Chicken Yakhini Pulao (Pilaf)
Chicken Yakhini Pulao (Pilaf) is a aromatic and flavorful dish from Awadhi cuisine, one of the royal cuisines of India. Long aromatic basmati rice is cooked in stock made with chicken and warm, fragrant Indian spices to perfection.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- large thick bottomed pan with tight fitted lid.
Ingredients
To make the Chicken Yakhini
- 1 kg Chicken I used drumsticks and thighs
- 1 small Onion sliced
- 1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
- 2 tbsp Coriander seeds
- 1 1/2 tbsp Fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp Cumin seeds
- 1 Star Anise
- 2-3 Bay leaves
- 2 x1 inch Cinnamon
- 5-6 Green Cardamoms
- Salt as per taste
- 1 tsp Oil/ghee
To make the Chicken Yakhini Pulao
- 2 cups Rice (Arnd 400-450gms) washed and soaked in water for 20 minutes)
- 2 medium Onion Thinly sliced
- 4-5 Spicy Green Chillies
- 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp Garam Masala (I used Bengali Garam Masala but you can use anything you want)
- 1/2 cup Yogurt whisked
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 3-4 tbsp Ghee Preferably / Oil
- 1/2 cup Fried Crispy Onions To garnish
Instructions
To prepare the Chicken Yakhini (stock)
- In a large pan, heat 1 tsp of oil and add sliced onions and saute for a minute.
- Then toss in the chicken and the rest of the ingredients to the man and give it a good mix.
- Add 4 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat boil for 15-20 minutes. 4 cups of stock will reduce to 3 cups.
- Now slowly remove the chicken pieces from the stock onto a plate. And strain the stock and keep it aside.
To make the Yakhini pulao
- Heat ghee in a large thick bottomed pan on medium high heat. Temper it with bay leaves, cardamoms, cinnamon and cloves.
- Add in the sliced onions and sauté for 5-6 minutes until soft and golden brown.
- Then add the ginger garlic paste and green chillies. Saute for 1 -2 minutes until the raw smell disappears.
- Next lower the heat and add the garam masala powder (I used the bengali garam masala, recipe on the blog) and saute.
- Slowly add in the yogurt along with sugar stirring frequently.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes on low heat until you see the oil seeping out from the masala.
- Now add in the chicken pieces and mix it with the masala.
- Add in the drained rice and mix it well with the chicken and masala and saute for 2 minutes.
- Now add 3 cups of stock and 1 cup of water to the chicken and rice mixture. Check the seasoning, add salt if required.
- Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked through. Turn off the gas and keep let it stay covered for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Garnish with crispy fried onions and serve it hot with beetroot raita or some curry of your choice.
