Garlic Chicken

Simple ingredients, an honest plate of food – this garlic chicken is finger-licking good! This is the sort of food that will be a sure-shot party hit!

Succulent chunks of chicken coated in a sticky base of flavours – it is all subtle, yet finely balanced with a lot of garlic (without overdoing it), a dash of vinegar, a pinch of sugar, a hint of chillies. You want to go back to that plate again and again!

How often do you come across a great tasting plate of food that is easy to cook, without resorting to deep-frying in oil? Do you have a ‘comfort food’ that doesn’t guilt trip you later? This garlic chicken is one such recipe.

Bite size pieces of chicken marinated with crushed garlic, dry chillies, vinegar, and salt; cooked with onion and tomatoes, and finished off with green chillies for an extra kick; this is a wonderfully balanced blend of flavours. It has got a little bit of everything – a nice heat from the chillies, tangy sweetness from the onion-tomato paste, and a subtle hint of vinegar. Add some freshly chopped spring onions (this is optional) and you have one more flavour to complete this delicious chicken dish.

About this garlic chicken

Cooking this recipe will not take much time, but the marination does require time. You can skip it if you are in a rush, but for best results, let time do its magic!

I usually recommend serving piping hot straight from the stove. With this garlic chicken, we have observed at home that it is ideal to let it sit for a couple of hours (or even more). That will give the sticky, sauce-like base to incorporate the wonderful flavours to the chicken.

If you liked this recipe, check out the following recipes that might be of interest to you.

• Black Pepper Chicken
• Chicken Chinthamani
• Honey Fried Chicken
• Chicken Ularthiyathu

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Garlic Chicken

Bite size pieces of chicken marinated with crushed garlic, dry chillies, salt and vinegar; cooked with onion and tomatoes, and finished off with green chillies for an extra kick; this is a wonderfully balanced blend of flavours. Simple ingredients, honest plate of food - this is finger-lickin' good! This is the sort of food that's a sure shot party hit!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time40 mins

Marination30 mins

Total Time1 hr 20 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 4 helping

Ingredients

• 500 grams chicken small pieces
• 3 tablespoons garlic finely chopped
• 2 medium onions finely chopped
• 1 small tomato finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon crushed dry chillies
• 2 green chillies thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• to taste salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• spring onions optional

Instructions

• Finely chop onions, tomato, and garlic.
• Lightly crush the garlic. Marinate the chicken pieces with the crushed dry chillies, vinegar, garlic and salt.
• Mix well, and let it sit for an hour. You can skip the marination, but to get all the great flavours of garlic, you SHOULD marinate.
• Heat some oil in a thick-bottomed pan. Add chopped onions and cook on a medium flame while stirring occasionally.
  
• Sweat the onions till they are tender and cooked well. When the onions start turning brown, add the chopped tomatoes, and cook further.
  
• Cook on a low flame till the onion and tomato mix reach a thick paste like consistency. Add salt, sugar, and 3 tablespoons of water.
  
• Combine well. Switch off when the water start to disappear.
  
• Transfer the contents to a bowl.
  
• Use the same pan, add a little oil, and braise the marinated chicken on a high flame.
  
• Stir occasionally and fry for a couple of minutes. Lower the flame, and cook with the lid closed for about 10 minutes.
• Open the lid, add the onion-tomato paste back to the pan, mix well, and cook on a low flame.
  
• Add salt if required. Cook till chicken pieces is evenly coated. Add the chopped green chillies, and a tablespoon of finely chopped spring onions.
  
• Combine well. Cook for a couple of minutes, and switch off.
  
• Garnish with spring onions, and serve hot.
• You can enjoy this garlic chicken on its own, or with some fragrant rice.
• Recommendation: For best results, serve 4-5 hours after cooking. This will help the flavours to develop further. Heat it up in a pan just before serving.