Chicken Yakhni Pulao

Yakhni means stock...so chicken yakhni pulao literally translates into pulao cooked in chicken stock. It’s a beautiful Mughlai Rice preparation where succulent chicken pieces are cooked in aromatic spices in the first half and then with the rice, giving the rice a nice aroma. Yakhni Pulao is one of my favourites because it’s upright easy to cook, without all the hassles of Biriyani and is rather easy to digest and deal with. Simple yet...certainly a crowd pleaser!!

Chicken Yakhni Pulao

Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

1 and ½ cup of fine Basmati rice

1 kg chicken on bone (cut into slightly large pieces) / 6 -7 chicken leg pieces

2 onions – sliced

6-7 fat garlic cloves – paste

1 inch ginger – paste

4 green chillies – paste

1 and ½ tsp sha-zeera / caraway seeds

2, 1 inch cinnamon sticks

4 green cardamoms

4 cloves

1 medium bay leaf

1 tsp rose water

½ tsp kewra / screwpine water

1 and ½ tsp garam masala powder (use homemade and add 1 blade of mace and a pinch of nutmeg with the spices)

2 tbsp warm milk (optional)

10-12 strands of saffron (optional)

A few fresh coriander leaves – chopped

1 cup thick yogurt – whisked

½ cup ghee

Salt

Method:

Marinate the chicken with yogurt, ginger – garlic – chilli paste and some salt for at least an hour.

Wash the rice until clear water runs out. Put the rice in a bowl and fill it with water. Soak the rice in water for about 30-45 minutes. Then drain the water and keep it aside.

Take the warm milk in a bowl and add the saffron strands to it. Mix with a spoon and keep aside. The colour of the milk will darken soon.

Heat the ghee and temper with caraway seeds, cinnamon sticks, green cardamoms, cloves and bay leaves.

Sauté for a minute or until the ghee becomes aromatic and then add the sliced onions to them.

Sprinkle some salt over them and cook the onions until they become nicely golden brown.

Add the marinated chicken pieces to them and mix them with the onions.

Cook the chicken pieces covered for 3-4 minutes and then gently give them a stir to change their positions.

Again cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the chicken pieces are nicely golden from the outside.

Add 3 cups of water and some salt to the chicken pieces and put cover to let them cook.

Cook for 12-15 minutes or until the chicken pieces are half done.
In a seperate pan or kadai add 1 tbsp ghee and let it melt. Add the drained rice to the ghee and gently start frying the rice. Take extra care in stirring the rice so that the grains don't break. When the rice grains appear perfectly seperated from each other and they don't stick to the pan or cooking spatula as well....that's when you know the rice is ready to add to the chicken.

Now add the fried rice to the pot of chicken and mix them well.

Add rose water and kewra / screwpine water and the garam masala powder.

Stir to mix and then put cover.

Cook for another 12-15 minutes or until the rice is soft and fluffy.

Take a piece of cotton or muslin cloth and spread it over the uncovered cooking pot.

Now tightly close the lid on that covered pot.

Let it sit like this for 10 minutes more and then open.

Take away the cloth and drizzle the warm milk diluted with saffron.

Sprinkle the chopped coriander leaves.

Fluff the rice with a fork so that the colour can be scattered.

Serve hot with some raita and green salad.