Green Chicken... for 'under the weather' cooking days!

I never prescribe spending hours in the kitchen to whip up a meal. As I read somewhere, kitchen should be a place to escape to, not a place to escape from. And I dont claim to be a great cook either. But I do a fairly decent job of putting together available ingredients into an eatable form. This chicken, which I call, 'Green Chicken', has emerged that way. Sans tomatoes, onions or any masalas (which were missing from my pantry when I tried it first!). Considering the fact that this recipe has come more from my head than a book, the ingredients can be varied, according to one's taste.

I have used three leaves, cilantro, mint and curry leaves, in this chicken for the green-ness. Any two of these leaves can also be used, leaving out one, as is available to you. But mint does give a strong, intense flavour to it, so I would recommend to definitely use it.



INGREDIENTS:

Boneless Chicken Breast - 300 grams, cut into small pieces
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 5-6 flakes
Cilantro - cut coarsely with stems, 1 cup
Mint - only the leaves, stems removed, 1 cup
Curry leaves - only the leaves, stems removed, 1 cup
Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies - 4-5, or according to your spice tolerance level.
Dry Ginger Powder - 1 tsp (This can be substituted with 3 tbsps of lemon juice)
Bread Slices - 2, tore into pieces and run in a mixer to get fresh breadcrumbs.
Oil
Salt.

METHOD:

Wash the cut chicken well.
Grind cilantro, mint, curry leaves, ginger, garlic, green chillies and fennel seeds into a fine paste. Keep the blender open after grinding for the green colour to be intact.
If you have lots of time at hand, you can marinate the chicken with this paste for a while or overnight. I did not go through that.
Heat 2 tbsps of oil, add the chicken and the ground paste and enough salt into it. Cook uncovered, by stirring the chicken on and off to prevent it from sticking. I wanted to retain as much as the green colour as possible, that is the reason for the uncovered cooking. The boneless chicken pieces get done fast even without a cover, so go ahead and try.
Add the dry ginger powder, if using. Mix well and cook till the chicken is well done.
Add the breadcrumbs to the chicken. The moisture is absorbed instantly.
Drizzle a little oil and cook on high flame for 2 minutes, stirring in between.
Switch off the fire.
If using lemon juice, instead of dry ginger powder, add it now and mix well.
Your work is done.

So, next time you feel a bit under the weather, this is the prescriptive cooking for you in the kitchen! The results will boost your mood, I assure you:)

Lots of happiness always:)