Garlic-Ginger Chicken Breasts With Cilantro and Mint
- Total Time
- 35 minutes, plus marinating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 8garlic cloves, minced
- 2tablespoons minced fresh ginger
- 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
- 1tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish
- 3tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 3tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1tablespoon ground coriander
- 1teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1teaspoon amchur (dry mango powder), optional
- ½teaspoon red chile powder, like ground cayenne
- ¾teaspoon kosher salt
- 4boneless, skinless chicken breasts (½ to ¾ pound each)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
461 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 65 grams protein; 483 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Make the marinade: Add the garlic, ginger, mint, cilantro, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons oil to a large resealable bag. Seal the bag and massage to combine the ingredients into a paste. Add the coriander, turmeric, amchur (if using), red chile powder and salt, and seal the bag. Shake or massage to combine.
- Step 2
Place the chicken breasts in the marinade and seal the bag tightly. Use your hands to gently massage the marinade onto the chicken breasts until each breast is coated. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Step 3
Warm a large lidded skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is quite hot, add the oil, swirling the pan to coat the entire surface. Reduce the heat to medium, remove the chicken from the marinade and shake gently to remove any excess marinade. Add it to the pan. Working in batches if necessary, cook the breasts, undisturbed, until lightly golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes, then flip them and cook until lightly golden on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step 4
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook the chicken for 10 minutes (no peeking!). Turn off the heat (if you have an electric stove, take the pan off the heat) and let the chicken sit, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the breasts. Don’t lift the lid, or you’ll release the hot steam that finishes cooking the chicken.
- Step 5
Check to make sure the breasts are cooked through: There shouldn’t be any pink in the middle. If you have a meat thermometer, the chicken should register at least 165 degrees. Place the chicken on a cutting board, and slice each breast into strips. Garnish with mint and cilantro.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
PB
Dear NYT cooking Eds, recipe sounds delicious. One request: can you please advocate a different marination technique, one that doesn't require adding yet another chicken-juice soiled, never-recycled zip plastic bag to our trash? Couldn't the chicken be tightly wrapped in parchment 'en papillote' and left to marinade in the fridge in a bowl? Or, simply marinated in a small bowl and covered snugly with a cut-out parchment blanket?
Prakash Nadkarni
The bowl you suggested (just large enough to hold the chicken+marinade should do just fine - this is what Indian cooks used in the pre-plastic era. Use your hand to massage the mixture before covering (with cling wrap or parchment) and refrigerating. Variants of this recipe use about 1/2 cup whole-milk regular yoghurt as part of the marinade.
Diane M -
I actually made this dish and it was everything I hoped it would be exceeding my expectations. Thank you soooo much! The lectures on plastic bags were so redundant without any “thanks” to PK for the hard work of securing this delicious recipe!
John
It's a Riata 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1/2 cup chopped seeded English hothouse cucumber 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 2 teaspoons chopped green onions 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Andy from Sicklerville
A little soap and water and the zip bag is ready to marinate your steak!! Don’t knock it till you try it.
Margaret
I confess I haven't made this recipe (yet), but I'd like to weigh in on the marinate-in-a-plastic bag question. I use my trusty CorningWare shallow baking dish with lid all the time for recipes that call for marinating in a plastic bag. It's always works out fine - just stir once or twice, depending on how long you need to marinate. And I agree: it would be nice if recipe-writers didn't recommend the plastic bag all the time.
mosaic
Made as written, delicious. I always use cilantro stems in a marinade, reserving the leaves for garnishing. I’ve also adapted the marinade for bone in, skin on thighs/legs by adding 4 oz pineapple juice to the marinade. Marinate overnight, remove from marinade and then grill the thighs/legs. The addition of pineapple juice helps the skin to char and crisp beautifully on the grill. Very pleased either way.
Rebecca
Exactly. I regularly re-use ziplock bags. But then I also drive my cars till they have over 300,000 miles...
Elle
Trader Joe's has a newish product called Amba Mango Sauce, comes in a tough bag with a cap, refrigerated. Contains water, mango, green mango, sunflower oil (not much), garlic, salt, spices, turmeric, paprika. I'm using about 2 t in this recipe instead of mango powder and leaving out equivalent volume olive oil. I've used it as a marinade, with other stuff, for beef and pork, very good. On the interesting but delicious and unusual taste spectrum. Bag is bright mango color!
