Chicken Patiala, a Punjabi Recipe by Madhur Jaffrey with Sous Vide Chicken breasts and a sauce flavoured with yogurt, almond paste and sultanas

 

Curries are difficult to photograph and I don't use filters often, curries, well they are just hard to photograph. But you can see that the chicken breast, above, is as good as the best chicken breast you've ever taken from a roasted bird. It's succulent, moist, it's been Sous Vide at 64 for 1 1/4 hrs in a marinade of yogurt and spices.

Then the chicken is added to the sauce, then finished and served about ten minutes later. Next time I'll try chicken breasts at 64 for 1hr. You could just add marinated chicken at stage 3 and cook for for twenty minutes or so.

This exotic and rich Punjabi dish is creamy thanks to the almond paste, it's slightly nutty obvs, yet is packed with flavour and as much heat as you want. Finished with the amazing flavours of fresh chilli, julienned ginger and sweet sultanas which contrast and enhance the mellow depths of spice. This showstopper is by no means easy but then excellence isn't.

Shopping list:
Almonds, skin on or off doesn't matter
Chicken breasts 2
Greek yogurt
Step one -
Marinate chicken

Cover skinless chicken with some yogurt, a tsp turmeric, 1tsp coriander, tsp salt, tsp pepper, ginger puree, garlic puree, chilli powder. Set aside for an hour.

Pour boiling water over half a mug of almonds and the same for sultanas, set aside.

If Sous Vide put marinated chicken, as above, in bag, seal and place in heated water bath, set timer.

Step two - Tempering the spices

Heat some oil in a frying pan, when hot add whole spices and fry for a few minutes then add:-
Cumin seeds 1tbls
Five green Cardamon pods crushed
2 inch Cinnamon stick
5 Cloves
1 tsp white Poppy seeds if you have some
Bay leaf
Chopped green chillies to taste

Then add crushed garlic and chopped ginger, fry a minute then add two chopped onions, fry gently till the onions are clear and starting to colour. Add some halved tomatoes, and soften for five minutes. Don't add water just lower the heat.

Step 3 - Add chicken
Add the marinated chicken and move about gently for about for twenty minutes.

If Sous Vide add the chicken when the time is up, move about in the pan for five minutes, you don't need to seal it.

Step 4 - Finishing stages
Pour the almonds and liquid into the container you use for your stick blender and blend, you'll end up with a thick rich creamy paste.
Add the paste to the dish and the sultanas and their liquid, add another chopped chilli, some julienned fresh ginger and tsp of garam masala, mix and simmer for a minute then switch off the heat. Turn chicken over and mix then a minute of two later add a few tblsp of yogurt, mix again and serve.

This opulent dish is incredible, serve it to members of your royalty.