Chicken (galinha) cafreal is a Goan recipe with Portuguese origins that features bone-in chicken legs in a delicious spicy coriander marinade.
This recipe benefits from a long marinade, but it cooks in a little over 30 minutes, and it is very "hands-off" cooking.
Indo-Portuguese Galinha Cafreal
Portuguese influences play a significant part in some Southern Indian dishes, with recipes like pork vindaloo, my Goan mackerel curry, sorpotel and chicken xacuti all having origins on the Atalntic coast.
This chicken (galinha) cafreal recipe shares the same Indo-Potuguese influences.
My version features bone-in chicken legs marinated in a pretty traditional coriander and chilli marinade.
A marinade that also rocks loads of garlic, ginger, black pepper, mace, cinnamon and cloves.
It produces a vibrant, zingy flavour which is helped by the addition of malt vinegar, one that is backed up with a bit of chilli heat.
The chicken is then browned in a pan before being cooked in the marinade, forming a lovely sauce.
Despite the long marinade time, this is an easy recipe to make, and it cooks in right around 30 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use boneless chicken breast?
This recipe is traditionally cooked with bone-in chicken, but there is no reason that you could not make it with chicken breast.
However, chicken breast can become very dry when overcooked. As a result, you will need to be careful when cooking it this way.
Can I remove the skin?
Yes, this dish is often cooked with skinless chicken, so if you're watching the calories, feel free to remove it.
How spicy is this recipe?
I consider this dish to be moderately spicy. I will caveat that by saying that we all have different tolerance levels to chilli.
You can shift the heat by simply adjusting the number of chillies up or down.
How long should I marinate this for?
The longer the better as far as I am concerned, I regularly marinate the chicken for 24-36 hours when I make this.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, this recipe reheats wonderfully and can be cooked to completion and popped in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Reheat it gently on the hob with a lid on until the chicken is piping hot. Yue may need an extra splash of water!
Serving Suggestions
Chicken cafreal isn't really a curry in the sense that it has a masala-style sauce, although I do like to serve the chicken with the cooked marinade.
As a result, I like to serve this as a bit of a "meat and two veg" dinner, although a very different one from what I was raised on.
In the pictures on this page, I have served it with my aloo jeera recipe and some green bean thoran.
Potatoes work so well with the zingy and spicy sauce, and it would work equally well with both my roasted Bombay potatoes and aloo methi (fenugreek potatoes) recipes.
When it comes to greens, sticking with the Indian vibe, this works wonderfully with a cabbage poriyal. But you could get nice and lazy and rustle up some roasted tenderstem broccoli, there is more than enough flavour in the sauce to make this work!
It also makes a stunning hot sandwich if you strip the chicken from the bone!
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- 25cm or 10" frying pan (with a lid).
- Kitchen tongs.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Blender.
- Mixing bowl.
- Cling film.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
- Quick-read meat thermometer (optional).
Goan Chicken (Galinha) Cafreal Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Legs
- 1 tablespoon Ghee
For the Marinade:
- 3 Green Finger Chilli Peppers
- 75 g Coriander ¾ Packed Cup
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 15 g Ginger ½ Thumb Sized Piece
- 1 Medium Shallot 35g
- 1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
- 1 Blade of Mace
- 2 Cloves
- 1 tablespoon Malt Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 50-60 ml Water 3-4 tablespoon
Instructions
- Cut the stems from the chillies and toss them in a blender with the coriander, if the stems are tender leave them in the marinade.
- Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the blender.
- Peel and roughly chop the ginger and toss them into the blender.
- Peel the shallot, roughly chop it and add it to the blender with the rest of the ingredients for the marinade, then blitz to a smooth paste. Add more or less water as required.
- Make 5-6 deep cuts in the flesh of the chicken and place it in a bowl, then pour over the marinade and massage it into the chicken. Cover with cling film and allow the chicken to marinade for at least 2 hours, overnight and up to 24 hours is better.
- When the chicken has been marinated remove it from the marinade, scraping off any excess.
- Heat a 25cm (10") frying pan over a medium-high heat and when it is hot, add the ghee.
- Add the chicken and sear on both sides for around 5-7 minutes (total) starting with the skin side first.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low scrape the remaining marinade into the pan and add 75ml (⅓ Cup) water, swirl everything around to combine, then add a lid and cook until the chicken reaches at least 73°C or 165°F on a quick read meat thermometer. This will take approximately 20-25 minutes.
