Chicken Chaamp (Served with Herbed Paprika Mushrooms, Oven Roasted Bell Peppers and Deviled Eggs)

Chicken Chaamp (Served with Herbed Paprika Mushrooms, Oven Roasted Bell Peppers and Deviled Eggs)

The chaamp has Indian flavors and spices but because I wanted to fuse Indian flavors with some Western ones, I chose to make three sides using Western flavors. One of the fussiest eaters is my Grumpy Tomcat (read hubby) but it was one of those rare occasions where he happily polished off the mushrooms and the bell peppers both of which he usually does not like and before you think it was because he was scared I would sulk and throw a major tantrum, let me assure you that wasn't the case. :P :D

Ingredients:

3 chicken chops, (breast or whole leg), approx. 200 grams each

300 mils hot water

1½ tablespoon tomato ketchup

3 tablespoons ghee

Marinade:

3 green chilies
2 dried red Kashmiri chilies

1 red dry Gavran chili
1½ teaspoon jeera/cumin seeds
1½ teaspoon black peppercorns
10 cloves garlic
6 cloves / laung

1½ tablespoon oil
Salt, to taste

Method:

1. In a sil butta/mortar pestle, coarsely grind the marinade ingredients without adding any water.
2. Generously apply the ground masala all over the chops. Cover with cling film and let the chicken chops marinate for a couple of hours. (I marinated them overnight.)
3. Take chops out of the fridge; bring them back to room temperature.
4. Add ghee to a heavy bottom pan (1 tablespoon ghee per chop of this size) and seal the chops, three minutes on each side.
5. Tightly cover the vessel and allow them to cook over minimum heat for 40 minutes, turning them once, or twice. Add no water.
6. When chops are cooked and tender, remove them to a plate. Remove only the chicken. Do not remove the gravy and the masala that is stuck to the vessel. Do NOT wash the vessel!
7. Allow the chicken chops to rest while you make the gravy/sauce.
8. Take 300 mils hot water; add it to the pan in which the chicken chops were cooked. There will be some masala stuck at the bottom, gently scrape all the masala and allow the water to simmer in the residue.
9. Add tomato ketchup and cook for 2 minutes covered over low heat.
10. Adjust flavors, check seasoning and spoon the gravy over the chops. Approx. 1 tablespoon gravy per chop. Enjoy!
    
    

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

3 hard boiled eggs, shelled and halved

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

½ teaspoon freshly and coarsely ground black pepper

½ -1 tablespoon cream, smoothened with the back of a spoon

½ teaspoon parsley leaves, chopped

 Method:

1. Carefully with a small teaspoon scoop the yolks from the halved eggs into a bowl. Mash them thoroughly.
2. Add freshly ground pepper powder, mayonnaise, cream and mix well.
3. Add the parsley leaves and give it one more stir.
4. Carefully spoon the mixture, evenly, into the egg whites.
5. Keep the deviled eggs in the fridge until serving time.
   
   

Oven Roasted Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

 Method:

1. Line a baking tray/sheet with two sheets of aluminum foil.
2. Cut the bell peppers into ½ inch strips.
3. Add the freshly ground pepper to the olive oil.
4. Add the peppers to the oil and mix well ensuring that the oil is evenly distributed over the peppers.
5. Preheat an oven to 200 deg C.
6. Place the baking sheet on the middle rack of the preheated oven and bake them for about 20 minutes. Turn the slices with the help of tongs after 8-10 minutes and allow them to bake till done. Roasted bell peppers should be tender and brown or charred in spots when they're done.
7. Turn off the oven and keep the bell peppers in the oven till serving time to ensure they stay nice and warm/hot.
   
   

Herbed Paprika Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 packet (200 grams) mushrooms, quartered

½ teaspoon butter

½ teaspoon olive oil

¼ -½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning

½ teaspoon red paprika powder

½ teaspoon Mrs Dash Seasoning

Salt, to taste

 Method:

1. Heat butter and olive oil in a non-stick pan. Add the mushrooms and sauté till about 50% cooked.
2. Add the Italian seasoning, Mrs Dash seasoning, paprika powder, salt and sauté for a couple of minutes till the mushroom are about 75%-80% cooked.
3. Remove to a plate and keep ready until serving time.
   
   

Chef Notes:

1. Recipe courtesy: Atul Sikand.
2. For better flavour i advise you to marinate the chicken overnight.
3. While the chicken is cooking, prepare all the sides so as to save up on time.
4. An honest confession, I didn't use the sil batta. I’m too darn lazy. I used the grinder.
5. Atul’s recipe was for two chicken champs but as we're a family of three, I made three champs. I adjusted the recipe proportion accordingly and have posted the proportions as used by me.
6. I didn't want to serve the chicken by itself hence made three sides (Herbed Paprika Mushrooms, Oven Roasted Bell Peppers and Deviled Eggs) to go with the main.
7. Feel free to adjust the chilies to suit your taste. If you want it spicier go with the Gavran chilies, if not stick with the Kashmiri chilies.
8. If you do not have the herbs mentioned for the mushrooms go with whatever you have in your pantry. There is no hard and fast rule in regard to what you use to flavor the mushrooms. Eg: Feel free to use chili powder if u don’t have paprika. For the herbs, if you don't have ready dry herbs, use fresh herbs like very finely chopped mint and coriander or parsley.
9. Please do not overcook the mushrooms. Cook them only to about 80% so that they retain a wee bit of firmness and bite.
10. Feel free to use your imagination in regard to the deviled egg filling. Go with your instinct and play around with the ingredients that you want to add to the mashed yolks. Eg: You can use chopped green chilies, or chili sauce, or Tabasco sauce. Feel free to opt for coriander leaves instead of parsley. If you don't have mayonnaise at home, skim some cream off the milk and use that. 
11. Keep your ‘Mise en place’ ready (in this case the three sides) so that when it’s time to plate up, you have everything ready at your fingertips.
12. Finally, go with whatever floats your boat my dear friends. All you need to do is cook with love and passion and rest assured the dish you bring to the table will be a sure-shot winner. 
13. You may share the direct blog-link of the recipe/s but do NOT publish my recipes and my photographs on any blog-site or website without my explicit consent or attempt to pass off my recipe/s as your own. You will be held accountable for plagiarism.