Chicken with Tamarind and Hatch Chile

(about 4 servings)

Hatch chile are appearing everywhere in the markets at the moment and they are incredibly cheap to boot. They range in heat from mild to hot. I used medium ones for this.

This delicious dish has a wonderful range of flavours; sour, sweet, salty and of course a small kick provided by the hatch chile.



2 - 3 tsp olive oil
freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 lbs boneless and skinless chicken thighs
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
1 - 2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 - 2 tbsp brown sugar
2 - 3 tbsp fish sauce, to taste
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 Hatch chile, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet. Pat the thighs dry and cut each one into 2 or 3 pieces. Sprinkle both sides with pepper. Add them to the skillet and brown them on both sides.  Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add another teaspoon of oil, if needed and add the garlic, ginger and cayenne. Fry for a minute or so, then add the onions. Turn down the the heat if necessary and saute the onions until they soften and are an even light brown.

Add half the tamarind paste, brown sugar and fish sauce and stir. Keep adding small amounts of all three until you get a balance of sour, sweet and salty you are happy with. I'm inclined to get a bit heavy handed here because the flavours will tone down after adding the the rest of the ingredients and simmering this.

Add the red pepper,  hatch chile and chicken. Cover the skillet with a heavy lid, lower the heat and cook for about 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is tender. At this point check and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the skillet. Cook for a few more minutes until the tomatoes have heated through.

Stir in the cilantro, and serve. This dish is great with rice.