Nawabi Chicken Pulao Recipe

Chicken and rice combination is my ultimate soul satisfying food. So I bring to you my special recipe of  Nawabi Chicken Pulao. The term Nawabi indicates a touch of Mughlai essence in the recipe.

This recipe can be cooked with mutton as well, but prefer it with chicken. There are varieties of chicken-rice recipes flooding the internet.

But my Nawabi Chicken Pulao dish is an easy to make recipe with ingredients available in the kitchen or near by shop. No heavy and expensive ingredients are needed. It is quick to make and is highly delicious in taste.

Now lets check the recipe of Nawabi Chicken Pulao that includes ingredients followed by step-by-step preparation method.

Ingredients of Nawabi Chicken Pulao Recipe:

1 .Curd/Yogurt.

2. Onion.

3. Garlic (lasun), Ginger (adrakh), Green chili (hara mircha), Lemon (nibu).

4.Chicken (quantity as per your need).

5.Dry roasted.

6. Shahi Garam Masala Powder, Kewra water, Turmeric powder (haldi), Salt (namak).

7.  Red Chili Powder (laal mirch powder), Briyani Powder ( preferably Everest), Cumin Powder (jeera powder),     Coriander powder (dhaniya powder), Kasuri Meethi (dry roasted), Black Pepper Powder (kala mirch powder).

8. Dry roasted kasuri Meethi ( dry roast it on tawa or microwave).

9.Clarified Butter (ghee).

10.White Oil.

11.Barista (deep fried crispy onions).

12. Onion oil (left from barista).

13. Basmati Rice (flavorful long grain rice).

14. Whole Garam Masala (sabut khade garam masale) like Cardamom (elaichi), Cinnamon (dalchini), Black Cardamom (badi elaichi), Clove (long), Bay leaf (tej patta), Nutmeg (jaiphal), Mace (javitri), Dried Red Chilies (laal mirch).

15. Sugar (optional).

16. Red or Yellow food color (optional).

 

Preparation Method of Nawabi Chicken Pulao Recipe:

I have divided my recipe into three sub-parts – marination, roasting, pressure cooking the pulao.

 

Marination:

• Slice the onions and deep crispy fry it to make barista.

 

 

• Keep the onion oil aside for later use.

 

 

• To marinate the chicken  we have make a paste from the given ingredients. In a mixer grinder one by one add garlic, ginger, green chili, onion, roasted cardamom, barista, salt, onion oil, lemon juice, roasted kasuri meethi, kewra water and make a smooth paste (also add water if required).

• Wash the chicken properly and drain off the water. Now place the chicken in a cooking vessel and add beaten curd/yogurt into it. Mixed well and keep it covered for 10-15 mins.

 

• Now add the aromatic paste in the chicken and curd mixture and mix it well. Then add salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder, Briyani powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, kasuri meethi, black pepper powder, garam masala powder. Mix well so that the chicken is well coated with the aromatic paste and the spices.

 

• Add a few drops of kewra water again and barista and stir it well. keep the marinated chicken covered for an hour or if possible for longer time. If marinating for longer period, then keep the marinated chicken in the refrigerator.

 

Roasting:

• Heat a tawa or even a non stick pan with ghee and add a few drops of white oil so that the ghee do not burn.

 

• Once the ghee is heat add the marinated chicken pieces in the tawa. keep the flame high for first 7-8 mins.

 

 

• After 7-8 mins lower the flame and cover the tawa or pan with a lid. Let the chicken get cooked slowly. In between keep checking the chicken. Chicken will lose a lot of juice in the tawa. Let the chicken get cooked in its juice for next 15-20 mins or till it gets tender.

 

 

• Once the chicken is tender flip it opposite side. Now partially cover the chicken with lid so that the juice slowly evaporates. keep cooking between low to medium flame till it is completely cooked.

 

• Once the juice evaporates, roast the chicken on the tawa  both sides till it turns little reddish. Switch off the flame and keep it aside for later cooking. (Also you can enjoy the chicken tawa roast as a starter).

Pressure Cooking The Pulao:

• Wash the Basmati rice thoroughly and keep it soaked in water for at least half an hour.

 

• After Half an hour drain the water and the Basmati rice aside. Then place a pressure cooker on gas oven and heat it.

 

• As the cooker heat up, add whole garam masala- Cardamom, Cinnamon,  Black Cardamom, Clove, Bay leaf, Nutmeg, Mace, Dried Red Chilies and Ghee and few drops of white oil.

 

• Keep stirring the whole garam masala in the ghee till the aroma comes out. Then add sliced onions in the cooker and saute it till it turns brown.

 

 

• Add the socked Basmati rice in the cooker. Stir the rice, spices and onions all together.

 

 

• Now add the chicken tawa roast in the cooker and stir it properly with the rice.

 

 

• Next add- salt, turmeric powder, black pepper powder, briyani powder, garam masala powder, sugar (optional; sugar is added to balance the flavor over all), dry roasted kasuri meethi, barista, kewra water.

 

• Stir is properly so that all the flavors get mixed properly. You can also add red or yellow food color for a vibrant look but again its optional.

 

 

• Add hot water in cooker (measurement of water for basmati rice is 1:1 proportion). mix well. Add lemon juice so that the rice don’t stick to each other after cooking.

 

 

 

• Now close the cooker with its lid. Cook it on high flame till one whistle and switch off the flame. Leave the pressure cooker as it is till the pressure comes out on its own.

• Nawabi Chicken Pulao is ready. Serve hot with raita and green chutney or any other preferable non veg dish of your choice.