A nod to sweet and savory Indian pulaos, basmati rice gets laced with spices, coconut, and cashews for a mouthwatering dish made complete with crispy browned chicken.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 35 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch cilantro (leaves and tender stems)
- 1 serrano chile pepper (remove seeds for less heat)
- 1 clove garlic
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 21/2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1/4 cup salted roasted cashews
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves for the rice. Puree the remaining cilantro leaves and stems, the serrano, garlic, 1/4 cup water, the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons coconut, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a blender until smooth, adding up to 2 tablespoons more water if needed.
- Toss the chicken thighs with half of the cilantro sauce on the prepared baking sheet; arrange skin-side up. Season generously with salt and pepper. Roast until the skin is crisp and the chicken is cooked through, about 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the curry powder, turmeric and a few grinds of pepper; cook, stirring, until toasted, 30 seconds. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the cashews, the remaining 2 tablespoons coconut and the reserved 2 tablespoons cilantro. Serve with the chicken; top with the remaining cilantro sauce.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 780 |
| Total Fat | 47 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 13 grams |
| Cholesterol | 190 milligrams |
| Sodium | 530 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 43 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 grams |
| Protein | 43 grams |
Reviews
This is one of my favorite meals! We love it so much I double the cilantro sauce.
Second time making tonight, have substituted jalapeno when we can’t find serrano. Wondering if chicken breast works? That’s what we’re using tonight advice is welcome! This is a keeper for sure!
Yum! This was super easy and very flavorful. Even my two year old loved this chicken, despite packing a good punch of heat! My husband is not a huge fan of Indian flavoring, like curry powder, but the rice was mild enough and delicious. He gobbled it right up. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thoroughly enjoyed the combo.
Delicious!!! Even my 4 year old daughter loved the chicken!!!
One of my favorite chicken recipes. I cook just four thighs for husband and I but I make the same amount of sauce. I use unsweetened coconut. Turns out perfect!!
This is a great recipe for something to taste like it has been cooked for hours on end, like most Indian cuisines. The chicken was so flavorful, the meal was devoured in minutes. One thing to note- the pepper is spicy so will try eliminating it next time.
Great recipe! I used 2 chicken quarters because that is what I had on hand, and I also used 1 cup of coconut cream and 1/2 cup of water for the rice. The rice also needed more salt. My husband loved it and could not get over how savory it was. Also a huge fan of the sauce, kept the leftover to put on top of eggs the next morning. Will be making this recipe again!
This recipe was very good. The rice was excellent, except that I won’t add the coconut next time. It was good in the sauce, however. I served this with naan and steamed broccoli to round out the dinner.
Okay the rice and sauce were so good I just ate it out of the pan. I did make this with chicken thighs but not a fan of dark meat so next time I will probably just use skinless chicken breasts. This recipe is absolutely awesome, has tons of flavor and is easy to make.