Kalonji Chicken

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Tender chunks of chicken cooked in a fresh and spicy sauce loaded with Nigella seeds, tomatoes, onions, coriander, cumin and chilli; Kalonji Chicken is my new favourite curry. It is easy to make, uses easy to find ingredients and each mouthful is a wonderfully balanced flavour bomb.

Served with fresh coriander and your choice of rice and/or naan bread, this is a prefect recipe to celebrate National Curry Week in the UK.

What does Kalonji refer to?

Kalonji are seeds, most commonly known as Nigella seeds or black onion seeds in the UK. However, they have many different names including black seed, onion seed, black caraway seed, black cumin, fennel flower, nutmeg flower, roman coriander, calonji, or kalonji.

In India and Pakistan they are commonly used in a range of different dishes, such as curries, dals, vegetable dishes, samosas and salads, to name just a few. However, they are also known for their health benefits as they are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

What do they taste like?

Although their flavour is quite distinctive, it is difficult to describe. I’ve seen them described as peppery, sweet, sharp, smoky, nutty and bitter, with a touch of liquorice, cumin, burnt onion, oregano and thyme! In short, you need to try them. Fortunately they are relatively easy to find in most large supermarkets in the UK.

What are the best replacements for Nigella Seeds?

Although I haven’t tested these out, from a little research on-line, the most commonly recommended replacements are –

• black sesame seeds
• white sesame seeds
• celery seeds
• cumin seeds

Where is the recipe from?

This recipe was shared by Cat from @food_obsessed_girl. Cornwall based, she has an incredible account posting many fabulous curries as well as a range of other delicious recipes including mouthwatering pasties and a wonderful selection of different scones and cream. You really need to take a look and follow!

How to make Chicken Kalonji

Collect all your ingredients together:

For the chicken and marinade –

• skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• natural yoghurt
• lemon juice
• turmeric powder
• fine salt

For the sauce –

• vegetable oil
• Nigella seeds or black onion seeds
• large onions, peeled and finely chopped
• garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
• ginger, roughly chopped
• green chillies, stem removed and roughly chopped. (Remove seeds if you want to reduce the heat a little.)
• tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
• cumin powder
• coriander powder
• chilli powder – depending on how you like it and the strength of your chilli powder
• chicken or vegetable stock

To serve:

• Nigella seeds or black onion seeds
• chopped fresh coriander
• basmati rice and/or naan bread

How to make this wonderful curry:

First chop the chicken and marinade –

1. Chop the chicken into small cubes and place in a mixing bowl. Add the yoghurt, turmeric, salt and lemon juice.
2. Mix well, cover and set aside for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge.

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Make the sauce –

1. Heat a cast iron casserole over a moderately high heat and cook 1 teaspoon Nigella seeds for around 30 seconds. Tip out of the pan and set aside until you are ready to serve the curry.
2. Peel and chop the onions – I like mine finely chopped and I do so quickly in a food processor.
3. Heat the oil in a cast iron casserole over a moderately high heat and cook the Nigella seeds for serving for around 1 minute.
4. Add the onions and stir well. Cook over a moderate heat for around 20 minutes, stirring from time to time until very soft and lightly caramelised. You may need to turn the heat down the longer the onions cook. You can reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes if you are short of time but the longer cooking time really brings out the sweetness in the onions and makes an incredible sauce.
5. Peel and finely chop the garlic and ginger. Remove the stem from the green chillies. If you want to remove some heat, discard the seeds as well. I pop everything into the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
6. When the onions are ready, add the garlic, ginger and chilli and cook, stirring from time to time, for 5 minutes.
7. Peel the tomatoes – place in a jug or bowl and cover with boiling water for 1 minute. Drain and remove the skins. Chop in half, remove the stalks and roughly chop. Puree in a food processor.
8. Next add the tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes.
9. Tip in the spices, stir well and cook for 30 seconds.
10. Now add the chicken in yoghurt, stir well and cook for 10 minutes, until the chicken is sealed partially cooked.
11. Pour in the stock and cook for around 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. If it looks like it is reducing too much, put the lid on. Taste and adjust seasoning.
12. Turn off the heat and leave for a few minutes before you serve garnished with nigella seeds and chopped coriander. Delicious with rice and/or naan.

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Made this recipe?

If you make this recipe, do please tag me on instagram @daffodil_kitchen. You could also leave a comment in the box directly below the recipe.