Today we are sharing with you our Black pepper chicken bowl recipe, an everyday Indian chicken recipe that comes together with a few ingredients from your pantry. Enjoy it for a simple weekday meal, or take it to an outdoor potluck or picnic this summer. It has intense flavors despite using only a few spices and herbs. The chicken pairs beautifully with a simple cumin cauli fried rice and an Indian-style salad! This black pepper chicken bowl will surely be a show-stopper at your gathering!
Black peppercorn is a key ingredient in this dish. It is native to the southern part of India, while red chili pepper was brought to India by the Portuguese. A lot of traditional recipes from the southern part of India are made with black pepper. Roasting the black peppercorns and the cumin is a crucial step to release the oil from the whole spices and enhance the flavors. You can also microwave the spices for a minute to help with the process, but nothing beats toasting up whole spices in a hot pan. The freshly-ground ginger and garlic add to the rustic flavors of this recipe. Using chicken thighs for this recipe is preferable as they tend to stay juicy. Bone-in thigh pieces would be an excellent choice for this.
We have also used curry leaves which is an herb used in South Indian cooking and has a very distinct flavor. You can find it in an Indian grocery store, but if you cannot find it, just skip it.
Whole30 Indian Black Pepper Chicken Bowl
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs chicken thighs cubed
- 2 large onions diced into large pieces
- 1.5 piece of ginger peeled
- 10 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 3 tbsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
- 1/3 cup roasted cashews
- 2 sprigs green onions or scallions
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 jalapeño chopped into rounds (optional)
- 10-15 curry leaves (optional)
- 3 tbsp ghee or avocado oil
Cauli Rice
- 1 pack riced cauliflower frozen
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp ghee or avocado oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Salad
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1 cup chopped red radish
- 1 cup chopped apple
- 3 sprigs parsley
- 1/2 whole orange
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Chicken
- HEAT a thick-bottomed pan and dry roast the black peppercorns till they puff up and set aside.
- TOAST the cumin seeds till they turn slightly darker and fragrant.
- GRIND the peppercorns and cumin into a coarse powder. You can also pulse it using a coffee or spice grinder to a coarse powder.
- POUND or mince the ginger and garlic.
- ADD ghee or oil to a hot pan.
- SAUTE the onions in the pan for 5 minutes and add the curry leaves.
- ADD the ginger and garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
- ADD the turmeric and salt, followed by the ground peppers and cumin powder, and saute for 2 minutes.
- ADD the chicken and give it a good mix, making sure that the chicken is coated with the spices.
- COVER and cook the chicken till cooked, stirring it every few minutes. This should take 10-15 minutes.
- ADD the jalapeños if you want to increase the heat and cook for a couple of minutes (optional).
- ADD the roasted cashews and give it all a good mix.
- GARNISH with chopped scallions and serve in a bowl with cumin cauli rice and an Indian-style salad.
Cumin Cauli Rice
- HEAT Ghee or oil in a non-stick pan
- ADD cumin seeds and let them bloom.
- ADD cauli rice and let it cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- MIX in the salt.
- SERVE along with the chicken in a bowl.
Salad
- MIX the cucumber, radish, and apples in a salad bowl.
- DRESS with orange juice and salt.
- GARNISH with parsley.
- SERVE along with the chicken in a bowl.
