Cream Cheese Chicken Handi
Blog: cookingwithnelo.com
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 medium onion - finely sliced
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste - preferably homemade
- 1 pound (500 g) boneless skinless chicken - sliced into bite-sized strips
- 1 medium green bell pepper / capsicum - sliced into bite-sized strips
- ½ cup (115 g) cream cheese - cut into small pieces (see Note A)
- a small lump or briquette of charcoal - for smoking, roughly a 2 to 3 inch piece
- 1 tablespoon butter
Yogurt Mix
- ¾ cup (190 g) yogurt - whisked until smooth
- 2 small green chillies - finely chopped, I use Thai chillies, adjust to taste ⓘ
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder - aka zeera powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder - aka dhaniya powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes - aka kutti lal mirch, adjust to taste ⓘ
- ¾ teaspoon regular white salt - aka table salt
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine all ingredients listed under "yogurt mix", whisk well and set it aside.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a wide pot/pan/wok. Add onion and cook until softened and translucent. Don't let it turn golden.
- Add garlic paste, cook for 30 seconds. Then add chicken and cook until it's no longer pink on the surface.
- Reduce the heat. Mix in the yogurt mixture you prepared earlier. Cover with lid, bring to a simmer, then adjust the heat just enough to maintain a very gentle simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. In the meantime, heat your charcoal until it takes on a red glow.
- Add bell pepper/capsicum and cream cheese to the pot. Cook until the pepper gets tender crisp and the cheese melts.
- Turn off the heat and move the pot off the burner. Create a small pocket in the center of the food, set a small metal or makeshift foil bowl in it. Carefully place the hot charcoal in this bowl using metal tongs.
- Drizzle about a teaspoon of cooking oil over the charcoal and immediately cover the pot. Let it smoke covered for 1 minute. Don't leave it much longer or the smokiness will overpower the flavors.
- Remove the bowl and the coal. Return the pot to the burner on low heat to warm up the chicken handi again. If the consistency is too thin, reduce the liquid over low heat. Keep in mind that it will thicken further once removed from the heat.
- Give it a mix and taste for salt. Add more if needed, but do so gradually, no more than ¼ teaspoon at a time.
- Drop the butter right on top, don’t mix it in. Turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let the butter melt. I usually finish it off with some chopped red chilies for a nice pop of color, but that's optional. Serve it up with some hot naan or roti.
Notes
Note A: Cream Cheese – I use a block of cream cheese, not cream cheese spread. Can't guarantee the same outcome with the spread, as it contains more liquid than a block, less fat content, and the additives used in the spread can make it curdle quickly under high heat.