Date & Tamarind Chicken
This Date & Tamarind Chicken is so tasty and easy to make. Chicken breasts are cooked in a tangy, sweet, and spicy, date and tamarind sauce.
My love affair with Indian food went up a notch in my tweens, when my parents and sister and I moved into an apartment about a hundred feet from a little South Indian Restaurant called The Palace. During the latter part of the 80’s, we lived in the heart of Abu Dhabi (U.A.E.) where we were surrounded by huge apartment and office buildings and it was at the bottom of one of these apartment buildings that The Palace operated out of.
They were a little hole in the wall, with mismatched tables and chairs and stained menus, but they made the best fish masala, vegetable kofta, and samosas I had tasted. Along with their samosas, they would often include a Date and Tamarind chutney for dunking and dipping. I could have drunk that date and tamarind chutney out of a bucket – it was that good!
As I got older and moved countries, I have had many versions of that Date and Tamarind chutney at different restaurants, but none were quite like what The Palace served. As I got even older and playing with fire and sharp objects became more acceptable, I started experimenting in my kitchen – trying to recreate that chutney.
I tried many variations – perused many recipes online – and retried and retried – but something always seemed off. Now, my adapted concoctions were not bad – they were just not quite what I was hoping for. The basics of this Date and Tamarind chutney involved soaked dates, tamarind concentrate/paste, brown sugar, and spices. After awhile I started to include apple cider vinegar, which added that tangy part I was looking for…but…still …it was not quite right.
So, when the opportunity presented itself -through my Social Fabric / #CollectiveBias membership- to try out De Nigris Vinegars, it was like that hamster in my brain woke up with a start and went full throttle on that little wheel of hers, resulting in me adding healthy and all natural De Nigris Italian Herbs Seasoned White Wine Vinegar to this Date and Tamarind concoction…and…voila…perfection – at least to my tastebuds #lovemyvinegar!
I used this Date and Tamarind mix as a marinade and reserved some for a dipping sauce as well, for this chicken. This Date and Tamarind concoction also works as a marinade for tofu, turkey, and pork – and works just as well if used on the grill, in an oven or in a pan on a stove-top. This chutney/mix/sauce can also be made and stored for future use.
De Nigris is a 3rd generation, family owned company whose seasoned White Wine Vinegars are made in Italy. The Seasoned White Wine Vinegars come in: •Original •Roasted Garlic, and •Italian Herbs. De Nigris also produces a Balsamic Vinegar as well.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates soaked overnight in water
- 1 cup and 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons De Nigris Italian Herbs Seasoned White Vine Vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 chicken breasts cubed
- olive oil
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the dates (which had been soaking overnight)
- Then, place the dates, 1 cup of the water, and tamarind concentrate in a pan and bring to a boil,
- Lower and simmer for 10 minutes – while simmering, add the salt, pepper, chili, cayenne, cumin and De Nigris Vinegar and mix well
- Then, add this mixture and the other 1/4 cup o water to a blender or a food processor and blend till smooth
- Reserve about 2-3 tablespoons for dipping.
- Place the cubed chicken in a plastic bag and to this add the remaining Date and Tamarind Sauce and mix till the marinade is well distributed among the chicken – let chicken sit for at least 30 minutes
- Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and to this, add the chicken and marinade, gently stirring till chicken is cooked through.
- Garnish with parsley and serve with reserved Date and Tamarind Sauce.
Nutrition
Ingredients
- 1 cup dates soaked overnight in water
- 1 cup and 1/4 cup water
- 2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons De Nigris Italian Herbs Seasoned White Vine Vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 2 chicken breasts cubed
- olive oil
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the dates (which had been soaking overnight)
- Then, place the dates, 1 cup of the water, and tamarind concentrate in a pan and bring to a boil,
- Lower and simmer for 10 minutes - while simmering, add the salt, pepper, chili, cayenne, cumin and De Nigris Vinegar and mix well
- Then, add this mixture and the other 1/4 cup o water to a blender or a food processor and blend till smooth
- Reserve about 2-3 tablespoons for dipping.
- Place the cubed chicken in a plastic bag and to this add the remaining Date and Tamarind Sauce and mix till the marinade is well distributed among the chicken - let chicken sit for at least 30 minutes
- Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat and to this, add the chicken and marinade, gently stirring till chicken is cooked through.
- Garnish with parsley and serve with reserved Date and Tamarind Sauce.
Delicious!
That looks super yummy and the giveaway would be an awesome win for foodie like me — but I cna’t figure out how to enter!
this looks so darn good, must try. Thanks for sharing. Happy Saturday sharefest
Wow this looks incredible! I need to shake up my flavors this month and I think this is the perfect way to get out of my comfort zone! Yeah for Indian Food. Now let’s just hope my kids will eat it…fingers crossed.
I JUST reviewed this De Nigris vinegar on my blog this past week and I am already a huge fan! I’ve only gotten to try 3 of their varieties, but have been impressed across the board. It’s one of the best vinegars I’ve ever had the pleasure of cooking with. #lovemyvinegar #denigris1889
I love date tamarind chutney, it’s my favorite! All popular Indian roadside food have to have this chutney on top of them, yum now I am craving for a spicy chaat [spiced potato patties] topped with yogurt, coriander chutney and this tamarind date chutney! And what an awesome giveaway! 😀
This looks just amazing, thank you so much!! #client
Thanks for introducing this brand and chicken looks so delicious. Entered the contest hope to win this great basket 🙂
Such a creative recipe! I will try to adapt it to a vegetarian meal this week 🙂
U certainly have lived in a number of places. I do love date and tamarind chutney but have never made my own. It certainly is a great accompaniment to any curry xx
This looks really good!!!
I don’t think I’ve ever cooked with dates.
Thanks Kim – I just soaked them up and whirled them in the blender for this recipe – they are also a good sugar sub!
Oh my goodness, I love that date and tamarind chutney! I could eat it dolloped on anything and I do when I have it! It doesn’t last long because I end up buying those little besan boondi from the Indian store, mix it in yoghurt and then douse it in the chutney. It’s like instant dahi vade.
I would love this chicken! It looks fabulous and your photos are wonderful Shashi! Great job. xx
I am a big big fan of Indian food and all our favorite places to eat are the smaller mom and pop shops too. This chicken looks absolutely mouthwatering! It definitely looks restaurant quality! I seriously cannot stop drooling over that flavorful date/tamarind sauce/marinade! It looks incredible! Pinning 🙂
Thanks so much Kelly – You, my friend, are way too kind!