Easy Lemony Weeknight Murgh Kali Mirch Pepper Chicken

I have had Murgh Kali Mirch or a Pakistani / Indian Pepper Chicken multiple times and at multiple places and every time I have it, it tastes entirely different. There are versions that are like creamy white handi chicken, versions that are tomato rich and karahi like, and others still that are drier, but with tons of spices. Did I have some fun with that? You betcha. I took some of my favorite elements from each of those incarnations to create a dish that is

pepper forward because who wants pepperless pepper chicken has a little gravy because dry chicken is no bueno (IMHO) uses boneless chicken because it’s convenient has segments of lemon because they are the most beautiful counterpart to pepper is resplendent with fresh ginger because ginger + pepper= besties has a little soy sauce for umami is dotted with green chilies (and no distracting red) for that delectable spice

The resulting dish is light, zesty, moreish and absolutely perfect with a little chapati.

How to Make Pepper Chicken (Murgh Kali Mirch)

Chalo chalo, let’s do this. Step One: Marinate chicken in marinade ingredients Step Two: Dry roast your pepper Step three: Add oil and saute onions till they take on some colour and then saute the ginger with it until it does the same. This part is all on medium high heat Step Four: In goes the marinated chicken, saute it well and then drop the heat, add half a cup of water, and cook covered till tender. Step Five: Add your lemon, green chilies, mix, and adjust seasoning then garnish with cilantro. In a simple dish like this seasoning is everything, so make sure yours is spot on!

Buying and Cooking Chicken Breast

The number one question I get in my Instagram inbox is about boneless chicken breast. Now, boneless thigh is undeniably the more flavorful and moist cut of boneless chicken, but boneless breast is often what people (including myself) turn to so here are some tips. Tip One: When buying boneless chicken breasts try and get the smaller breast pieces, those will have a finer fibre than the larger pieces that look like they come from a turkey. Tip Two: Chicken breast cooks quickly: a whole piece requires a mere 3 to 4 minutes on each side. However, for Pakistani and Indian food this is often bad news. In the time it takes to get the other parts of a dish going (like that infamous bhunna or sauteing of masala) the chicken is overcooked. Overcooked chicken is leathery. I have a fix for this: simply let it cook some more. As it does so not only does the chicken become softer, but it also absorbs more flavour. This cooking is entirely hands off so as long as you are ok with more time and a benign negligence you are good. Just remember to add water if it sticks.