Chicken Salan Recipe
One of the dishes that no Pakistani kitchen would be complete without is this traditional, reassuring chicken curry. This dish is adaptable and accommodating. Make this hug in a bowl with only a few ingredients and whatever spices you have on hand.
Preparation Time
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 50 mins
Total Time: 55 mins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 small to medium tomatoes, halved
- 1tsp minced garlic
- 1tsp minced ginger
- 3tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2tsp Paprika or Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1tsp cumin powder
- 1tsp cumin seeds
- 2tsp coriander powder
- 1/2tsp turmeric
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 whole cloves
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 1 green cardamom
- 1tsp chilli powder (if needed to enhance the spice. Please taste before adding)
- 1 chicken (approx 600-800g cut into 12-14 pieces), bone-in, curry pieces
- Coriander or dried fenugreek (kasuri methi) to garnish
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
Also Read: Chicken Fajita Marinade
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a deep pot
2. Add in the onions. Cook these on a medium-high heat till the onions become translucent and begin to brown lightly on the edges
3. Add the halved tomatoes and a splash of water. Cover and steam this on low for about 5 minutes. Once the 5 minutes are up, the peel should slip off the tomatoes easily. Pull these out
4. Turn the heat up, add the garlic, ginger, and all the spices, and dry out the masala, stirring constantly. Use your spoon to mash the onions and tomatoes as you stir. Alternatively, you can blend these to get a super smooth masala fast
5. Once the masala is super dry, the oil begins to separate at the edges and the masala begins to catch at the bottom of the pot, add the chicken
6. Saute the chicken on high heat, again stirring constantly, until the chicken changes color and no longer remains pink
7. Add 2.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for half an hour
8. Once the chicken is cooked through, stir in the garam masala and coriander/dried fenugreek.
