Indian Chicken Stew with Potatoes

I have a urge to have a saucy Indian dish for this cold winter night to pair it with some nan bread or even rice. Looking for something creamy, tomato-based and comes with potatoes. Eventually I found a recipe that tick my boxes. This recipe is adapted from Seasons & Suppers.

Don't let the long list of ingredients put you off. Once you build up your spice collection, you will realized that many of the recipes are within reach. This stew is packed with flavour and heat, depending on how much  cayenne pepper you add. Searing and then simmering the chicken in the sauce keeps the white meat tender and moist. And, like most stews, it tastes better the second day-if it lasts that long.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 large skin-on/bone-in chicken breasts or boneless
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp finely grated ginger
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2½ tsp garam masala
• 2½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• ½-¾ tsp cayenne pepper, depending on how spicy you prefer
• 3 cups of chicken stock
• ¾ cup chopped tin tomatoes
• ½ cup double cream
• 500g potatoes, cut into ¼" thickness ( you can use white, Yukon Golds, Maris Piper)

Method:

Heat vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place skin side down in to the pan. Cook until golden brown without turning, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

To the same pot, add onion, garlic and ginger to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft and golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add tomato paste, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, coriander, cayenne and cook, stirring often until tomato paste is beginning to darken, about 4 minutes.

Add chicken pieces, chicken stock, chopped tin tomatoes and cream to pot. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is almost falling off the bone and liquid is slightly thickened, about 1 hours. If using bone-in chicken, remove chicken to a plate and carefully remove chicken from the bone and discard skin and bones. Cut or pull chicken into bite-sized pieces. Return chicken pieces to the pot.

Add potatoes to the pot and cook partially covered, until potatoes are fork-tender and sauce is thickened, 30-45 minutes. Stir every so often to ensure the sauce hasn't thickened too much and potatoes aren't sticking to the bottom of the pot. If sauce is too thick, thin with a bit more chicken stock.

To serve, spoon the stew into a shallow bowl and place a large dollop of yogurt on one side. Sprinkle with some fresh coriander or parsley and serve with nan bread on the side. Alternately, spoon stew over some warm white rice.