Sahar's Spicy Coconut Chicken & Rice
Chef Sahar, the executive chef at Chai Pani Atlanta, is a dear friend who champions local produce and seasonality on her menu. She generously shared this recipe with us, along with this note - "A simple, weeknight chicken and rice recipe that gets a hit of flavor from the delicious spicy coconut podi. Feel free to decrease the podi to 2T for a little less spice, or increase to 4 for a little more!"
Read more about Chef Sahar in this wonderful conversation we had with her - https://www.podilife.com/blogs/journal/a-conversation-with-chef-sahar
✦ Ingredients
- 3T olive oil
- 1.5 lbs (about 6-8 pieces) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1.5 cups basmati rice, washed and soaked
- 1/2 onion, small diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 C cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped with stems
- 3T Podi Life Spicy Coconut podi
- 2 C chicken stock
- 1/2 C coconut milk
- salt to taste
✦ Instructions
- In a medium size (6-8 qt) rondeau with a well fitted lid, heat olive oil over high heat. While heating, season your chicken thighs with salt on both sides.
- Once pan is hot, add chicken thighs in a single layer, making sure not to overlap them. Sear until golden brown, then flip and continue cooking on the other side. If you need to do this in batches so the chicken fits, absolutely do so.
- Remove chicken from the pan onto a plate or sheet tray and drop temperature down to medium low. Immediately add your onions, garlic, and pinch of salt. Stir to deglaze the pan (you may need to add 1-2T of water at this point to assist with deglazing. Cook onions and garlic for 5-7 minutes on medium low until soft and aromatic
- Once onions are soft, add tomatoes, a pinch of salt and increase heat to medium. Let the tomatoes cook while periodically mashing them until they are broken down and jammy. This will take about 7-10 minutes. While this is cooking, cut your seared chicken thighs into 1-2 inch pieces.
- Add 1/2 of your chopped cilantro - ideally the 1/2 that is very stemmy. Also add your Spicy Coconut Podi. Give it a stir until it is just aromatic and add your cut chicken. Stir until everything is incorporated.
- Add strained, soaked rice, chicken stock, and coconut milk. Stir and increase heat to high. Bring mixture to a rapid boil, decrease heat to very low, cover with a lid and set a timer for 18 minutes. Once timer goes off, turn off the heat and let the pot sit for 5 to 10 minutes longer.
- Serve with a green salad and some yogurt!
