Chicken Chaanp

Chicken Chaanp

Not sure how much of Chaaps you will get else where in India but the Chicken Chaap along with Chicken Rezala is one of the commonest of dishes found in Calcutta that didnot manage to grow outside the city. I have friends settled abroad who swear by the Chicken Biryani and Chicken Chaanp at Siraj,Nizam or Aminia - the old restaurants of the city which in their hey day were the best ones in the city.

The dish is so called because of the cut of the meat  - Usually involving one solid chunk of meat on the bone and cooked in the traditional Awadhi style that involves garam masalas and aroma.The Chicken Chaanp was prepared for a few guests coming over a recent weekend.

The Chaanp pieces that I selected were from the legs and thigh of the chicken put together and weighed roughly 200 gms each and ideally good for a single serving.

Ingredients:

• Chicken: 1 kilo. 
• Onion: 250 gms(4-5 medium sized pieces). Finely sliced.
• Garlic: 8-10 cloves.Crushed. Divide into two equal portions.
• Ginger: One 1 inch piece.Crushed. Divide into two equal portions.

Whole Spices:

• Bay Leaf:2
• Green Cardamon:5-6
• Cinnamon Stick:One 1 inch piece
• Cloves:4-5
• Nutmeg: 1/2 - Powdered.
• Jaitri(Mace): 1/2 - Powdered.
• Black Pepper:8-10.Crushed.
• White Pepper:4-5.Crushed.
• Shahi Jeera: 2 tsp.

Powdered Spices:

• Turmeric Powder: 2 tsp.
• Coriander Powder: 3 tsp.
• Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder: 2 tsp.
• Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp.

Other Ingredients:

• Vegetable Oil - 5-6 tbsp.
• Ghee - 2 tbsp.
• Curd: 150 gms. Whisked.
• Salt - to taste.
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp

Aroma:

• Kewra Water: 1 drop
• Rose Water: 2 drops.

The Marinade:

• Chicken
• Onion - 1 Medium sized.Made into a fine paste.
• Garlic and Ginger - Equal portions from the halved.
• Salt
• Oil - 1 table spoon.

Mix the ingredients for the marinade and keep aside for a minimum of 2 hours.


Cooking:

• Heat the oil in a pan and add the whole spices. Wait for the spices to crackle.
• Once the spices release the aroma and the ginger and garlic followed by the onions slices.
• Add the sugar at this point to enable caramelization.
• Wait until the onion has turned golden brown and the raw texture of the mix is gone.
• Add the chicken along with the marinade at this point and turn the heat to high.The Powdered spices too need to be added at this point.
• Stir the mixture vigorously for around 10-15 mins.And then add the salt.
• Stir for another 10 mins until the colour of the mixture turns brownish and oil starts to release from the mixture. For the experience cook, the aroma and texture should indicate that the "koshano" i.e. mixing up of the spices, onions etc has been completed.
• Add warm water, sufficient enough to cover the chicken and cover it with a lid. Let it cook for 20 mins.
• Once the juices dry up, add additional warm water and repeat this process for atleast an hour.At the end add the whisked curd. Stir thoroughly.
• Then add ghee,garam masala powder, rose water and kewra water and mix the ingredients one final time.

The end result should give you a thick,dense gravy and soft and succulent chicken that you see in the photo.
Serve with pulao/biryani!