Jeera Chicken

Jeera Chicken

Now thats the beauty of the kitchen, if I may say that.
After having cooked a tasty Jeera Chicken and Peas Pulao in the afternoon, I cooked another Chicken dish in the evening that yielded in a disaster.What saved the dish was the beer which I lovingly enjoyed more than the Chicken.And good that the guests were high on spirits too which effectively ensured that the dish was "eatable".But do note that I ensured that the folks who arrived for dinner had a good time - which forms the background and spirit of any get together for friends.Sunday evening is definitely not the best of times to savour alcohol because the effects of gobbling up loads of spirit results in a catastrophic hangover the next day. Mix in a bit of Monday morning blues and boy - what a way start to the work week!
This post is the one for the Jeera Chicken,involves a number of twists: like slow cooking,tomato-ey that we had forlunch.It is a slow cooked chicken dish that yields in soft and tender chicken,slightly roasted and dark brownish in colour.I have used a lot of tomato in this dish and loved it being a little sour.

Serves: 3

Preparation Time: 25 mins
Cooking Time: 1.5 hours.

Ingredients:

• Chicken: 750 gms. On the bone
• Onion: 300 gms.Cut into longitudinal slices.
• Ginger:One 1 inch piece.Crushed.
• Garlic: 30 gms.Crushed.
• Tomato: 300 gms.Made into a fine paste.
• Potato: 1 large.Optional though.But for the Bengali a slice of potato in chicken/mutton dishes is a must.
• Vegetable Oil:3 tbsp.
• Melted Ghee: 1 tsp.
• Honey: 1 tsp
• Salt: To taste.

Powdered Spices:

• Turmeric Powder:2 tsp
• Coriander Powder: 2 tsp

Whole Spices:

• Shahi Jeera: 2 tsp
• Green Cardamon: 3 nos.
• Cinnamon Stick: Two 1 inch pieces
• Bay leaf: 2

Procedure:

• Heat 3 tbsp of vegetable oil in a pan.
• Under medium heat: Add all the whole spices once the oil is hot. Wait for the spices to sputter and release their aroma. 
• Then add the crushed ginger and garlic.
• Let the smell of the ginger and garlic evolve after which add the sliced onion.
• Turn the heat to low and stir the onion pieces for a minimum of 15-18 mins, so that they turn golden to dark brown.
• Then add the chicken pieces.
• Increase heat to high and stir the chicken for 2-3 mins.
• Under continued high heat, add the tomato paste,powdered spices, honey and salt.
• Continue stirring till the raw-ness of the tomato disappears and the colour of the mixture turns dark brown.
• The mixture should be balanced and homogenous at this point of time. 
• Check the amount of salt and add more if required.
• Turn the heat to low and start the slow cooking process.Add some amount of warm water and cook covered till the water dries up. Repeat this process till the time the chicken turns soft and melts in the mouth.This should require around 35-40 mins.During the slow cooking process, donot stir the chicken pieces much, since that might cause the soft pieces to break away.

When the chicken is done, sprinkle some melted ghee and serve with rice/roti/paranthas