Cumin Scented Chicken (Kombdi, Jira Ghalun)

You have to love cumin to appreciate this dish! It’s simple to make and the results are a perfect 10. Serve over basmati rice along with raita (see my cucumber mint raita recipe here), which adds the perfect fresh and cooling complement to the spiced chicken. You can use drumsticks, or boneless skinless chicken breasts as I did. For the drumsticks cook in the Dutch oven step below for 25-30 minutes; for chicken breasts cook 18-25 minutes (mine took 20 minutes).

Note that the chicken needs to be marinated for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. I marinated mine for 6 hours.

Recipe

Marinade:
1/3 c. water
¼ c. plain whole-milk yogurt
8 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
(1) 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1-1/2 T. paprika
2 tsp. salt
¼ to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it, I used a generous ¼ tsp.)

Chicken & Sauce:
2 tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
2-3/4 lbs. chicken drumsticks (about 8 large drumsticks), or boneless skinless chicken breast
3 T. cumin seeds
¼ c. vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
3 c. water
½ c. fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

For the Marinade process the marinade ingredients in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a bowl large enough to accommodate the chicken.

Process the tomatoes in the now-empty blender until coarsely pureed, about 5 seconds. Transfer to a second bowl.

Add chicken to the bowl with the yogurt marinade and toss to coat, rubbing the marinade into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. If marinating longer than 1 hour, cover and refrigerate the tomatoes as well.

Heat cumin seeds in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to powder. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add the onion and 1 tsp. salt and cook until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, increase heat to high and cook until the mixture darkens slightly and begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, about 7 minutes.

Add the chicken, along with any marinade left in the bowl, and 3 c. water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken registers at least 175-degrees, 25-30 minutes. For chicken breasts, cook until it registers 160-degrees, 18-25 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a large plate. Increase heat to high and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and reduced to about 2-3/4 c. Mine took about 20 minutes. Stir the cumin into the sauce. Add the chicken back to the pot and stir to coat with the sauce.

Serve over basmati rice, sprinkled with cilantro leaves, and with the cucumber mint raita.