Chicken Afghani: A Spicy Treat

The name of this chicken recipe is enough to make chicken lovers hungry. As the name suggests, the recipe originally hails from Afghanistan but since we Indians are good experimenters, we have improvised this chicken recipe according to our tastes and preferences.

You must be expecting a lengthy and difficult procedure but surprisingly the recipe for chicken afghani is quite simple. This melt-in-the-mouth chicken recipe is prepared with thick yogurt and a variety of different aromatic spices. The yogurt imparts a tangy flavour and has a tenderizing effect on the chicken which makes it vanish as soon as you put it in your mouth. The blend of spices gives this dish an irresistible texture and aroma.

So, try out this delicious recipe of chicken afghani to give your taste buds a tangy and spicy treat.

Serves: 3-4
Preparation time: 3 hours
Cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

• Chicken- 1kg (cut into pieces)
• Ginger-garlic paste- 1tsp
• Lemon juice- 1tbsp
• Black cumin seeds- 1tsp
• Green cardamoms- 4
• Bay leaves- 2
• Cinnamon stick- 1
• Chilli powder- 1tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1tsp
• Coriander powder- 1tsp
• Garam masala- ½ tsp
• Saffron- a few strands
• Salt- as per taste
• Oil- 2tbsp
• Water- 1 cups
• Coriander leaves- 2tsp (chopped, for garnish)

For marinade

• Thick yogurt- 1 cup
• Onion paste- 3tbsp
• Cashew nuts- 2tbsp
• White sesame seeds- 2tbsp
• Garlic- 4 cloves
• Nutmeg powder- 1tsp

Procedure

1. Wash and clean the chicken pieces thoroughly.
2. Grind the cashew nuts, sesame seeds, garlic and nutmeg powder together in a mixer.
3. Marinate the chicken pieces with this paste, onion paste, yogurt and lemon juice for 3 hours.
4. After 3 hours, heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon, cardamoms, bay leaves, black cumin seeds one by one. Fry for about a minute.
5. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for another minute on medium flame.
6. Now add the chicken pieces. Mix well and cook for 15 minutes on medium flame, stirring at short intervals.
7. Add salt, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and cook for 2 minutes.
8. Add a cup of water to it and mix well. Cover the pan and cook for about 20-25 minutes on low flame. Stir at regular intervals.
9. Once done, check the chicken if its completely done with a fork. Then switch off the flame.
10. Garnish the chicken with chopped coriander leaves and saffron strands.

Chicken afghani is ready to be served. Enjoy this dish with rotis or jeera rice.