Chicken Handi

Name: Chicken Handi
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1.2 kg bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks; 5 yellow onions, thinly sliced; 2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped; 8 garlic cloves, chopped; 1 tbsp ginger paste; 0.33 cup vegetable oil; 2 tsp cumin seeds; 3 tsp ground coriander; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp red chili powder; 2 green chilies, slit; 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt, beaten smooth; 0.75 cup heavy cream; 3 tsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi); 1 tsp garam masala; 1 to taste kosher salt

From the kitchen of Carly

Northern Indian one-pot curry: chicken simmered in a yogurt-cream gravy with toasted spices and fried onions on top. Rich, layered, and the kind of leftovers that taste even better the next day. Take your time on the onions. Pale onions equal pale curry. Deep golden is the floor.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 1 hr
Total: 1 hr 20 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

1.2 kgbone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
5yellow onions, thinly sliced
2ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
8garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbspginger paste
0.33 cupvegetable oil
2 tspcumin seeds
3 tspground coriander
1 tspground turmeric
1 tspred chili powder
2green chilies, slit
1 cupplain whole-milk yogurt, beaten smooth
0.75 cupheavy cream
3 tspdried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 tspgaram masala
1 to tastekosher salt

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot or wok over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions and fry, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Be patient; the color is the flavor.
Use a slotted spoon to lift half the onions onto a paper towel. Reserve for garnish.
To the remaining onions in the pot, add the chopped garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the chopped tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes until they break down and start to release oil.
Stir in the ginger paste, cumin seeds, half the ground coriander, and the green chilies. Cook 1 minute.
Add the turmeric and chili powder. Saute 2 minutes, stirring constantly so the spices don't burn.
Add the chicken pieces and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to coat in the spice paste.
Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 25 minutes. The chicken should be nearly cooked through and the oil starting to separate around the edges.
Pull the pot off the heat. Stir in the beaten yogurt slowly (off-heat prevents curdling). Return to low heat. Sprinkle the remaining ground coriander and half the fenugreek leaves.
Stir in the cream. Bring everything back to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
Crush the remaining fenugreek leaves between your palms and scatter on top with the garam masala and the reserved fried onions.
Serve hot with naan, roti, or basmati rice.

Substitutions

bone-in chicken to boneless skinless thighs. Reduce simmer time to 15 minutes. Bones add depth but the dish still works.
heavy cream to coconut milk or cashew paste. Coconut milk takes it tropical; cashew paste (1/2 cup soaked cashews blended with water) is the dairy-free traditional swap.
green chilies to 1/2 tsp extra red chili powder. Adjust to your heat tolerance. The dish should warm, not burn.

Pairs well with: Warm naan or basmati rice (essential), Cucumber raita or a simple yogurt-mint sauce, Mango lassi or a cold lager

Adapted from TheMealDB.