Coriander Chicken with Cilantro Rice
This Indian-inspired Coriander Chicken with Cilantro Rice uses inexpensive chicken leg quarters along with flavorful spices to make a quick and easy meal.
Most of you already know that watching cooking shows is one of my favorite leisure time activities. The only problem is that, like every one of you, I don’t have nearly as much leisure time as I’d like.
That’s why I really choose my shows carefully these days. Food television now has everything from competitions to challenges to travel to pure recipe presentation shows. And those just happen to be my favorite.
I really could care less about the others. Just give me a person who knows how to cook, understands ingredients, and is a good presenter and I’m perfectly happy to watch them prepare recipes for a half hour.
Almost all of the shows that I really enjoy are from The Cooking Channel. They seem to have more of the instructional type shows and one of my current favorites is Spice Goddess with Bal Arneson. It’s all about Indian cooking and the spices, herbs, and other ingredients important to that cuisine.
Indian Cuisine from a Southern Cook?
Of course to me it’s all very exotic. It would be, wouldn’t it, having grown up in the 50’s and 60’s in a little south Georgia town where the most exotic spices we had beyond salt and pepper were probably paprika and dried parsley.
I saw Bal make this Coriander Chicken recipe recently and its combination of spices made my mouth water from simply listening to her description. It’s a wonderfully flavorful chicken dish with lots of coriander, garam masala, and tomatoes which is all served over a cilantro-scented rice. Yum!
And believe it or not, it’s very quick to make. About 30 minutes from start to finish. And if that isn’t enough, it uses very inexpensive chicken leg quarters! It’s just a winner all round.
How to Make Coriander Chicken with Cilantro Rice
Make the Coriander Chicken
Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute.
Next, add the coriander seeds, garam masala, a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir the tomato paste into the spices.
Add the chicken quarters. Sprinkle generously with salt and let them cook for 5-7 minutes, turning once.
Add the remaining ingredients. Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Make the Cilantro Rice
While the chicken is cooking, make the Cilantro Rice. Saute the onions in oil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, chicken stock, and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in the cilantro.
Makes 4 servings – 1 leg quarter per serving with Cilantro Rice and pan sauce.
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Questions? I’m happy to help!
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Coriander Chicken with Cilantro Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 ½ tablespoon garam masala
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 chicken leg quarters
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ cup crushed tomatoes
Cilantro Rice:
- ½ cup sliced green onions
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large, deep skillet placed over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute.
- Add the coriander seeds, garam masala, a pinch of salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
- Stir the tomato paste into the spices.
- Add the chicken quarters. Sprinkle generously with salt and let them cook for 5-7 minutes, turning once.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the cilantro rice. Saute the onions in the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, chicken stock, and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in the cilantro.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Thanks for linking to my chicken recipe!
Looks delicious. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
That looks absolutely fabulous, love those flavors!
Looks delicious! Pinned :)