Simple Turmeric Chicken

Nearly all the world's turmeric is produced in India, and 80% of this is consumed in India. Quite obviously, we may deduce that Turmeric is rather uniquely Indian, as perhaps no other foodstuff may be.
India is said to have a very low incidence of Alzheimers Disease, and Turmeric consumption is considered to be one of the reasons. Turmeric is a deep yellow-to-orange powder that comes from roots of plants that are of the ginger family. The roots are boiled for hours, dried for days or weeks, then powdered. Almost all Indian recipes include tumeric, and it is widely used in India.

As a child, I remember my mother giving me a large hot glass of milk with a teaspoon of turmeric and some sugar mixed into it. It helps to ease the cough. I often suffered from Asthma attacks, and this milk really soothed my throat. She also mixed turmeric powder and olive oil or cooking oil to make a thick paste, and put on our skin over wounds, bites, bruises,etc, and then covered the area with a bandage and left it on for several hours, to help heal the wound. It washes off and the yellow color disappears quickly.

Tumeric can be found in American supermarkets. If you get it in a bottle in the spice section of the market, however, it will cost you a few dollars. If you look for the section of spices that are in clear envelopes, it should cost under a dollar. In Indian markets, you get much more for your money, naturally.
  • Turmeric is truly a versatile food and nutritional supplement as well.
  • Turmeric is seen as an excellent natural antibiotic, while strengthenening digestion. Not only does it purify the blood, but also warms it and stimulates formation of new blood tissue.
  • Turmeric promotes proper metabolism in the body, correcting both excesses and deficiencies. It aids in the digestion of protein. It is tonic to the skin, for which purpose it can be taken internally as a milk decoction.
  • It is antiarthritic and acts as a natural anti-bacterial. Turmeric may be added to high-protein food to assist digestion and prevent the formation of gas.
With all these benefits, I thought I would post a recipe which calls for turmeric as a main ingredient. This recipe is so simple, and I was astonished at how tasty it turns out to be! It will have you licking your fingers!

SIMPLE TUMERIC CHICKEN
Ingredients:
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp coriander powder
1tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp chili powder or chili flakes (optional or to taste)
3-4 large cloves freshest garlic- minced (use less if you aren't a garlic person)
1 chicken, (about 4 lb) or 8 chicken drumsticks
2 Tbsp turmeric powder
Spring oninon greens for garnish

Method:
Mix the soy sauce, olive oil, pepper, coriander powder, curry leaves and garlic in a bowl. Rinse the chicken well, dry it, and cut up into 2 breasts, 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, and the back cut in half. Put the turmeric in a large plastic bag with NO holes ( or large ziploc bag), then put in the chicken, twist the bag closed but leave lots of air in it, and shake the chicken to coat it with turmeric. Do this over the sink, in case turmeric spills. Remove from bag, and roll the chicken in the soy sauce/olive oil mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 - 60 minutes, turning chicken once, and basting with left over mixture every 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot, garnished with spring onion greens.

Authors Note:
Hands down, this is simply the most delicious chicken in the world. You can also do this with just chicken wings, making a very tasty hors d'oeuvre.

1 comment:

  1. how many curry leaves do you use in recipe? No curry leaves listed in ingredient list but is listed in preparation instructions. Thank you, this recipe looks delicious

    ReplyDelete

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