Kuku paka, an East African-Indian dish that’s traditionally made with charcoal-grilled chicken in a spiced coconut milk sauce and served over rice, is comforting, sweet, creamy, and well-balanced. This version, which is adapted from my cookbook, Let’s Eat, approximates the traditional curry base, but features broiled chicken so that you don’t have to grill when it’s raining or freezing or you just don’t want to. Any cut of chicken can be used: I like boneless thighs here for the sake of ease and flavor, but any mix of breasts, tenders, or drumsticks can be used, provided they’ve been cut into similar sizes. Because the chicken is cooked separately from the curry base, you also can substitute it with any hearty vegetable to make this dish suitable for a vegetarian diet. For a plant-based diet, skip the addition of heavy cream or substitute it with a creamy barista-style nondairy milk or additional coconut milk. Jalapeños will work in place of the Thai chiles, though you’ll want to adjust the amount depending on your spice tolerance—my rule of thumb is one medium jalapeño for every two Thai chiles. And a pinch of cayenne pepper will work in place of the Kashmiri chile powder. —Zaynab Issa
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What you’ll need
8-Inch Chef's Knife
$48 At Amazon
Microplane
$17 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$28 At Amazon
Large Bowl
$24 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Cups
$18 At Bon Appétit Market
Blender
$45 $32 At Amazon
Large Straight-Sided Skillet
$200 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$8 $7 At Amazon
Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil
$12 At Target
Recipe information
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Finely grate 3 garlic cloves into a large bowl with a Microplane. Cut 1 lemon in half and squeeze juice through your hand or a fine-mesh sieve into bowl; discard seeds. Mix in 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and ¼ tsp. Kashmiri chile powder. Add 2–3 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 8 large) and toss to evenly coat. Cover bowl and let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
Step 2
Meanwhile, make the curry base. Coarsely chop 1 medium onion, 1 plum tomato, 1–2 green Thai chiles (depending on how spicy your chiles are and your heat tolerance), and ¼ cup cilantro leaves with tender stems. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend or process until smooth.
Step 3
Heat broiler. Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a high-sided skillet or large pot over medium. Add ¼ tsp. ground coriander, ¼ tsp. ground cumin, and ⅛ tsp. ground turmeric. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in purée and add 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Stir to combine and cook, stirring occasionally, until raw onion smell subsides and curry is paste-like in consistency, 15–20 minutes.
Step 4
Arrange chicken on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and broil until cooked through, charred in spots, and a thermometer inserted into the thickest parts registers 165°, 17–20 minutes.
Step 5
While the chicken is cooking, shake one 13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk to ensure coconut cream is incorporated, then add coconut milk to curry and stir well to combine. Curry should be pale yellow. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until warm and slightly thickened, 5–10 minutes.
Step 6
Once chicken is finished, add chicken and any juices accumulated on baking sheet to curry and reduce heat to low; mix well to combine. Stirring constantly to prevent curry from breaking, dribble in ¼ cup heavy cream. Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Step 7
Cut remaining 1 lemon into wedges. Serve kuku paka with basmati rice and/or some crusty bread and lemon wedges for squeezing over. Top with additional cilantro to taste.
