I was very late to the Nigela Lawson train … like very, very late. While I, of course, knew who she was and a little of backstory (and that Ina and her shared producers), it wasn’t until 2020 and the mee-crow-wah-veh video that I started paying more attention.
I had grabbed a copy “How to Eat” while in LA last year, but still hadn’t made any recipes from her repertoire so I decided to right this culinary wrong.
Searching for some of her most popular dishes, her Mughlai Chicken kept coming up – notably as one of Taylor Swift’s favorites!
Nigella had me at the header: “I feel very strongly that you should use the moister brown meat, from the thigh, for this, but if you prefer breast meat, and it’s a common preference, that’s your choice. I can’t pretend to understand it though.”
The recipe begins with a fragrant paste of ground almonds, ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, and chili. After searing chicken thighs, whole spices – cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, and cloves – are sautéed until aromatic. Chopped onions follow, then the spice paste, yogurt, stock, cream, and raisins create a rich sauce. The chicken is returned to the pan, a sprinkle of garam masala goes over top, and everything simmers for 20 minutes.
Topped with toasted almond slivers and served over white rice, this aromatic Indian-inspired dish packs layers of warm spices, creamy texture, and subtle sweetness from the raisins.
Book: Feast, page ?
Rating: 5/5
How Easy Is That: Easy
Store-Bought Is Fine: yogurt
Pricey Ingredients: —
Hard-to-find: —
Recipe on Nigella.com.
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