Chicken Nihari

This dish is  quite popular in India and Pakistan. It is spicy , aromatic , melting in mouth Mughlai recipe which all chicken lovers crave for. I have used the Nihari Masala along with some other spices from my kitchen. Although the packet says to add one full of it  into 1 Kg of chicken, I found quite  much chilli in there for my taste buds when I tried it last time  ,so  this time I have  just added 2 tbsp of it for flavor and aroma and  I haven’t  tried  making my own nihari masala yet . Next time may be 🙂

Ingredients you will need:

Chicken  with bones  500 gms

Oil for cooking – half cup.

Salt – 1 teaspoon

Pepper -1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder-1 teaspoon

coriander powder-1 teaspoon

Chilli powder 1 teaspoon

Onion-1 medium size sliced

Ginger and garlic paste ( 2 tbsp)

clarified butter ( ghee ): 1 tablespoon

Shan Nihari Masala- 2 tablespoons

wheat Flour -3 tablespoon

for garnishing- One green chilli ,ginger julienne cut, chopped Coriander,lemon wedges, fried onions

Preparation time : 15 minutes           Cooking time : 3 hours 

Serves 2-3 people

Method :

Put oil and ghee in the cooking pot on medium flame , add in the sliced onions and fry them till light golden brown.

Add in  ginger garlic paste  and fry for a minute.

Add chicken pieces to the pot and fry for another few minutes.

Start adding spices : salt, pepper, chilli powder,turmeric,coriander powder and nihari mix  .Saute for some time till you see oil separates from gravy.

Add  about 4-5 cups of water in it , cover the lid and keep it on low flame for about 2 hours. ( You can check it between and stir the mix after every half an hour )

Check if chicken is tender enough , You have to cook  it till  the chicken flesh start separating from the bones .

Roast the normal wheat flour till golden brown in a pan and mix with one cup of water and add to the nihari pot and stir well till liquid starts thickening.

Cover and cook for another 15 minutes . check for the salt and add if necessary. ( There is salt already in the Nihari mix as well so check before adding salt ) .

Turn off the flame , Garnish with chopped coriander, chillies ,ginger and lemon and some fried onions .  Your chicken Nihari is ready  , you can enjoy it with steamed rice or naan.

The dish is also cooked with beef  and mutton but they takes way more time  around 6-7 hours since it is slowly cooked on low flame.