Chicken Vindaloo is a spicy, tangy Indian stew dish. It is made with chicken marinated in a blend of spices that includes garlic, ginger, and vinegar, giving it a distinct sour flavor. The name “Vindaloo” comes from a Portuguese dish where meat is marinated in garlic and wine vinegar, reflecting the dish’s Portuguese influence. Depending on your palate, you can increase the amount of cayenne pepper and/or chili peppers to suit your taste.
Indian food uses so many fragrant spices that are a powerhouse of flavors and they are plentiful in this recipe. For this recipe, boneless skinless chicken thighs work best. Chicken breasts aren’t a good choice, as they tend to dry out. Once the chicken is seared, onions are cooked and spices are “bloomed” The rest of the ingredients are chicken broth and diced tomatoes. This stew doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare and the oven does the rest of the work.
When I saw this recipe on Americas Test Kitchen, I carefully read the comments. Some commenters complained this recipe was bland. Bland?! I beg to differ! (see TASTING NOTES). The key is how much salt to use. I use Diamond Kosher Salt, rather than table salt (1 part table salt to 1.5 – 2 parts kosher salt.) The chicken is seasoned before searing. Taste the stew BEFORE placing in the oven, and adjust a little more salt to taste. It’s important to taste the dish before serving. Sometimes, a little more salt is necessary. I think that’s a lot of what commenters missed. Trust me, I don’t over salt my food. Without any kind of salt, food can and will taste bland!
A dash of vinegar and cilantro adds a final flourish. (If you don’t like cilantro, parsley will do.)
The aroma of tomato, garlic and spices is intoxicating. A pot of basmati rice is ready to serve this Indian stew.
TASTING NOTES: The chicken was really tender, with plenty of spice. For those who love hot and spicy, I would suggest adding chili and more cayenne. For us, the flavor was perfectly balance and the salt ratio was just right. This dish was far from bland.
I think the next time I make this, I would use my pressure cooker. I could easily use the saute’ function for the chicken, onion and aromatics. Pressure cook for 25 minutes and I think this would be equally good.
Oven-Braised Chicken Vindaloo
Equipment
- 1 Dutch Oven/Oven Proof Pot with Lid
Ingredients
- 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thigh trimmed and cut into 1½-inch pieces
- Salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 onions chopped fine
- 8 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of chicken and brown well, about 8 minutes; transfer to bowl. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining chicken.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to now-empty pot and place over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, and cloves and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in broth, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, vinegar, mustard seeds, bay leaves, sugar, and browned chicken with any accumulated juice. Bring to simmer. Cover pot, place in oven, and cook until chicken is tender, about 1 hour.
- Remove stew from oven and remove bay leaves. Stir in cilantro, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
Notes
432
Total lipid (fat)
18 g
Fatty acids, total saturated
3 g
Fatty acids, total trans
0 g
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated
9 g
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated
4 g
Cholesterol
215 mg
Sodium, Na
1031 mg
Carbohydrate, by difference
18 g
Fiber, total dietary
4 g
Sugars, total including NLEA
6 g
Protein
49 g The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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