So here we are again, staring at another total lock down in Maharashtra. The news came almost out of the blue on last Friday afternoon while I was working. A notification I saw on Facebook, talked about it. I had initially taken it lightly, because only last week there was a similar news floating for my area which claimed the area was being shutdown. But when I looked up on net, the news turned out to be true. And as expected a bout of panic hit me. The last time when it started, it went beyond the 30 days timeline as initially declared.
It has been a real hassle - the past 24 hours or so. Hectic rounds of shopping, stocking up, getting essential services before everything closes. It's like a deja vu of March. By the time it was weekend, the mind and body was already exhausted. I needed to cook something, but I didn't feel like spending my whole day standing in the kitchen. I needed a comforting curry which would calm down my frayed nerves and give me some time to relax.
Whenever I feel lazy, don't have time to cook anything elaborate or just feel like having a hassle free chicken curry, this one pot chicken curry is my go to option. I have been making this for the past 12+ years if I remember correctly. My mom gave me this recipe when I went to US and had to cook for myself and I was not exactly a pro at cooking back then. In fact that was the time I actually started cooking properly. So she gave me the most hassle free, minimal ingredients chicken curry recipe so that I do not botch it up. Thus you can also call it the bachelor friendly chicken curry if you must.
I have been cooking this curry over a decade now and it has kept evolving. I keep changing the aromatics (mentioned under the 3 combos) as per my mood and availability of ingredients. It is that flexible and simple.
However, let me give a small disclaimer over here. If you do not like a dish without turmeric then this dish probably is not for you. The curry doesn't have any turmeric, but believe me and you can also see the pictures that the gravy will not turn out white, which I know many a times people hate. It will get a nice light reddish brown hue at the end.
This somewhat tastes just like a rip off of chicken rezala, minus the hassle of grinding all sorts of nuts and frying the onion separately and so on. Just dump all the ingredients in a thick bottomed pot, and let it summer for about an hour on low flame. The chicken gets cooked on its own, while you can finish your chores around the house. Just a little stir once a while and you have a happy bowl of light soupy chicken curry. Since this doesn't have any turmeric in it so all the flavors of the ingredients come together to give an unique organic flavor.
Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 60 minutes
Serving : 3-4 person
Ingredients :
- Chicken - 500 gm
- Curd/ Yogurt - 200 gm
- Onion - 2 medium
- Ginger - 2 inch
- Garlic - 4 fat cloves
- Potato * (optional) - 1 big, diced
- Red Chilli - 2 tsp / Kashmiri Mirch Powder - 3 tsp
- Whole Dry Red Chilli - 4
- Salt to taste
- Sugar to taste
- Unsalted butter (Loni) or Refined oil - 5 - 6 tbsp at least*
Flavor Combo 1:
- Javitri - 1/4th flower
Flavor Combo 2:
- Jaiphal - 1/4th of whole
Flavor Combo 3:
- Whole Cinnamon - 1 inch
- Cardamom - 2
- Bay Leaf - 1
Method:
1. Clean the chicken and add it to a bowl. I usually put it directly in the wok itself in which I am going to cook.
Tip: Use a non stick wok for this.
2. Next make a smooth paste of the onion, ginger and garlic in a grinder. Add this to the wok in which you have chicken.
3. Now whisk the curd and make it smooth. Add this to the wok as well.
Tip: You can simple take the curd and put it in a strainer. Place it over a bowl and tap the strainer 3-4 times to sieve out the curd. It will automatically come out smooth without any whisking.
4. Add red chilli powder, red chilli whole, salt and sugar into the wok. Give it a nice stir to coat the chicken uniformly.
Tip: I like this curry a little spicy so I add a tad little more kashmiri mirch powder / whole red chilli. Vary it according to your choice.
* Note: For people who love potato in their chicken curry can add diced potatoes in the wok at this stage. No need to fry the potatoes before hand. They will get cooked along with the chicken. You can add a few cuts to the potato surface to make it cook faster in the gravy.
