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Pre-Cooked Chicken
Serves 2 Prep 10 min Cook 2 hr Total 2 hr 10 min Origin Indian

Pre-Cooked Chicken

Pre-cooking chicken until it is just cooked through really helps intensify the flavour of curries, especially when including the cooking stock.

Serves 2 kg cooked chicken Prep 10 minutes Cook 2 hours Units Rate

Overview

A BIR-kitchen staple. Chicken breast is simmered in a deeply spiced onion-and-tomato stock just until it is cooked through, then drained and held back for service. The poaching liquid is reduced down into a concentrated spice stock that gets used in the final curries. Pre-cooking lifts the flavour of every BIR-style curry that follows: the chicken is already seasoned through, and the cooking stock carries spice into the finished sauce. Make a big batch, portion into bags, and freeze.

Ingredients

  • 2 Kg Chicken Breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks (approx. 8 per breast)
  • 4 Tbsp Rapeseed oil
  • 5 Green Cardamom pods (bruised)
  • 10 Black Peppercorns
  • 1 Inch piece of Cinnamon (Cassia Bark)
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 3 Indian Bay leaves
  • 2 Onions (large, finely chopped)
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 2 Tbsp Garlic and Ginger paste
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 800g tins chopped Tomatoes
  • Water (to cover)
  • 1 tsp Garam Masala

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium-high heat until small bubbles form.
  2. Add the whole spices and bay leaves, and stir continuously for about 30 seconds to release their flavours into the oil.
  3. Add the onions and stir regularly for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
  4. Sprinkle the salt over the top; this will help release moisture from the onions.
  5. Add the garlic and ginger paste.
  6. Add the turmeric.
  7. When fragrant with the aroma of garlic and ginger, tip in the tomatoes.
  8. Reduce the heat to medium for about 5 minutes.
  9. Add the chicken pieces and just enough spice stock or water to cover the chicken.
  10. Reduce the heat and let the stock softly bubble until the chicken is just cooked through.
  11. Stir in the garam masala and, using a slotted spoon.
  12. Remove the chicken pieces, reserving a little cooking stock.
  13. Turn the heat down to low so the remaining stock simmers.
  14. Simmer for about 45 minutes.

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