Chicken Dopiaza

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This chicken dopiaza recipe is fragrant and soothing with chicken and onion in a richly spiced tomato and onion sauce. A classic British Indian restaurant recipe that is perfect for cooking in advance and for filling the freezer.

Servings:

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time5

Cook Time35

Ingredients

2 large onions
2 tbsp ghee or oil
1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste - or ½ tbsp ginger paste and the same of garlic.
1 tbsp medium curry powder
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp garam masala
½ tsp chilli powder - or to taste
½ can chopped tomatoes
200 ml chicken stock
400-450 g chicken thighs - skinned, boned and diced
2 green chillies - membranes and seeds removed if you don't like too much heat
4 pods cardamon - crushed

Instructions

Peel the onions. Cut one into wedges and the rest into a reasonably fine dice.
2 large onions
Fry the onion wedges in a little oil or ghee until soft and starting to go golden around the edges. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2 tbsp ghee or oil
Add some more oil or ghee to the pan and fry the diced onions gently until they are golden. This takes at least 5 minutes, if not longer.
Once the onions are turning golden, add the spices and cook a little longer until fragrant.
1 tbsp medium curry powder, 1½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp paprika, 2 tsp garam masala, ½ tsp chilli powder
Add the tomatoes to the onions, together with half the stock and the onion and ginger paste. Stir, scraping all the onion from the bottom of the pan into the sauce.
½ can chopped tomatoes, 200 ml chicken stock, 1 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
Tip into a bowl or jug so that the sauce is deep enough to submerge the blender and blitz to a smooth sauce. If you have made a double batch of sauce to freeze, separate what you want to store now.
Return the blended sauce to the pan and add the chopped chicken, chopped green chillies and the lightly crushed cardamon pods.
2 green chillies, 400-450 g chicken thighs, 4 pods cardamon
Stir well. If you are using ready cooked chicken, you may want to add a little more stock. Raw chicken will release some juices into the sauce, and will not need it.
Cover the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook on the stove top on the lowest heat for about 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Check half way though cooking and add more liquid if needed.
Return the fried onion wedges to the curry and stir through, ensuring that they are hot before serving.

Notes

Storage

This chicken dopiaza recipe is ideal for making ahead of time and may actually benefit from it, as the flavours have longer to infuse the meat.

Fridge – Allow to cool, and as soon as it is cold pack into an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for 3 months. Defrost (from frozen) and reheat in a pan on the stove top, or heat in the microwave, making sure it is properly hot before serving.

Freezer – Cool and pack into an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To use, defrost and reheat in a pan on the stove top, or heat in the microwave, making sure it is properly hot before serving.

You can increase the quantity of sauce and freeze this separately in the same way.

Hints and tips

Take the time to fry the onion properly, so that it is golden but still moist. This caramelisation process is essential to get that wonderful onion flavour.
Adding the right amount of liquid is an art and not an exact science, so do read the notes above. How much you need will depend on your choice of chicken, how thick or loose you like the sauce and how some of the other ingredients behave too, so start with half the stock listed and use the rest to adjust as needed.
A full sized can of tomatoes works out cheaper than a half can. If you don’t make extra sauce, you can keep them in the fridge in a suitable sealed container for several days, or you can freeze them.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.