KADAI CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 kg Chicken legs or whole chicken

For Marination:
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp salt
chilli powder as per taste

For Gravy:

8-9 peppercorns (kali mirch)
1 black cardamom (moti elachi)
2-3 cloves (laung)
2 Bay leaves (tej patta)
3-4 finely chopped onions
5-6 tomatoes paste (grind in blender)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 cup well beaten curd
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tsp chicken masala (I used MDH masala)
2 tbsp tomato sauce
4-5 tbsp oil for cooking
salt and red chilli powder to taste

METHOD
For Marination:
Wash chicken pieces well in water. Add lemon juice and all the other ingredients mentioned above for marination. Keep it in fridge for 1-2 hour or at least 30 minutes. By that time let's prepare gravy.

For gravy:

Dry roast peppercorns, black cardamom, cloves and bay leaf till little fragrant on very low flame. Remove bay leaf and grind rest of the spices.

Grinding whole spices is optional. I grind it to fine powder, as children don't like whole spices coming in their mouth.

Heat some oil in kadai, add tej pata and grind spices. Add finely chopped onions. Saute is well till completely brown. Add beaten curd and cook it well, till it leaves the oil. Don't be in hurry for this step.

Make sure to cook curd on low flame for about 4-5 minutes.

Now add tomato paste. Mix all the dry spices well in bowl and add in curry. Add tomato sauce. Let this cook on low flame for at least 15-20 minutes or till it start leaving the oil.

Add marinated chicken. Cover and cook it on low flame. Don't add water as chicken will release the water.

Once it is cooked garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with tandoori roti or rice.

NOTES:
1. Marination is very important don't skip this step. I marinated it with lemon juice instead of curd. One can add curd in marination.

2. If you are adding curd in marination don't add in curry, omit that part and follow rest of the steps.

3. Grinding whole spices is optional. I did it, as children don't like whole spices coming in their mouth.

4. Make sure onions are finely chopped for this recipe. I used chopper for chopping my onions fine. If you don't have one, grind onion after roasting it brown and not raw.

5. Beat the curd well before adding.

6. I did not add water at all as chicken releases the water.

7. I cooked only leg pieces as it is my kids favourite.

8. Leg pieces takes less time to cook as compared to other pieces. Total time it took was around 20-25 minutes.

Pictorial: