Chicken Mandi: Bring Smoky Restaurant Flavours To Your Kitchen!

Craving Chicken Mandi but think it's too hard to make at home? Forget the restaurant queues! We've got a super easy, step-by-step recipe for you to make delicious, smoky Arabian-style Chicken Mandi. Your family will absolutely love it.

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Arabian-style Chicken Mandi at home.

Many people love Chicken and Mutton Mandi and queue up at restaurants every weekend. They feel the process is too long and difficult to try at home. But with this easy recipe, your whole family will be asking for more. You'll fall in love with this delicious Arabian-style Mandi Biryani. You will need 1.5 kg chicken leg pieces, 500-750g basmati rice, Mandi masala, oil, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, dried lemon, peppercorns, ginger-garlic paste, and green chillies.

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Making the special Mandi masala.

First, let's prepare the Mandi masala. You need to grind these ingredients together: 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tbsp peppercorns, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp fennel seeds, a 2-inch piece of cinnamon, 7-8 cloves, 6 cardamoms, 1 black cardamom, 1 bay leaf, a small piece of nutmeg, half a mace flower, a half-inch piece of dried ginger, half a dried lemon, and half a tablespoon of turmeric. Mix them all and set the powder aside.

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Marinate and cook the chicken first.

First, make cuts on the chicken pieces. Then, marinate them with salt, the juice of one lemon, and a tablespoon of oil. Massage it well and let it rest for an hour, or even overnight. Now, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add one star anise, a 2-3 inch piece of cinnamon, 3 cardamoms, 6 peppercorns, 4 cloves, dried lemon peel, and a tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste. Sauté until the raw smell is gone. Add the marinated chicken and 6-8 green chillies on top. You can add a little water and cook the chicken until it's 80-90% done, turning it occasionally. Then, take the chicken out and keep the leftover stock. Don't throw it away!

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Fry the chicken till it's crispy.

Now, wash and soak three-quarters of a kilo of basmati rice for half an hour. Take the cooked chicken, which has cooled down, and coat it with 3 tablespoons of the Mandi masala. Heat some oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces until they get a nice crispy layer. Sprinkle a little salt on top, as frying can reduce the saltiness.

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Getting the flavourful rice ready.

In another pan, heat some oil and ghee. Fry almonds, cashews, and raisins, then set them aside. In the remaining oil, add 2-3 sliced onions and 7-8 green chillies. Once they are cooked, add 1.5 tablespoons of ginger-garlic paste and sauté. Now, add half a cup of yogurt, some salt, and the rest of the Mandi masala. Pour in the chicken stock you saved earlier. Add enough water for the rice—for every one glass of basmati rice, you'll need 1.5 to 1.75 glasses of water. So, for three glasses of rice, you'll need about five glasses of liquid in total, including the stock. Mix everything, check the salt, and bring it to a boil.

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Layer the chicken and 'dum' cook.

Once the water is boiling, drain the soaked basmati rice and add it to the pot. Cook on a medium flame until the rice has absorbed most of the water. Stir it once or twice in between. When the rice is almost cooked, add two tablespoons of saffron water for great flavour and colour. When there's just a little moisture left at the bottom, arrange the fried chicken pieces on top of the rice. Now, cook it on 'dum' on a low flame for 10 minutes.

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The final touch: a smoky flavour.

For the final touch, we need to give the biryani a smoky flavour. You can use burning charcoal or even a piece of coconut shell. Heat it until it's red hot, place it in a small bowl in the centre of the biryani, and pour a little ghee or butter over it. Immediately cover the pot. The smoke will infuse into the biryani and chicken. Let it sit on low flame for five minutes. That's it! Your delicious Arabian Chicken Mandi is ready to serve.