Archie's Pepper Chicken

Recipe Notes:

If you have whole peppercorns, it will be easier to grind them in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t, well then you will get an excellent workout twisting the grinder until you have enough pepper :) Have fun!

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Ingredients:

Meat

• 500g Boneless Chicken Thighs

Produce

• 1 Potato

• 1 Brown Onion

• 1 Tomato

• 1 Large Red Chili (or 3-4 small ones)

• 10 Curry Leaves (approx. 1 stick)

• 4 Garlic Cloves

• 1” Ginger

 Condiments

• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

 Spices

• 1 Tbsp Ground Pepper

• 1 Cinnamon Stick

Oils

• Vegetable Oil

Tools:

• Large Frying Pan or Wok

• Mortar and Pestle (optional)

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Directions:

Step 1. Prep:

1. Slice the chicken into small fillets, usually 1 whole thigh can be cut into 2-3 smaller pieces.

2. Season the chicken with the pepper and soy sauce for approximately 30 minutes.

3. Cut the potato into quarters.

4. Half the onion and slice lengthwise, with the grain.

5. Lightly smash the ginger and garlic in a mortar and pestle, if you don’t have a mortar and pestle you can use the back of your knife.

6. Cut the tomato into 6-8 wedges.

7. Slice the fresh chili.

Step 2. Pre-Frying the Potatoes & Chicken:

1. Heat up some oil for frying in a wok. We are just going to crisp the outside of the potatoes and the chicken so make sure the oil is very hot before frying.

2. First fry the potatoes until the edges have a nice brown color, we do not want to overcook them. They should still be somewhat hard in the center.

3. Remove them and set aside on a drying rack or paper towel to remove any excess oil.

4. In the same oil, fry the chicken. Fry each side for about 5 minutes. If your thigh cuts have skin, we want it to get crispy! This will taste so much better later, trust me.

5. Once you have crisped the outsides of the chicken move them to a drying rack or paper towel.

6. Remove some oil from the pan, leaving about 3 tablespoons or less if you want to be healthier.

Step 3. Cook:

1. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, and curry leaves to the wok on high heat and sauté until the onions are really soft.

2. Add in the chicken and potatoes, mix well. Cover and lower to a medium flame to steam and cook the chicken thoroughly. It usually takes about 20 minutes total to make sure the chicken is cooked through, check back often and stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom or burning.

3. Once the chicken is almost done, add in the tomatoes, fresh chili, and salt to taste.

4. Cover and steam everything for about 5-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes look soft.

5. Turn off the flame and leave covered until you are ready to serve, this will keep the juices from evaporating.

Serve with rice and vegetables of your choice.