Indian Spiced Chicken Bites

Did I really promise to post this one a week ago? Well, a few things have happened between then and now and we've got a new President elect. The entire time I've lived in the DC area has been under one President so I'm very interested to see what happens to the city when a new administration comes in. I'm picturing a mass exodus of staffers and lobbyists and an influx of new ones... But I will get back to the point of this blog, which is food.

To go with the curry I made last week I wanted to make some kind of protein. I had initially thought to make spiced tofu, but the local grocery store didn't have any and I really didn't want to bike to the grocery store as it was raining and dark and I was starving. Instead I bought a boneless, skinless chicken breast. I tend to think that this cut of meat has very little flavor so on the ride home I tried to think of what to do with it.

I wanted something with Indian flavors to go with the curry and remembered that a former Indian roommate of mine once marinated chicken in spiced yogurt and it was settled. I used another Alton Brown recipe initially intended for salmon as the base, changed it up a bit to use what I had in the spice cabinet, and stirred in some Greek yogurt. I cut the chicken into chunks and let it marinate for about half an hour while I fixed the rest of dinner, then broiled it.

It smelled delicious and the quick cooking under the broiler allowed it to brown slightly while not overcooking the meat. The yogurt spice mix gave just the right amount of flavor and tang to the chicken and it went perfectly with the curry. It would be really good on a party buffet too, instead of the usual chicken skewers.

Indian Spiced Chicken Bites
Makes about 20 bites

About a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bit sized chunks
3 T. Greek style yogurt
2 t. vegetable oil (optional)
1/2 t. salt
1/3 t. fresh ground black pepper
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. onion powder
1 clove garlic, mashed into a paste
cayenne pepper to taste

- Prep the chicken by removing any excess fat and cut it into chunks.

- Mix the remaining ingredients into a bowl. Give the mixture a taste to see if you like the spice balance before you add any chicken. Once the mixture is spiced to your liking, add the chicken and stir to coat. There won't be a lot of the spice mixture but it should just coat all the chicken pieces. Let sit for 30 minutes (if you have the time).

- Preheat your broiler to high and prep your broiling pan with foil. Arrange the chicken on the broiling tray with some room in between each piece. Broil for 4-5 minutes on each side or until cooked through and lightly browned. Serve immediately.