Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We did too, even if it was different! A big part of the Thanksgiving weekend is planning Thanksgiving dinner! I and my husband are total foodies and love to cook and eat together! My husband loves to cook for not only this festive weekend but for most other festive weekends! And I am happy to be his sous chef and document the journey for my blog!
We decided to skip the turkey this year and opted for a slow-roasted chicken! Not just any roasted chicken, but a Murgh Musallam! Loosely translated Murgh Musallam, is a very popular Indian dish, which has Mughlai roots! It's a slow-roasted whole chicken(skinless) which has been stuffed with minced lamb/goat/beef and boiled eggs, cooked in an almond-poppy seed- yogurt sauce and finally finished in the oven! If you ever wanted to re-create a dish from the Indian royalty, this would be one of them! You cant miss the decadence in every bite! So if I have you intrigued about this chicken recipe, d check it out below! 
MURGH MUSALLAM:
SLOW-ROASTED CHICKEN STUFFED WITH MINCED MEAT AND EGGS
INGREDIENTS:
Whole Chicken, skinless: 1
Onions: 1 large: Finely chopped, 1 large/l Sliced
Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tbsp
Lam Mince/Goat Mince/Beef Mince: 1 cup
Cilantro: 1/4 bunch
Mint Leaves: 1/4 bunch
Red Chilo Powder: 2 tsp
Garam Masala: 1 tsp
Eggs: Boiled: 3-5
Almonds: Soaked and peeled: 15-20
Cashew nut: 6-10
Shahi Jeera/Black Cumin Seeds: 2 tsp
Poppy Seeds: 1-2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder: 1 tsp
Coriander Powder: 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder: 1/2 tsp
Tomato: 2: Finely Chopped
Plain Yogurt: 1 cup
Sugar: 1 tsp
Raisins: 1/2 cup
lime juice: 1 tbsp
Saffron Water: 1 tbsp
Canola Oil/Vegetable Oil: 7-8 tbsp
Ghee: 2 tbsp
Black Pepper Powder: 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon Stick: 2
Lemon: 1 whole for brining
Kitchen Twine
Salt
PROCEDURE:
Prepare the stuffing:
Dry roast the nuts, poppy seeds, and shahi jeera. cool and blend to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, and add the finely chopped onion. When the onions start to caramelize add 1/2 tbsp of ginger- garlic paste, half of the mint leaves, minced meat, and cook. When the meat is cooked, then the oil wills tart to leave from the sides of the pan. It should be dry and not have gravy. Keep aside, along with 3 of the boiled egg s for stuffing the chicken later.
Brine the chicken for a day in saltwater and aromatics of your choice!
Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Then apply the saffron water to it.
And some salt and red chili powder and message well.
With a sharp knife, make some gashes on both sides of the chicken,as shown.
Stuff the chicken with the cooked minced meat and 3 of the boiled eggs.
Truss the chicken/tie the chicken so that the filling doesn't spill out.
In an ovenproof pan, heat oil and add the rest of the onion. Once it starts to caramelize then add the rest of the ginger-garlic paste. Add in the tomatoes, garam masala powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, and create the base of the gravy! Cook it well, so that it doesn't have a raw smell to it.
Once you see that the tomatoes have broken down, add in the yogurt and nut mixture. Cook it till you see oil leaving the sides of the pan.
Then add yogurt and mix well.
Place the chicken with the breast facing down, and cook it closed with a lid for around 20 minutes. Keep basting it every 5 mins or so, with the gravy. You can also cook it ina preheated oven, at 350 F for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the chicken and cook it for another 10 minutes, with a lid on top.
Serve the chicken in a large platter with the gravy around it, and raisins, chopped mint, and cilantro sprinkled over. You can slice two of the boiled eggs around it and also sprinkle some slivered almonds for garnish!
Bon Appetit!
No comments