Patressa Kearns
I do this all the time -- wash, dry, and re-use zip-lock bags for marinating and everything else. I put a the tiniest bit of white vinegar or even bleach in the soaking water, to help cut grease. The only time I throw out zip-lock bags is when they get a hole in them and, cared for lovingly, that can take years. Cheers!
nanbrand
I cooked this in my oven alongside some fingerling potatoes I was baking. A 400-degree oven for about 25-30 minutes. I used bone-in breasts sliced into three pieces each. The marinade is very tasty. An easy and delicious dish. Good for week-night meals.
Mary Jane
Where did you get the amchur?
Dianna
I used a pyrex covered dish, it worked fine. No plastic was released into the environment and the chicken soaked up all the marinade.
Barbara
Wonderful flavor. Ended up marinating for 2 nights. I have an electric stove, so had to leave on low for about 30 minutes before chicken was finally done but still very moist and tender. Reduced pan juices and poured over chicken and veggies. Served with roasted cauliflower, onions and sweet potato chunks, topped with slivered almonds and raisins. Husband pronounced it a great success!
John
Looks like a Raita 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1/2 cup chopped seeded cucumber 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 2 teaspoons chopped green onions 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Connecticut yankee
I add a few tablespoons plain yogurt to the marinade mix & get the chicken pieces into the uncooked marinade immediately & refrigerate for at least 10 hours. I’ve made using both boneless skinless breasts & thighs & grill instead of cooking on stove top or in oven. Thighs by far are the most succulent.
joseph g
Made as written but with some large, bone-in thighs. Definitely needed more cooking time than listed with that adjustment, so I ended up having to put medium flame under the pan after all that sauna-ing and waiting. The end result…could have been just as easily achieved in the broiler, IMO. The marinade was tasty but I could have doubled the spices. And I might redo with something to add some sweetness.
Scribbleheart
Sumac is a good replacement for amchur. Use the same amount of either.
Alexandra
Hmm this didn’t work for me. Admittedly I didn’t follow the recipe. I made the marinade in a food processor (life is short) and marinated in a Pyrex baking dish, then just baked the chicken in the dish. Overcooked it, ugh, but the ginger/garlic left on the chicken didn’t give it a good taste. I should’ve added more salt in the marinade. I tried making a quick yogurt sauce to help the dryness and taste but that wasn’t enough. Bummer.
Sindi
Delicious! Doubled all the marinade ingredients as per another reviewer. Made a yogurt/tahini sauce with lemon juice, finely chopped mint & cilantro, salt & pepper. The amchar really makes it special.
Ruth
I made this exactly per the recipe. It was terrific and the chicken was cooked perfectly. Has anyone used this method of cooking chicken breasts with other marinades?
Cat
Delicious! Baked on a sheet pan because I didn’t have time to babysit the stove and it still came out great. I (to my dismay) did not have coriander so I substituted dashes of tarragon, basil, and cumin.
Emily
This is a flavor bomb of deliciousness. My whole family loved it. I made the marinade and doubled it as per someone’s suggestion which gave it great flavor. I also used boneless skinless thighs instead of breasts and then threw it on a sheet pan with a drained can of chickpeas and cooked it at 425 for about 35-40 minutes until it looked browned and yummy. Served with rice, naan and raita. YUM!
Tryn M’best
This was great. I’ve also done this with very firm tofu instead of chicken and it’s delicious. If you freeze the tofu with the marinade it makes an amazing morning tofu scramble as it cooks down. Today made this chicken and it was a great super fast workday lunch to tuck into a baguette/ciabatta with just a little mayo and mustard.
John Golden
Made it last night. Delicious!!!!!
Melinda
Paired with a roasted corn/avocado/tomato/cilantro/mint/lime salad and crusty garlic bread, this is a summer meal made for company. I especially like the prep-ahead, leave-to-steam aspect, because it allows me to focus on my guests and not my stove.
RED
This is one of our favorite recipes! We put the chicken in thin pita wraps, top with feta, chopped cucumber, red onion, cilantro, mint, and a cilantro yogurt sauce made with yogurt, olive oil, cilantro, salt, lime and cumin. Delicious!
AFK
Flavor on the chicken was good, but it turned out to be way overcooked. I usually rely on my thermometer so this doesn't happen, but I don't think this recipe was appealing enough that I would try to perfect the timing a second time.
rayna
Where to buy Amchur? Indian grocery stores carry it; if you have one nearby, go! If not, there is always Amazon - and maybe Penzey's in NYC, which is known for carrying spices - and does mail order. It is dried unripe mango powder, in case you wondered. If you need a substitute, a tsp or so of fresh lemon or lime juice should do nicely.
Jeff
Turning down the heat to low and keeping covered was basically like poaching and it came out GREAT! Was def impressed how moist this came out. Will use this technique again for sure.
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