, dried parsley, dried sweet basil, chilli powder or paprika and the ginger and garlic paste.
Add a splash of vegetable oil. Cut the lemon into wedges and toss that into the basket.
Give it a good mix using a wooden spoon – as you don't want to scratch the air fryer basket. Put it in for 20 minutes at 191°C (or 375°F).
This air fried chicken fajitas can be enjoyed as is. They can also be served over rice, especially yellow Mexican rice, or in the most common way, in tortillas.
For the wraps, I used store bought tortillas, but you can also make them if you want to.
Before getting started on my wrap, I made home-made salsa. You can also purchase this. Thereafter, place a tortilla onto a board and slit it from the middle point to the edge of the tortilla. Add some of the chicken fajita to one section of the tortilla.
Add some shredded cheese to another section of the tortilla. Next, add some of the salsa to another section. Finally, add the sauce/s to another section.
Take each section of the tortilla and fold it over either in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction until it’s in a triangular form. It can be eaten as is, or it can be taken a step further and toast either on a pan or in a sandwich press.
Marandhu Sellu Chicken Curry
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken or a tray of chicken pieces
4 tbs vegetable oil
2 tomatoes
2 green chillies
1 onion
3 sprigs thyme
salt to taste
1 sprig curry leaves
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
1 star aniseed
½ tsp turmeric powder
1tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
½ tsp fennel (soomph) seeds
½ tsp cumin (jeera) powder
1 tsp coriander (dhania) powder
1 tsp garam masala
½ tsp cardamom (elachi) powder
1 tsp red chilli flakes
2 tsp Birth Masala (Marandhu Sellu)
3 tbs chili powder/masala
2 potatoes (optional)
2 tsp ginger and garlic paste
fresh dhania (coriander) for garnishing
Method:
Cut whole chicken and remove the skin if you prefer not consuming that in the curry. Rinse and place into a bowl. Peel and chop the onion. Rinse and slit the green chillies.
Rinse the tomatoes, and either blend or grate it. It may be chopped, but I find it cooks faster and forms more gravy by blending or grating them.
Pour the vegetable oil into a large pot. Allow the oil to heat on medium-high heat. Thereafter, add the onions, green chillies and thyme.
Add the bay leaves, the curry leaves, the cinnamon stick and the star aniseed.
Then add the cumin (jeera) seeds and the fennel (soomph) seeds.
Mix and allow to simmer until the onions are translucent.
Once the onions are translucent, add the turmeric powder, red chilli flakes, cardamom (elachi) powder, cumin (jeera) powder, coriander (dhania) powder, garam masala, birth masala (marandhu sellu) and the chilli powder/masala.
Add the ginger and garlic paste. Mix well and allow to simmer for 30 seconds.
Add the chicken pieces and salt to taste. Mix it well.
Make sure that the chicken is thoroughly coated in the spices. Lower the heat if it tends to catch at the surface of the pot. Do not add any water.
Cover with a lid and allow the chicken to seal in the spices for 5 minutes. Then stir it.
Add the tomatoes and pour in a little water, about ¼ cup. Mix well.
Cover with a lid and allow to cook for 20 minutes. Check on it every now and again so that it does not burn, and add very little water if necessary.
Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters.
After cooking the chicken for 15 minutes, notice how the tomatoes have cooked down to form a gravy. Add the potatoes and some water. Mix well, coating the potatoes thoroughly.
Lower the heat to the second heat level and tuck the potatoes into the gravy. This will result in those gravy-soaked potatoes.
Cover with a lid and allow to cook on low heat for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the potatoes should be cooked. If not, add a little water and allow it to cook until soft. Turn off the heat and garnish with fresh coriander (dhania).
Plate and serve.
*This Marandhu Sellu Chicken Curry goes well with roti, bread or rice and pickles or carrot salad. Serve with rice, bread, roti and a side of or pickles.
*Follow Hemraj on her blog and YouTube Channel