CHICKEN MALAI HANDI

Made with succulent boneless chicken pieces cooked in buttery, creamy rich gravy with a blend of aromatic & spices, this scrumptious Chicken Malai Handi is packed with flavors and aroma & tastes heavenly delicious!!

Serve it with roghni naan, naan, tandoori roti & enjoy this restaurant style authentic Chicken Malai Handi with your loved ones at the comfort of your home.

Ingredients:

Boneless Chicken thighs 2 pounds (cut up in medium sized chunks or cubes)
Oil 1/2 Cup
Onion (sliced) 2 medium sized
Cashews 10-12 (soaked in 1/3 cup hot water)
Green Chillies 4 (spicy)
Green Cardamom 3 pods
Cloves 3
Cinnamon 2 inch long stick
Fresh Garlic (minced) 1/2 tablespoon
Fresh Ginger (minced) 1/2 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Coriander Powder 1 teaspoon
Cumin Powder 1 teaspoon
Black Pepper Powder 3/4 teaspoon
Garam Masala Powder 3/4 teaspoon
Yogurt 1/3 Cup
Thick Cream 1/3 Cup
Kasuri Meethi (Dried Fenugreek leaves) 1 tablespoon
Unsalted Butter 1 tablespoon
Freshly Crackled Black Pepper to sprinkle on top

Instructions:

Soak cashews in hot water for half an hour.

Heat oil in a wok/ pan over medium heat.

When the oil starts heating up, add sliced onions in it.

Sauté the onions on medium heat until translucent and slightly golden in colour.

When done, take the onions out of the pan and let it cool down for sometime.

Add the sautéed onions, green chilies and soaked cashews along with the water in a blender.

Blend everything to a smooth paste and set it aside.

In the same wok, sizzle green cardamom, cinnamon stick and cloves for 10 seconds till you get a nice aroma.

Add fresh Ginger and Garlic in it and sauté it for few seconds until fragrant.

Add boneless chicken thigh pieces in it and sauté it for few minutes on medium high heat until the meat is no longer pink and slightly seared from all side.

When done, add salt in it along with onion, cashews and chilli paste that we prepared earlier and give it a good mix.

Now stir in all the dry spices including coriander powder, cumin powder, ground black pepper and garam masala powder.

Sauté it on medium heat for 3-4 minutes to eliminate the rawness of the spices.

When done, lower the heat to medium low and add yogurt in it.

Give it a good stir until well combined.

Cover the pan and let it simmer on medium heat stirring it occasionally in between until all the water dries up and oil separates from gravy and surfaces on top.

When done, pour thick cream on top and give it a stir. This will add the richness and flavour in the dish.

Add crushed dried Kasuri Meethi (Fenugreek leaves) on top along with a dollop of unsalted butter.

Half cover the wok/ pan and let it simmer on low heat for 2-3 minutes until butter melt.

When done, take it off the heat, sprinkle ground black pepper on top.

Garnish it with green chillies and julienned ginger and serve this Restaurant style Chicken Malai Handi right away with some Roghni naan, Garlic Naan, or plain rice and Enjoy!!