Pib Xtra Recipe

Prep ingredients

Cut the chicken thighs into 1/2-inch pieces. Finely chop the onion, dice the red bell pepper, mince the garlic and jalapeño, grate the ginger, and measure out tomato paste and crushed tomatoes.

Season chicken

Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and toss with 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp ground cumin until evenly coated. Let sit 10 minutes while you heat the pan.

Sear chicken

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half the chicken in a single layer and cook without moving 2 minutes to develop color, then stir and cook another 1–2 minutes until just browned but not cooked through. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining chicken. Return all chicken to the pan and set aside off heat.

Cook aromatics

Reduce heat to medium. In the same pan add butter. Once melted, add the chopped onion and sauté 4–5 minutes until translucent and starting to brown at the edges. Add the minced garlic, grated ginger, diced red bell pepper and minced jalapeño; cook 2–3 minutes until softened and fragrant.

Build sauce

Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute to darken slightly. Add the smoked paprika, remaining 1/2 tsp ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder and remaining salt and pepper; stir to coat the aromatics and bloom the spices about 30 seconds. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and chicken stock, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Simmer with chicken

Return the seared chicken to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to low, cover partially, and cook 8–10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened to a spoon-coating consistency.

Finish

Stir in the lime juice and chopped cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or lime if desired.

Measure and add spices as indicated in the Build sauce and Season chicken steps. Toasting the dry spices briefly in the pan with the aromatics (30 seconds) intensifies flavor; do not burn them.

Serve the Pib Xtra hot with dollops of Greek yogurt or sour cream, extra cilantro leaves, and lime wedges. Offer toasted tortilla chips or warm flatbread for scooping. Leftovers refrigerate up to 3 days; reheat gently on the stove with a splash of stock.