Chicken Loaded Baked Potatoes: Enjoy Keema And Aloo In A Bowl

Our Indian cuisine is full of Bharwa dishes where certain vegetables are stuffed with different kinds of fillings by eviscerating the insides of the vegetable that is stuffed. Bharwa baingan and Bharwa tamatar are the products of this very cooking technique. Now replace these with chicken keema stuffed potatoes. Does it sound bizarre but exciting too? So it is, chicken keema made with a lightly sauteed mix of ginger-garlic, powdered spices and tomato puree makes for the super filling that you had only wished for. Tomato sauce added at the end of the chicken keema preparation makes it flavourful for kids as well.

Now, let’s talk about the taste of baked potatoes. These become extremely soft and moist from the inside and crisp from the outside and especially the peel becomes super crisp. The potatoes are wrapped in aluminium foil before baking in an oven to retain their moisture. On the contrary, if potatoes are baked without wrapping then they will develop a crispy skin. 

And if you are baking potatoes in an open fire, then they also need to be wrapped to prevent them from burning. And lastly, the ideal temperature for baking potatoes is 99°C. On the nutritional front, baked potatoes however have 20-40% less Vitamin c, because of being heated for a long time in slow air. While small potatoes, bake quicker and can retain higher vitamin content.

Here’s the recipe for Chicken Loaded Baked Potatoes.

Preparation time: 1 hr 20 mins

Cooking time: 30-40 mins

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

  • Oil (for greasing)
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 -3 tbsps oil
  • 2 tbsps onions (chopped)
  • 1 tsp garlic (minced)
  • 1 tomato (puréed)
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp mixed dried herbs
  • ½ tsp black pepper powder
  • Salt, to taste
  • 1 tsp tomato ketchup
  • ½ kg chicken mince
  • Mozzarella cheese (grated)
  • Butter
  • Microgreens

Method:

  • Pierce some holes in the potato with a fork and brush them with oil and sprinkle some salt over it.
  • Put some salt on the aluminium foil also and wrap the potatoes individually in the foil.
  • Bake them in the oven for 1 hour at 200°C.
  • Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions to it and stir.
  • Then add garlic to it and saute until the raw smell goes off.
  • Now, add tomato puree to it and add all the powdered spices, herbs and salt. and saute everything for a minute,
  • Cook it at medium heat for about 2 mins.
  • Add tomato ketchup to it and stir it for 30 secs.
  • Then add the minced chicken to the pan and combine well with everything and cover and cook it for about 10 mins.
  • When it is completely cooked turn off the flame and let it cool.
  • Meanwhile, slice the baked potatoes into two halves without peeling them.
  • Scoop out the insides of the potatoes and season them with salt and pepper and mash them with a fork.
  • Now, take the mashed potato with a spoon and layer it inside the cavity of the potatoes whose insides were taken out.
  • Now, add spoonfuls of chicken filling to it and sprinkle some cheese over it.
  • Place these potatoes in the oven by placing them over aluminium foil and bake them in the oven until the cheese melts.

Points to remember:

  • Smaller potatoes can be baked in 45 minutes. 
  • You can garnish the finally baked potatoes and chicken keema with coriander or oregano.