Punjabi Chicken Pulao

When you think of Comfort-Food what comes to your mind? To mine, a rice dish, specially at the time when hunger pangs don't leave me in solace; it certainly has to be Chicken Pulao! :D I'm sure most of you will agree with me. 

I'm literally obsessed with rice and if I could, I would've had rice everyday and this type of Chicken Pulao that's called Punjabi for its cooking style/origin, is most certainly on top of my all-time favorite dishes! So naturally my 1st post on a main course dish had to be of rice besides, my best friend requested for it so, Fayee, this ones for you :D

This one-pot meal was introduced to us by my Khala (maternal aunt) while we were vacationing in Pakistan during school holidays. To be honest with you, my mom always made different type of Pulao before in which she prepared Yakhni (stock) and cooked rice in it (I shall be sharing the recipe of my mom's Pulao in the future posts) so, when she prepared a large pot of Punjabi Pulao, and dished out steaming hot rice while I was witnessing her culinary skills in the kitchen, which is my favorite task, the aroma that filled the kitchen and entered my nostrils, was enough to make me salivate (the memory still managed to do the same at this very moment :D)

The dinner was served and that day onward, I got hooked on it! My Mom got the recipe from her and switched to cooking it her way. I learnt to make it from my Mom years later naturally and just by watching her and asking her questions like always, as she busily gets on with the cooking. She even succeeded in turning my Dad into a devout fan of this delectable dish who's not very fond of chicken meat. I hope that should be evident enough to prove that what a beautiful meal it is :)

This hearty meal is not only served at Dawats (dinners,feasts etc) but is widely prepared for regular everyday meal as well. The blend of good quality Basmati rice, juicy tender chicken pieces, some vegetables to prepare Masala and aromatic spices creates such an amazing flavor that it is almost impossible to not love this succulent dish! (have I achieved the desired aim of making you fall for it yet or not? hmmm let me try some more) 

Punjabi Pulao with chilled Raitha (a dip made by using yogurt and fresh vegetables) is simply an oh-so-divine combo! But it can be paired with some Salan (curry) or Shorba (thin gravy) preferably made with meat, such as, Koftay (meatballs-both cooked as Salan or Shorba) Palak Gosht (spinach curry made with chicken or mutton/lamb) Aloo Gosht (Potatoes and meat cooked in thin gravy) to turn it into a rather grand meal (don't worry, you will find the recipes of all the aforementioned dishes in my upcoming posts, just stay tuned)
Mm-mm I'm drooling now so shall we see how this luscious dish is prepared? :)
So here we go, Let the cook be unleashed! :D 

Punjabi Chicken Pulao


Ingredients: 

1 kg chicken pieces (without skin)
4 cups of Basmati rice (soaked for an hour before cooking)
2 large onions (sliced)
2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
1/2 cup yogurt (beaten) 
2 tbsp. ginger garlic paste 
2 Green chilies 
1 tbsp. salt 
1 tsp red chili powder 
1 tsp coriander powder 
1 tsp Garam Masala powder 
1 tbsp of whole Garam Masala (black pepper corns, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, black cardamom pods, green cardamom pods, bay leaf, star anise all mixed together)
1/2 tsp of nutmeg, mace and fennel seed powder (mixed) 
3/4 cup of oil. 
5 cups + 1/2 cup of water 
Fresh coriander leaves and chopped green chilies for garnishing 

Method:

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot and fry onions in it till light golden-brown. 
2. Add ginger and garlic paste and the whole Garam Masala and fry for a few seconds. 
3. Now add 1/2 cup of water and cook till onions turn pasty. 
4. Add chicken pieces to it along with half of the salt and fry well till the chicken changes its color to golden-brown. 
5. Keep on frying for a few minutes more and add chopped tomatoes, chopped green chilies and all the spices to the chicken and mix well. 
6. Now add the beaten yogurt, give another mix and let this cook, covered over medium flame for 10 minutes.
7. If chicken is not cooked after 10 minutes, add a little water to cook it completely. 
8. Add 5 cups of water and the other half of the salt after all the moisture has been evaporated, chicken is cooked, gravy is formed and the oil added has been separated. 
9. Once the water starts boiling, add the drained rice and mix gently. 
10. Let the rice cook covered for 5 minutes over medium flame. 
11. Check after five minutes and if the water has been partially evaporated, mix again gently and sprinkle some chopped coriander and green chilies on top and turn the flame to the lowest possible. 
12. Cover the pot with a tea towel, place the lid back on and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Once the rice is done, turn off the flame, fluff the rice very gently and take out in a serving platter. Serve with chilled Raitha
    
    Serves: 4-6

That's all my dear readers! :) Seasoning can always be adjusted according to your taste and desire. I hope you enjoy making and eating it. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones.
Thank you and please remember in your Du'as/prayers! :)

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you!