Chicken drumsticks are marinated in yogurt with curry spices, then baked and served with a creamy coconut sauce with eggplant and brown rice for a taste of India from your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken drumsticks, skinned
- One-fourth cup plain lowfat Greek yogurt
- One and a half tablespoons red curry paste
- Three-fourth cup uncooked brown rice
- One and a half cups chopped, peeled eggplant
- Half cup chopped onion
- Half to 1 medium serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded if desired, and thinly sliced crosswise (see Tip)
- One tablespoon canola oil
- One and one-fourth cups refrigerated unsweetened coconut milk
- One tablespoon cornstarch
- One-fourth teaspoon kosher salt
- One and one-fourth teaspoons garam masala
- One-fourth cup chopped fresh cilantro
- One teaspoon finely shredded lime peel
- Snipped fresh cilantro (optional)
- Lime wedges
Method
- Place chicken drumsticks in a large resealable plastic bag. Add yogurt and 1 tablespoon of the curry paste to bag with chicken; seal bag. Turn and massage chicken so all is coated with yogurt mixture. Marinate in the refrigerator at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a shallow baking pan with foil. Place marinated chicken on foil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (175°F). Set chicken aside.
- Meanwhile, cook rice according to package directions, omitting any added salt or fat.
- In a large nonstick skillet, cook eggplant, onion, and serrano pepper in hot oil over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl whisk together coconut milk, cornstarch, remaining half tablespoon curry paste, and the salt until smooth. Add all at once to eggplant mixture. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Add baked chicken to skillet. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes more, stirring to coat chicken with sauce. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle with half teaspoon of the garam masala; stir to combine. Set aside.
- Add remaining teaspoon garam masala, cup cilantro, and the lime peel to the cooked rice; toss to combine. To serve, divide rice among four serving plates. Add one drumstick to each plate. Spoon remaining vegetable mixture evenly over chicken on each plate. If desired, sprinkle with additional cilantro. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over all.
