Chicken is a delicious and versatile source of protein that can be prepared in a variety of ways — grilled, roasted, fried, steamed and slow cooked. It can also be served as an appetiser in soups and salads, apart from including it in the main course dish. Chicken is considered better than red meats such as mutton and pork, since it contains less saturated fat and is one of the few foods that can be both healthy as well as tasty.

Koli sukka

Ingredients: 2 tbsp canola oil, 15 gm curry leaves, 50 g onion, 1 tsp ginger and garlic paste, 180 gm chicken, 250 ml water, 30 gm tomato, 20 gm desiccated coconut, 2 tsp poppy seed. For the spice blend: 5 gm whole red chilli, ½ inch cinnamon, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp cumin seed, ½ tsp fennel seed, ½ tsp black peppercorns crushed, 2 pods green cardamom.

Method: Combine all ingredients for spice blend. In a heavy bottom pan, dry roast all spices and cool to room temperature. In grinder, paste spices until almost smooth (a bit coarse is okay). In thick bottom wok/kadhai/pan, heat canola oil and then temper curry leaves, onion and ginger-garlic paste. Add chicken and cook until almost golden brown. Add ground masala paste (all ingredients except curry leaves, onion and ginger garlic paste) and cook for further 20-25 minutes over slim flame with water and reduce
until chicken cooks well.

Spicy roasted chicken

Ingredients: 1 tsp chilli flakes, 4 cloves garlic crushed, ½ tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp dried oregano leaves, 1 tsp lemon zest, ¼ cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar, 2 tbsp canola oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper, 1 (1.2 kg) whole chicken, butterflied.

Method: Preheat oven to 200°C. In a small bowl, place chilli, garlic, paprika, oregano, lemon zest, vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Place chicken on baking tray, pour the chilli mixture over it and spread to coat chicken completely. Roast for 45 minutes or until cooked through and golden, brushing with pan juices halfway through.  

Grilled chilli-lemon chicken sliders

Ingredients: For the marinade: 1 tsp dried chilli flakes, 1 cup (250 ml) lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, crushed, 2 tbsp canola oil, sea salt, cracked black pepper.

For burgers:4 mini burger buns, halved, 4 (50 gm) chicken breast fillets, trimmed and butterflied, 4 iceberg lettuce leaves, garlic-mustard dip, to serve.

Method: In small bowl, place chilli flakes, lemon juice, garlic, canola oil, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, place chicken and pour half of marinade on it. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat char-grill pan or barbecue over high heat. Brush burger bun halves with half of reserved marinade and char-grill or barbecue for 1-2 minutes or until toasted. Set aside. Char-grill or barbecue chicken for 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Top buns with lettuce, garlic-mustard spread, chicken and
remaining marinade to serve.

(The author is director, food and beverage, JW Marriott, Bengaluru)