Wash the chicken pieces and set aside in a bowl
Make small cuts in the chicken to allow the marinade to penetrate thoroughly
I prefer an overnight margination for the first stage as it makes the flavours shine through, you can do it about 6 hours before cooking as there are two stages to marination
Mix all the ingredients from the overnight margination list above and coat the chicken pieces thoroughly, place in the refrigerator overnight
The reason hung curd is used is to as to ensure that no extra water gets into the gravy and the gravy has a beautifully creamy consistency
Use a muslin cloth to hand the curd for about 2 hours
Place the dahi /curd/ Indian set yoghurt in a fine muslin cloth and twist the ends to close the muslin and made a big potli/ parcel
Once all the water from the yoghurt collects in the vessel below, it isokay to remove it from the muslin *Check notes
Beat the hung yoghurt with a fork and then pour onto the chicken, add the lime juice and mix well, then add the oil
Now put the chicken back into the refrigerator for at least four hours
About 4 hours before making the chicken remove from the refrigerator and let is sit outside for about 45 minutes (during winter, during summer – depending upon the room temperature let it sit out for at least 20 minutes)
Let the chicken rest outside at room temperature while you make the gravy
Soak the almonds in lukewarm water for 10 minutes, the skin will come off easily
In a heavy bottomed pan heat the oil and then add the butter , follow this up with the green chillies, crushed ginger , crushed garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, black cardamom, green cardamom pods opened
Sauté well till all the whole spices are lightly fried , releasing all their gorgeous aromatic flavours
Now add in the whole cashews and whole almonds, stir and sauté
Then add the finely chopped onion and cook until they turn a light brown colour
Follow this up with the chopped tomato from a tin or concentrated tomato puree. Dilute the concentrated paste before adding. Read my notes below for tips.
Let this simmer for under 2 minutes, then transfer to a ceramic bowl and cool
String the chicken pieces through a skewer, spray some oil and cook them in a pre-heated oven at 200 degree Celsius until almost done. Turn the pieces so both sides get grilled equally
Alternatively, use a heavy bottom griddle pan and cook on either side till you see juices releasing
The best way to cook the chicken is over hot coal on a BBQ, which imparts a beautiful smoky flavour note to the chicken
Remove the chicken from the skewers and using a scissor cut them down to smaller chunks
Now blend the gravy using a blender – blend until you get a smooth consistency. Read my pro-tipbelow for this step – it can make or break your dish
In the same pan used to sauté the gravy, add the smooth gravy from the blender, if you want you can add an additional dollop of butter before adding the gravy
Now stir in the chicken pieces and mix well
Then add in the kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves, sugar and salt as per taste and cook on a very low heat setting until done. Cover and cook
When the chicken has cooked through transfer to a serving bowl
Garnish with fresh cream, some chopped coriander leaves, some kasuri methi/ dried fenugreek leaves and serve hot
Serve with a side of buttery garlic naans, or plain tandoor roti’s or steamed basmati rice or simply plain naan
Whatever you choose to pair it with remember to add a blob of butter on top for that added decadence