5. Next you can go for any of the flavor combo. So any of the flavor combo works after you have added the basic ingredients. Most of the time I go for the javitri or the jaiphal combos. They give a better aromatic effect to the gravy. You can add them both together as well, depending on the intensity of spice you want in the curry.
Note 1: You can also go without adding any flavor combo. It will give you the organic flavor of ginger garlic and onion in the gravy which also I like. In that case you can also increase the ginger or the garlic amount.
Note 2: You can create your own whole spice combo which u like. But only thing is don't try to overload it with aromatics. Remember its a light soupy chicken curry with pretty much basic flavors in it.
Note 3: No turmeric or coriander or jeera powder goes into the recipe. Hence using Kashmiri Red chilli powder will give it a nice reddish brown hue.
6. This recipe doesn't really warrant any marination time as such, you can start cooking straightaway. But if you still want to rest it, do so for 30 minutes.
7. The recipe will cook in the fat of the chicken, the dahi and the unsalted butter. Add the butter or the oil along the side of the wok and give it a stir.
Tip: I recommend use the unsalted butter you get at dairies. In Maharashtra it is called Loni. If you don't get at dairy use the branded unsalted butters like that of Amul. If even that is not available go for any white oil like sunflower or rice bran or soybean oil. But using Loni will give the best result. The flavors are much richer when you use Loni.
8. Now cover and keep this on medium flame for about an hours time. Let it slow cook inside the pot. Once in a while check on the readiness and give it a stir. When the chicken nearly comes off the bone, its done.
Serve it with steam rice or any Indian flatbread like chapati or naan. It even goes wonderfully with normal breads.
Do try this out and tag me (@curriesnstories07) on Instagram on your photos whenever you try the recipe and I will give a shout out to you.
Tip: Use a non stick wok for this.
2. Next make a smooth paste of the onion, ginger and garlic in a grinder. Add this to the wok in which you have chicken.
3. Now whisk the curd and make it smooth. Add this to the wok as well.
Tip: You can simple take the curd and put it in a strainer. Place it over a bowl and tap the strainer 3-4 times to sieve out the curd. It will automatically come out smooth without any whisking.
4. Add red chilli powder, red chilli whole, salt and sugar into the wok. Give it a nice stir to coat the chicken uniformly.
Tip: I like this curry a little spicy so I add a tad little more kashmiri mirch powder / whole red chilli. Vary it according to your choice.
* Note: For people who love potato in their chicken curry can add diced potatoes in the wok at this stage. No need to fry the potatoes before hand. They will get cooked along with the chicken. You can add a few cuts to the potato surface to make it cook faster in the gravy.
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| One Pot Chicken |
Note 1: You can also go without adding any flavor combo. It will give you the organic flavor of ginger garlic and onion in the gravy which also I like. In that case you can also increase the ginger or the garlic amount.
Note 2: You can create your own whole spice combo which u like. But only thing is don't try to overload it with aromatics. Remember its a light soupy chicken curry with pretty much basic flavors in it.
Note 3: No turmeric or coriander or jeera powder goes into the recipe. Hence using Kashmiri Red chilli powder will give it a nice reddish brown hue.
6. This recipe doesn't really warrant any marination time as such, you can start cooking straightaway. But if you still want to rest it, do so for 30 minutes.
7. The recipe will cook in the fat of the chicken, the dahi and the unsalted butter. Add the butter or the oil along the side of the wok and give it a stir.
Tip: I recommend use the unsalted butter you get at dairies. In Maharashtra it is called Loni. If you don't get at dairy use the branded unsalted butters like that of Amul. If even that is not available go for any white oil like sunflower or rice bran or soybean oil. But using Loni will give the best result. The flavors are much richer when you use Loni.
8. Now cover and keep this on medium flame for about an hours time. Let it slow cook inside the pot. Once in a while check on the readiness and give it a stir. When the chicken nearly comes off the bone, its done.
Serve it with steam rice or any Indian flatbread like chapati or naan. It even goes wonderfully with normal breads.
Do try this out and tag me (@curriesnstories07) on Instagram on your photos whenever you try the recipe and I will give a shout out to you.
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