Mughlai Chicken – An All-Time Favourite Recipe

This is my most favourite chicken recipe and a regular preparation at most of my get-togethers. You can even make this ahead of time, adding cream only when ready to serve.

Ingredients:

1 kh bone-in chicken

6 large onions, finely chopped

4-5 slit green chillies

8-10 cloves of garlic

1/2 inch ginger

10-12 cashews, soaked in warm water

Whole garam masalas – bay leaf, cinnamon, green & black cardamom, star anise, cloves and black pepper 3/4 th teaspoon shah jeera

1 teaspoon kauri methi

4 tablespoons cream

Ghee

Oil

Turmeric powder

Red chilli powder

Cumin-coriander powder

Garam masala powder

Salt

Steps:

Marinade the chicken in half teaspoon each of turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and one tablespoon of oil.

Heat two tablespoons of ghee in a pan and add the onions. Add some salt to this and cook on high heat for a minute, while stirring constantly. Lower the heat, cover the pan and let the onions cook for fifteen to twenty minutes, until they turn brown. Keep stirring occasionally to ensure that don’t burn.

Once the onions turn brown, take off the heat and let it cool completely. Once cooled, blend the onions with the green chillies, garlic, ginger and soaked cashews. After one round of coarse blending, add quarter cup of water and blend to a fine paste.

Heat three tablespoons of ghee and two tablespoons of oil in the same pan, and add the whole garam masalas. Sauce for a minute so the ghee & oil absorb the fragrances. Add the shah jeera and let it crackle.

Now add the onion paste and cook on medium heat for five minutes. Add salt, half a teaspoon of turmeric powder, one tablespoon of red chilli powder, one teaspoon of cumin-coriander powder and half a teaspoon of garam masala powder. Cook on medium heat for five minutes, stirring constantly.

Crush half a teaspoon of dried kasuri methi between your palms and add to the mix and cook for a few minutes more. Lower the heat and start adding the chicken. Coat all the pieces with the masala and once done, add three tablespoons of warm milk. Cook for two minutes.

Add half a cup of water, cover the pan and let it simmer for twelve to fifteen minutes. Turn off the heat and add two tablespoons of cream. Stir and let it sit covered until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, remove in a serving dish and top it with two tablespoons of cream, half a teaspoon of dried kasuri methi, a pinch of garam masala powder and once slit green chilli.

Serve hot with parathas or jeera rice!