Recipe Of Handi Chicken

Handi Chicken , has the right kind of balance , rich , aromatic texture which is really pleasant to eyes, and so is the taste that's mesmserizng and palatable which leaves you to crave for more. 

A handi , is deep and wide cooking vessel used in North India, Pakistan and Bengal . In fact handi Chicken is made in handi itself, to get that much needed taste , here the spices are added to the chicken directly in handi which in turn gives a mesmerizing aromatic flavour to the Chicken.

Here I am presenting Handi Chicken in my style, as every one has a different version of it, and also the texture may differ from person to person, like my turns out yellow orange, some have yellowish brown and so on. But yes..! I can bet you, that this is one of the best Handi Chicken you ever had, if you follow my recipe. So without much a do, here I present Chicken handi in my style....! 

INGREDIENTS FOR GRAVY : 

2 onions 
3-4 garlic crushed 
1/4 tsp red chilly powder 
1/8 tsp turmeric powder 
2 tomatoes
1-2 green cardamom 
1/4 tsp white pepper powder 
salt 
water 

OTHER INGREDIENTS: 
1/ 2 kg chicken ( boneless or with bones) 
1/4 tsp cumin seeds 
1/2 tsp chilly flakes 
1 tomato 
2-3 cloves of garlic crushed 
1 tbsp curd + 2 tbsp curd
1 tsp red chilly powder 
1/4 tsp white pepper powder 
1/4 tsp cumin powder ( freshly roasted and grounded) 
1/4 tsp garam masala powder 
2 tbsp fresh cream 
8- 10 almonds 
2-3 green chillies slit or finely chopped ( optional) 
1 tsp ginger finely sliced into long strips 
salt 
1/4 cup ghee/ oil 

METHOD: 

1. In a large pan , add 2-3 cups of water , salt , thickly chopped onions, peeled and roughly chopped tomatoes , white pepper , garlic crushed , cardamom pods and boil them for 15 minutes. Let it be cool and keep aside . ( add meaurements , mentioned under the " gravy " section ) 

2. Soak, blance and grind the almonds into fine paste. On the other side clean , wash and chop chicken into medium chunks. 

3. In a pan or kadhai, add 1/4 cup ghee or oil , ( I added ghee , if you wish you can add oil too ) and crushed garlic with cumin seeds, fry for a minute.

4. Add peeled and blended tomato ( 1 tomato) , salt, 1 tsp chilly powder , 1/2 tsp chilly flakes , 1/4 tsp white pepper and chicken chunks. Fry for  a minutes , now add 1 tbsp thick curd and fry again for 3-4 minutes , stirring at intervals. 

5. Now in a handi , add onion mixture , with 2 tbsp thick curd, cover and cook for 7-8 Minutes. ( at this step instead of preparing the recipe in handi , I continued in kadhai , just to give a better view to all my viewers, other wise I make in handi from this step ) 

6. Add grounded almonds and salt , cook for a minute.

7. Add stir fried chicken , 2-3 green chillies slitted ( optional) , sliced ginger, 1/2 tsp cumin powder ( freshly roasted and crushed)  and 1/4 tsp garam masala powder , cover and cook on low flame .

8. Lastly add 2 tsp fresh cream , mix well, adjust salt and spice, simmer for 2-3 minutes and off the gas. Sprinkle some coriander leaves .

9. Serve hot with kulchas/ butter naan / garlic naan or paranthas or phulkas with fresh salad .

NOTE: 

•  Adding green chillies is optional , but as we prefer a spicy meal during winters , I  added them, make sure you adjust the spice accordingly as there is white pepper, red chilly powder and garam masala powder too for hotness.
• For paneer lovers, just replace it by Chicken . once you add oil garlic and cumin seeds,  let it splutter. Add peeled and blended tomato ( 1 tomato) , salt, 1 tsp chilly powder , 1/2 tsp chilly flakes , 1/4 tsp white pepper. Fry for  a minutes , now add 1 tbsp thick curd and fry again for 3-4 minutes , stirring at intervals. Now add paneer chunks, fry for half a minute, off the gas. 

PREPARATION TIME: 30 - 40 Minutes + extra time . 
SERVES: 4 Persons.