Golden Chicken Handi Dhaba Style
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 kg bone in chicken thighs skin removed
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tsp grated fresh turmeric
- 1 tsp crushed/grated garlic
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 0.5 tbsp lemon juice
Spice Masala
- 1 2’’ piece cassia bark
- 2 cardamom pods bruised
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp coriander seeds
Gravy/Sauce
- 3 onions finely diced
- 5 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 tbsp garlic/ginger paste
- 1 tbsp grated fresh turmeric
- The above spice masala
- 4 large fresh tomatoes chopped
- 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 300 ml water, bone broth or light stock
- 3 tbsp plain natural yoghurt whipped (room temp)
- 3 tbsp double cream
Tadka
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 1’’ piece of peeled ginger julienned
- 2 green finger chillies split lengthways add more or less to taste
Finishing Touches
- 1.5 tbsp kasuri methi
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- salt to taste
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander finely chopped
Instructions
Marinate The Chicken
- Add the salt and lemon juice to the chicken and stir to coat.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to coat well.
- The chicken can be left to marinate and come up to room temperature while you prepare the rest of the curry.
If you want to rub in with your hands, wear a disposable glove otherwise your hand will be stained bright yellow. Also don't use a container that will stain, glass and stainless steel are the best options.
Spice Masala
- In a clean, dry frying pan, gently roast the spices, moving them around so they don't catch and burn, until aromatic. As soon as they are, remove to a plate or shallow dish so they can spread out and cool.
- Once the spices are cool you can grind them in your chosen grinder or a pestle and mortar.
Try and let the spices cool in one layer. If they are piled up in a small dish then condensation can build up as they cool which can make them go clumpy when you're trying to grind them. I often use a small sieve so the air can circulate around the spices, giving them the occaisional shake so they cool off quicker.
The Curry Sauce
- In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and add the onions. Let them cook on a gentle heat until lightly browned, soft and sticky.
- Add the green chillies, garlic, ginger and fresh turmeric. Cook for around 1 minute.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, stir in and let cook with the lid on for around ten minutes, at which point they should have broken down.
- Add the ground spices and Kashmiri chilli powder. let cook for around 1 minute, stirring so they don't catch and burn.
- Add 300ml of water or bone broth and let cook gently for about twenty minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat and blend the sauce smooth with a hand blender, being careful not to splash yourself. You can tip the sauce into a blender but let it cool slightly first so the lid doesn't blow off.
- once the sauce is blended, heat back up to a simmer and add the chicken. Bring up to a simmer again and put a lid on the pan. Let cook gently for at least 40 minutes. By this point the chicken will be cooked. An extra 10 to 20 minutes will mean the meat is practically falling off the bone. It's your choice as to how well you want the chicken cooked.
- Take the lid off the pan and add the whipped yoghurt and cream.
- Bring back to the simmer before tasting for seasoning, add more salt if required plus the Kasuri methi, coriander and garam masala
Tadka
- In a small heavy bottomed pan heat the ghee and butter until sizzling and hot. Add the julienned ginger and green chillies. Fry until the green chillies look glossy then pour over the top of the curry. The curry is now ready to serve.
Notes
If you have no fresh turmeric, you can still make this dish. The colour may just not be as vibrant, it will still taste good though. Simply add half the amount of dried ground turmeric to replace the fresh. Add half a tablespoon of dried to the spice mix and half a teaspoon to the chicken marinade if following the above recipe with 1 kg of chicken.
You can of course use chicken off the bone, reduce the cooking time slightly if using boneless thighs and if you choose breast, reduce the cooking time even more.
You don't have to whip your yoghurt. It does make the sauce extra silky and smooth though. It also reduces the risk of the yoghurt splitting or making the sauce grainy.
This is a medium to hot spiced curry. Reduce or increase any of the chilli elements to your liking.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
