Chicken in Lemon Garlic Sauce Recipe

First off, I was plain lazy to cook something elaborate on a Saturday. To top that, the humidity in Gurgaon right now makes me want to crawl into my air conditioner. You can imagine the kitchen. That’s why something quick was the need of the afternoon. All I had was chicken, garlic, one too many lemons and coconut milk. You see how red it is? I simply added a couple of teaspoons of tomato puree. You could add any kind of tomato-based sauce or paste, it would work.

Of course, with my trusted air fryer I got the chicken to cook in 15 mins and get that nice colour. While that was happening, I got my sauce ready and that was lunch. Under 20 minutes, it’s a great thing to achieve. I’ll keep the more traditional and ‘proper’ recipes for another day perhaps. This succulent chicken in that lemon garlic sauce will keep you going back for more.

Prep time:

5 mins

Cooking time:

20 mins

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs on the bone – 4

Marinade:

Ginger-garlic paste – 3 tsp

Paprika or chilli powder – 1 tsp

Other ingredients:

Onion – 1 small, finely chopped

Garlic – 5 big cloves, crushed and chopped

Lemon juice – of 1/2 a lemon

Paprika or chilli powder – 1/2 tsp

Tomato puree or paste of any kind – 2 tsp

Basil leaves or any fresh herbs – 1 tbsp chopped

Coconut milk or fresh cream – 1 tbsp

Chicken stock cube – 1/2 mixed in a cup of warm water

Olive oil or vegetable oil – 2 tsp

Method:

Marinate the chicken in the ginger-garlic paste and paprika for about 2 hours or even overnight.

Pop the chicken in the air fryer for 15 mins (180 degrees). Alternatively, you could pan fry it or cook it in a preheated oven at 190 degrees C for 25 mins. Keep aside.

While the chicken is cooking, get your sauce going.

Heat the oil and saute the onions until translucent.

Add the garlic and saute for another minute.

Now add the stock along with paprika, tomato puree and lemon juice.

Add salt to taste and let it simmer.

After 3-4 minutes, add the coconut milk and the fresh herbs. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.

Plonk the chicken pieces and any juices it may have left into the sauce. Mix well.

Serve with rice or bread.