Chicken Rogan Josh with Potatoes, Peas and Cilantro

Rogan Josh is a north Indian curry dish that is typically served with lamb. The word rogan is Persian for oil and josh mans hot or heat (some also say it means passionate).  Despite the name or meaning, I’ve not ever had this dish at the multitude of Indian restaurants, weddings or gatherings that I’ve attended, and I thought I had tried just about every common Indian dish. Maybe it’s not all that common.

My inspiration for trying this dish comes from the fact that Saffron Road has just come out with several different simmer sauces, or packets of sauce that can be added to your dish of raw ingredients. Personally,  I haven’t used package sauces in years since most of my cooking is all from scratch and it’s what I prefer, but I have to say, this is a great alternative for busy people who are careful about what they eat and concerned about unhealthy ingredients like MSG, chemicals and unnatural preservatives since these contain none of those.

What I also like is the fact that I’m using my fresh, raw ingredients of choice instead of a ton of dehydrated ingredients being in the sauce itself. This sauce isn’t spicy (to me), so you may want to add a few of your own spices to it, which is a good thing because it means you’re adding a fresh kick to the sauce; without those it’s also just fine. They’ve simply taken away the added work of creating a complex sauce so it’s ready for you to add- and if you make complex sauces like I do, they can be time-consuming.

In this dish I added fresh veggies like red onion, scallions, tomatoes, cooked potatoes, frozen peas, and of course the chicken. I honestly think it would taste great with just about any type of meat or even tofu (and I’m not a huge fan of tofu) because it would give flavor to all of them.

Here’s my recipe for incorporating Saffron Road‘s new simmer sauce into a quick and easy meal that’s great for any busy weeknight, or any time you want, really…

Chicken Rogan Josh with Potatoes, Peas and Cilantro

Serves 4

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound boneless chicken thigh, diced

1/2 cup onions, diced (mixture of red onions and scallions)

1 cup tomatoes, roughly chopped

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 cup potatoes, boiled and chopped

1 package Rogan Josh simmer sauce

1 pound organic sweet peas (or less, if desired)

2-4 tablespoons fresh cilantro

Directions

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil. Add the chicken and brown on all sides.

Add the onions and sauté  with the chicken until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and garlic.

Add the potatoes and brown slightly. Next, add the entire package of the simmer sauce.

Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for about 20 minutes.

Remove lid and add the peas. Stir gently into the dish. Cook for an additional five minutes, uncovered.

Remove dish from heat and add fresh cilantro before serving. Serve with an Indian bread such as chappati or naan.

Disclaimer: Saffron Road provided me a free sample of this sauce