When I decided to make some chicken vindaloo I discovered that it is apparently one of those dishes where everyone has a different definition and version. I found thousands of recipes. I make a mean chicken korma, but I’ve eaten that at The Gem of India so I have a good idea what it’s supposed to taste like, at least their version. With vindaloo I’m not at all sure.

I ended up going with an incredibly simple recipe. Possibly this was a mistake. What I probably need is a good Indian cookbook – but given the thousands of variations I found online, how do I know which one is good?

Although simple, this did in fact turn out to be very tasty. The chicken was tender and juicy and while I would have liked the onions to be a little more cooked, that could be accomplished with a quick saute first. I think I would be inclined to prepare it more in the style of the korma recipe as well.

As for the photograph, I have great lights now. I have the light tent for when I want to use that. What I don’t have is a lot of patience. I wanted to eat my dinner, not spend an hour figuring out how to plate it. I can easily see this served with rice or couscous if you aren’t watching your carbohydrates.

Chicken Vindaloo, sort of

2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, about 5 ounces each
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Vindaloo seasoning (I used Penseys, you can easily find a bunch of recipes to make your own)
1 good pinch of salt
a sprinkling of ground red pepper, to taste

Mix yogurt with seasoning, salt and additional pepper. Marinate chicken breasts in yogurt mixture for a couple hours. Don’t drain the marinade, just scoop the chicken up with the yogurt clinging to it.

Thinly slice a medium onion and I think it should be softened briefly in a saute before laying it out in a layer in a non-reactive baking container (like Corning or Pyrex). Place chicken breasts on top of onions and bake in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160&degF.

Serves 2
Per servings: 41g protein, 9.25g carbohydrates, .1g fat, 213 calories

I would really think of this as a jumping off place. I intend to try some other recipes and play with this one, I’ll update when I do.

Update: The next night, I decided to try this again. I liked the flavors pretty well but I really didn’t like the presentation and the onion was undercooked… you know.

So, I chopped up some onion, some red bell pepper and a little jalapeño and tossed in a handful of frozen cherry tomatoes I had from last summer. I sautéed them in a bit of non-stick and ended up adding just a bit of butter. Cut the chicken breast into bite sized chunks and added it to the vegetables. Cooked until done then added the yogurt and spice mixture to the whole mess. It still is not an elegant presentation, but the flavor was excellent and more well rounded than when the yogurt was just on top of the chicken. Again, most people would probably serve it with rice.