Chicken Pulao

Chicken pulao, a quick chicken dish comes to my rescue whenever I feel lazy to cook or fall short  of time ;) This dish along with a colorful platter of salad is really filling n satisfying. I label it under bachelors cooking cos its quite easy n time saving. 
I call this recipe as chicken pulao n not chicken biryani because Pulao is made by cooking the ingredients together where as in Biryani, rice is first cooked separately , then layered n cooked on low flame with other ingredients. Just like vegetable pulao every thing goes into the pressure cooker. 

Ingredients:
Chicken      : 500 gm
curds          : 1 cup
onion          : 2 big, cut in length
oil              : 4- tbspn
ghee           : 2 tbspn
Basmati rice: 1 glass

for green masala paste
coriander leaves  : 1 small bunch
pudina leaves      : 1 small bunch
garlic                  : 7-8 cloves
ginger                 : 2 inch piece
green chilly         : 5
turmeric powder  : 1 tspn
salt                     : 2 tspn

Whole garam masala
Shahi jeera          : 1 tspn
cinnemon sticks   : 2
Javetri                 : 2 piece
black cardamom  : 2
cloves                  : 7-8
Bay leaf               : 2


Method:

• Wash the rice and drain water . Set aside for -20 mins
• Take the cleaned chicken pieces in a bowl
• Prepare the green masala paste by blending all the ingredients written below ingredients for green masala 
• Apply the paste along with curds thoroughly to the chicken pieces. Set aside for atleast 20 mins

• Take 4 tbspn oil in a pressure cooker vessel. when hot add all the whole garam masalas
• wait till they are fragrant. 
• Then goes in the sliced onions. fry until slightly brown
• Then add in the rice grains and fry on medium for 2-3 mins

• Add the marinated chicken into the rice. Give a nice mix. Add 1 1/4 glass water.
• Add salt if required ( also garam masala powder if required. I did not add)

• Put the lid on and cook till just 1 whistle. Sim for 5 mins before turning off
• wait until the pressure is released.
• gently pfluff the rice with a fork and add 2 tbspn ghee all over
• Serve hot with salad/ yoghurt raita

Chicken Tandoori

Tandoori chicken/ Roasted chicken, a popular Indian, Pakisthani and Bangladeshi dish consisting of chicken marinated in yogurt and seasoned with other spice mixture. It is traditionally cooked at high temperatures in a tandoor (clay oven), but can also be prepared on a barbecue grill or electric/gas oven.
Tandoori chicken is eaten as a starter before a meal.

Ingredients:
Chicken leg pieces       : 6

For 1st Marinade:
lemon juice                  : 1/2 big lemon
ginger garlic paste        : 3/4 tbspn
salt                              : 1 tbspn
kashmiri red chilli pwdr: 1 tbspn

For 2nd Marinade:
Thick yogurt                : 200 gm
ginger garlic paste        : 3/4 tbspn
salt                              : 1 tspn
red chilli powder          :  2 tbspn or as per taste
chat masala                  : tbspn
vegetable oil                 : 2 tbspn
mustard oil/ paste         : 2 tbspn
Gram flour                    : 1 tbspn
carom seeds/ajwan       : 1 tspn

Method:

• Wash the chicken leg pieces, take away the unwanted fats
• Make marks or slits on the chicken leg muscles and on the joints with a sharp knife

• Prepare the 1st marination with lemon juice, salt, ginger garlic paste and red chili powder in a bowl

• Mix properly and coat the chicken leg pieces evenly. apply inside the slits also. Set apart at least for an hour

• Meanwhile prepare for 2nd marinate. Take thick yogurt(preferably hung yogurt). add salt, chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste, garam masala powder, chat masala, mustard oil n cooking oil. Heat a pan, dry roast ajwan/carom seeds and gram flour. Roast for few mins till it smells good and add into the marinated mixture. 

• Make a nice saucy marinade, give a nice mix and apply properly on individual leg pieces. Make sure to marinate inside the slits also .Keep aside again for atleast an hour

• Preheat the oven to 400 degree F for 15 mins
• Place the leg pieces on a baking oven and place it in the oven for 30-45 mins. Check occasionally

• Gently flip the sides with a fork and bake for further 10-15 mins
• Hot, spicy, delicious tandoori chicken is ready to serve. 

• I made a variation by roasting some vegetables also along with chicken

Mint-yogurt chicken curry

Ingredients:

• chicken                             :600 gms
• mint/pudina leaves             : 1 bunch 
• coriander leaves                 : 1 handful
• ginger garlic paste/minced  : 1 tbspn
• yogurt(curds)                     : 200 ml
• garlic                                 : 4-5 cloves
• ginger                                : 1" long
• green chillies                      : 3
• red chilli powder                : 1 tspn
• garam masala powder         :1 tspn
• onions                                : 2 big(cut along the length)
• tomato                               :1 big(puree or chopped finely)
• lemon juice                         :  2-3 tbspn

Garam masalas: 

•  cloves                                  4
•  bay leaf                               1
•  cinnamon stick                    2"
•  pepper corns                       5-7
•  coriander seeds                   2 tbspn

Method:

• Wash the chicken pieces, drain water completely
• Prepare for marination: blend pudina leaves, coriander leaves, green chilly, ginger, garlic,yogurt(curds), 1 tspn salt, lemon juice and apply the paste on the chicken pieces and keep aside for 1 hour

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• Slightly roast all the garam masalas in a pan: cloves, cinnamon, pepper, coriander seeds n bay leaf with little oil. Take out n cool it. In the same pan fry onions till brown with little oil. Cool it
• Now grind together fried onions and roasted garam masalas to make a paste
• Heat about 4 tbspn oil in kadai, add 1 tbspn ginger-garlic paste. saute and transfer the marinated chicken into the pan. close the lid and cook on medium for 15 mins with occasional stirring and till oil starts to separate from the gravy.

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• after 15 mins, check if the chicken is cooked properly. Then pour the onion-garam masala paste, tomato puree, red chilli powder, 1 1/2 cup of water and  cook for 10-12 more mins.
•  lastly add garam masala powder, stir and continue to cook for further 5-7 mins. Gravy loses some water and thickenes by now
• check for salt, chilli and sourness, if required add some more lemon juice .turn off 
• Serve hot with ghee rice, plane rice or jeera rice.

Marination time: 1 hour
Cooking time- 45 mins
serves 4

Chicken ghee roast