The recipe for this delicious North Indian, Mughlai curry includes two separate steps - marinating (in two steps) and then grilling/ baking the chicken and preparing the gravy. It may look complicated but is actually super simple! The best way to mix all the marinade ingredients is by hand so make sure to wash your hands well before you start. Do not forget to factor marination time in to your prep and cooking times.

See Also

Kori Ghassi

Parsi Chicken Farcha

Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients

• For the chicken marinade: 500 gms/ approximately 1 lb chicken thigh, bones and skin removed and cut into 2" cubes
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper powder
• 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
• 1 tbsp garlic paste
• 2 tsps tbsp ginger paste
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup grated mild cheddar cheese or mozarella cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 green chillies
• 1/2 cup fresh green coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil
• Bamboo skewers
• For the gravy: 2 large onions
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 green chillies
• 2 tbsps garlic paste
• 1 tbsp ginger paste
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 2 tsps coriander powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 3 tbsps single cream
• 3 tbsps vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil
• Salt to taste

• Yield: Serves 2-3 people

Preparation

• Pat the chicken dry with paper towels to help the marinade adhere to it better. When this is done, lay the pieces out neatly in a flat dish.
• Sprinkle the white pepper powder, cardamom powder and the first lot of salt over the chicken. Also add the ginger and garlic pastes.
• Mix thoroughly to ensure that the chicken is fully coated. Cover/ cling wrap the dish and put into the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.

• While the chicken is marinating, prepare the remaining part of the marinade. Put the grated cheese in a deep bowl and mash it with clean hands to ensure that is forms a 'paste' and has no lumps.
• Now add the sour cream and salt to taste to the cheese and continue to mash and mix so that there are no lumps in the mixture.
• Grind the coriander leaves and green chillies into a coarse paste using a blender or a mortar and pestle. Add this coarse paste to the cheese-sour cream mix and stir to blend well.
• After the chicken has marinated in the first part of the marinade for 30 minutes, add it to the second part of the marinade - the cheese-sour cream- coriander chilli mix. Mix to ensure all the chicken pieces are well coated.
• Now add the vegetable/ canola/ sunflower cooking oil and mix well again. Allow the chicken to rest for 1 hour.
• While this is happening, at some stage, turn on your oven to pre-heat. Set the temperature at 230 degrees Celsius/ 450 degrees Fahrenheit/ Gas Mark 8. You can also cook the chicken pieces on your barbecue or grill.

• This is a great time to soak your bamboo skewers in water so that they don't burn during the cooking process.
• When the chicken has marinated for an hour, thread 3-4 pieces on each skewer, ensuring that you do it in a way so as to expose most of the chicken to the heat - thread pieces on flat, going through the lengthwise with the skewer.
• When you have threaded all the chicken onto skewers, lay the skewers on a baking tray and put into your oven. Cook for 15 minutes, remove and turn the skewers so that the part of the chicken pieces that was facing down, is now facing up. Put back into the oven and cook another 15 minutes.
• While the chicken is cooking, prepare the gravy as follows…
• Grind the onions, tomatoes, 2 green chillies into a fine paste in a food processor.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add the paste to it. Fry for a minute.
• Add the ginger and garlic pastes and fry for another minute.
• Add the spices and garam masala till the oil begins to separate from it.
• Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste.
• Remove the chicken from the skewers (if cooked) and add it to the gravy. Cook for another 2 minutes only.
• Turn off the fire and stir in the cream.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with Naan or Jeera Rice or plain boiled rice.