One Pot Chicken Surprise

By popular demand, another quick & delightful one pot meal with chicken that relies on easily available kitchen ingredients & a few green aromatics.

The showstopper is actually a secret procedural technique that lends the dish an extremely unique flavour, enhances the aroma & steals the show!!! What you waiting for? Jump straight to the recipe.

Another comforting one pot meal to lift up your weekend & set off the weekend, with loads of love from the kitchen of The Culinary Konnoisseur!

Recipe for One Pot Chicken Surprise

Ingredients (Serves 4 – 6 Persons)

1 kg boneless chicken, large chunks (or regular pieces with bone will also do)
2-3 boiled potatoes, peeled & cut in halves (optional)
6 onions, finely sliced (keep aside the outer ring and skin of half an onion)
3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
12-15 mint leaves / pudina
1 large handful coriander leaves, chopped
4-5 green chillies, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon red chilli powder (optional)
3 cups thick curd
2 teaspoons homemade garam masala
Salt to taste
A piece of charcoal
Sprigs of mint

Procedure

In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil & fry the sliced onions on a medium flame until dark brown. Remove the excess oil.
Grind the mint, coriander & green chillies into a smooth paste with 1 teaspoon salt & 2tbsp lemon juice.
Mix the green paste with the curds, ginger garlic paste, garam masala powder & red chilli powder.
Keep aside a handful of fried onions and mix the rest into the curd mix.
Rub this green paste- curd-spice mixture onto the chicken & halved potatoes (if using).
Leave in refrigerator overnight or for at least 3-4 hours.
Place chicken pieces in an oven-proof dish and bake in a preheated oven at 220 degrees Celsius for about 40 mins. Cooking time will vary from oven to oven.
Once the chicken is fully cooked, just before serving, light a piece of charcoal.
Put the half-onion with skin inside the dish with 1 tsp oil in it.
Using tongs, pop a burning piece of charcoal in the oil & immediately cover the dish.
This will help to catch the fresh charcoal flavour and retain the smoky aroma.
After 4-5 minutes, remove the charcoal and spread the oil over the cooked chicken.
Garnish with the reserved fried onions and sprigs of mint.
This dish is delicious eaten with roti.

Notes:

If you want the top of the chicken to get browner, switch the oven cooking mode to grill for the last 4-5 minutes before placing the charcoal and oil in the onion skin.
This dish can also be made with a whole chicken on the bone & gets an equally delicious flavour – cooking time will vary accordingly- roast at 180 degrees for upto 1 hour.
Similarly, you can also pan fry the chicken if you don’t have an oven & end with the charcoal in onion procedure.