Chicken Stew, a creamy side dish typically enriched with vegetables of your choice, is a well-known accompaniment for Appam and a perfect breakfast combination to start a day. This is a very common dish for Christian festivals and marriages. In this recipe I have only potato as the vegetable but other vegetables such as carrot beans and green peas are common ingredients.

Ingredients

1. Chicken : 1 Lb
2. Potato : 2 (Big)
3. Sliced onion : 3 (Medium)
4. Ginger cut into Julian : 10 pieces
5. Crushed ginger : 1 T- Sp
6. Turmeric powder : A pinch (Optional)
7. Coriander powder : 2 T- Sp
8. Sliced green chillies : 8 (Adjust)
9. Thin coconut milk : 3 cup
10. Thick coconut milk : 1 Cup
11. Cashews : 5
12. Vinegar : ½ T- Sp
13. Curry leave
14. Salt for taste
15. Oil : 1 ½ Tbl- Sp
16. Garam masala : ½ T- Sp

Whole spices:-

17. Cardamom : 2
18. Cloves : 2
19. Cinamaon
20. Star anise : ¼ piece
21. Fennel seeds : ¼ T- Sp

For seasoning:-

22. Ghee                : 1 Tbl- Sp
23. Chopped pearl onion : 1 Tbl – Sp
24. Mustard seeds : ¼ T- Sp
25. Dried red chillies : 3
26. Cashews : 8 pieces
27. Pepper powder : 1 T- Sp(Adjust)
28. Curry leaves

Method

• Cut it the chicken into small pieces and keep it aside.
• Peel the potatoes and cut to medium pieces.
• Make the cashew paste with thick coconut milk and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and add all the spices mentioned in the whole spices
• Fry it till the color changed slightly.
• Then add the onions along with all the ginger, green chilies, curry leaves and salt; fry it until the onions become translucent ( no need for brown the onions).
• Then add the turmeric powder and coriander powder and fry it for about 1 minute or until the raw smell goes.
• Add the chicken pieces and stir it and mix everything.
• Add the thin coconut milk and close the lid and cook it, open the lid in-between and stir it to avoid sticking in the bottom of the pan.
• Once the chicken is half cooked, add the potatoes pieces and cook it till the chicken and potatoes are cooked completely.
• Now add the garam masala and vinegar and mix it.
• Finally add the cashew coconut milk mixture and let it boil; and take it out from the stove.
• Heat ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds followed by dried red chillies, chopped pearl onions, cashews and curry leaves. Fry it till brown and switch off the stove, then add the pepper powder and mix it.
• Add this to the stew and mix it and close the lid ; keep it for about 15 minute.

Tips :-

• I used chicken thighs with bone, you can use any pieces.
• Stew can be prepare with turmeric powder or without turmeric powder. If you prefer the stew in white color, skip the turmeric powder.
• For spice you can add pepper powder along with coriander powder.
• You may add carrot, beans and green peas for your stew.