Topic: Main dishes : pre-cooked chicken or raw ?

[Peripatetic Phil]

Ever since discovering Kris Dhillon, I have continued to follow her basic precepts, including the pre-cooking of the chicken (I rarely use any other main ingredient).  But yesterday, following up on my "Back to Basics" thread, I decided to make a Bassar Curry Masala version but using raw chicken.  And I have to say, it was not an outstanding success.  OK, so the chicken had been frozen, I can't swear to it being free-range, it was leg not breast, and after skinning and boning it weighed 10oz not 8 so I had to re-scale things in proportion, but even allowing for all of these variations I felt that the final dish was lacking in flavour.  So much so, in fact, that I converted it at the last minute from a Chicken Madras into a Chicken Achari.  But interestingly, it seemed to be the chicken that was lacking in flavour, not the sauce : when the meal was over, and after I had had a chance to relax, I tried the sauce by itself, and it seemed absolutely fine.  But the chicken hadn't absorbed as much of the flavour as it seems to when pre-cooked.  So I wonder whether pre-cooking is not just a time-saver for restaurants, but also an important part of the process : is the simple broiling in onion/ginger/garlic gravy with turmeric a necessary pre-requisite for achieving full-flavoured chicken ?  What do others think ?

** Phil.

[Vindaloo-crazy]

Definitely and it really improves the texture and colour of the chicken. I've been precooking my chicken in a half base, half water concoction and it really does something for the chicken you put in the curry.

The nearest I've got with lamb is to roast a leg, have a roast dinner and then use the remainder for curry. I've never had much success in precooking lamb any other way.

I tried CA's method of simply simmering chicken in water (the chicken was lovely and tender but it didn't have the colour I was after, too pale).

In Oz all the restaurants fry the chicken before they add the curry ingredients and you can really tell, the ensuing meat seems tough and dry.  I miss my local BIR...

[trucker5774]

The fact that the chicken is pre-cooked in ginger, onion and turmeric will in itself, give flavour to the chicken. Being cooked also opens the fibres in the meat allowing the final sauce to penetrate.
If the chicken it cooked from raw it will often be flash fried to seal the outer. By my way of thinking, that is the answer in a nutshell

[Peripatetic Phil]

If the chicken it cooked from raw it will often be flash fried to seal the outer. By my way of thinking, that is the answer in a nutshell

OK, but in this case it definitely was not flash-fried !  It was simply added to the pre-heated (stage-3 sauce + oil mixture) immediately following the addition of the ground chillies and salt.  As there was just over a pint of sauce to seven tablespoons of oil, the chicken could not have fried in these circumstances.

VC, you'll just have to open your own BIR in Australia and show the locals how it's supposed to be done ! (Incidentally, I seem to recall that when I was working at CSIRO in Melbourne for a few weeks in 1987, there was a multi-ethnic food mall not far from where I was based which served distinctly good and authentic fare).

** Phil.

[Cory Ander]

I tried CA's method of simply simmering chicken in water (the chicken was lovely and tender but it didn't have the colour I was after, too pale).

I didn't realise I had such a method VC?   

For sure, if I precook chicken, I add some spices (including turmeric), vegetables, etc.....but generally, I admit, I don't bother precooking it (when using chicken breast, at least)

[Vindaloo-crazy]

Phil. That's Melbourne mate, I'm in hobart; they've only just found kebabs here (usually by the side of the road with a few empty tins of Victoria Bitter)...

CA. I think it was part of your spot on Madras discussion, I remember a thread saying that you left the chicken in hot water for 10 mins or so and it came out perfect (and it does) but not that yellow colour I crave. I replicate it by cooking the chicken in watered down base gravy now. It saves a lot of fuss and gives a great result every time.

[two-sheds]

Try panpot's Ashoka pre-cooked chicken you will never look back.

[Peripatetic Phil]

I'm in hobart; they've only just found kebabs here (usually by the side of the road with a few empty tins of Victoria Bitter)...

Oh.  If Hobart has just discovered kebabs, I fear that McDonald's can't be far off : then you'll really need to get stuck into the Victoria Bitter !

[Peripatetic Phil]

Try panpot's Ashoka pre-cooked chicken you will never look back.

Having trouble locating this one, 2-Sheds : any chance of a link, please

** Phil

[Razor]

Here it is Phil

http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php?topic=3916.0

Ray