Pepper Chicken Bake

This is a recipe that my mother prepares at home quite often. Yesterday, I made it slightly different as I partly don’t remember her recipe and I was in a hurry to call her up to ask her eyeballed measurements. So I prepared the way I remember and it was nice. My mom serves it along with Arabic bread, boiled vegetables or salad and yogurt or hummus. She sometimes strip the chicken into small pieces, lay then on the Arabic bread, throw in some cucumber, carrot, onions and drizzle in some yogurt or hummus and wrap it up to make a delicious wrap. It is a nice comforting dinner and something quite easy to make and requires minimal amount of time. I usually make it as a side dish for chappati when the curry is usually a vegetable or dal based. The leftover chicken is usually cut in to strips, and is made into wraps with tortillas and some salad with some dressing or mayonnaise. Delicious!

I made it with the whole baby chicken, but you can also make it with thighs, chicken breast or anything that you fancy and bake it. And if you dont have an oven, you may fry it as well, turning couple of times until it is cooked through. Yoy may grill them as well.

Ingredients:

1 baby chicken, ~ 850g

2 ½ tsp pepper powder or as per taste

1 ½ + 2 tbsp tbs lime juice plus to squeeze after baking

½ tsp turmeric powder

2 tsp each ginger and garlic minced fresh

2 green chilliesminced *

¾ tsp salt or as required.

2 tbsp oil, vegetable or olive oil

Preparations:

1. Marinate the chicken with all the ingredients except oil. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of two hours.

2. Line a tray with foil  rubbed with oil.

3. Place chicken on the lined tray, drizzle a tablespoon or two of oil all over and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for about 40 minute turning once or twice halfway until chicken is cooked through. To check the doneness, poke the breast of the thick part of the chicken with a skewer. If it’s done, juice will ooze out through the poked area. Cooking beyond this will over cook the chicken making it dry and rubbery.

4. Squeeze with more lemon juice if needed.

Notes:

* If you want it less spicy, you can scoop out the seeds from the chillies before you mince them.