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A deeply flavored, slow-cooked chicken recipe that works well for a dinner party as well as a weeknight staple.
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About This Recipe
When I was visiting Pakistan to crowdsource recipes for my book, my Phupo (father’s younger sister) suggested I learn to make this. It was a recipe that my grandmother used to love to make that I unfortunately had little recollection of. While this recipe did not make it to my cookbook, Pakistan, it’s still a winner given how fresh, flavorful and simple it is. The nutty and warm spice blend of coriander, cumin, sesame and poppy seeds, and dried red chiles infuses it with incredible flavor, while the yogurt marinade and slow-cooking keeps it tender.
What Makes Dahi Chicken Different
The spice blend of cumin, coriander, whole red chiles, poppy seeds and sesame seeds is unique. It provides the chicken with an even, flavorful finish, which makes it a great dish to serve to guests who are new to Pakistani cuisine, and are nervous about spice levels. The chicken also doesn’t require you to “bhuno” it – stirring until the oil separates – and so requires minimal supervision, which makes it a breeze to prepare along with other dishes.
Ingredients
Coriander seeds: Freshly ground coriander seeds infuse a bright and floral flavor to the chicken.
Cumin seeds: The smoky flavor of cumin seeds helps balance the floral notes of coriander.
Crushed garlic: You can buy this at the store or just crush it yourself using a food processor or mortar and pestle.
Crushed ginger: You can buy this at the store or just crush it yourself using a food processor or mortar and pestle.
Fennel seeds: These infuse the dish with slightly sweet, warm notes.
Mild dried red chiles: In my home, we use dried dundicut the most but any mild dried red chile will work. In addition to South Asian grocery stores, you can also find them at Central American marts.
Poppy seeds (optional): These are white poppy seeds, not the black variety found in Western supermarkets. They are frequently used in South Asian cooking to thicken the texture, and give the dish a nutty flavor. If you can’t find them, feel free to omit.
Salt: I use ground Himalayan rock salt but you can use any variety. Just adjust based on taste.
Sesame seeds: Like the poppy seeds, sesame seeds impart the dish with a warm and nutty flavor, offering a nice balance to the coriander, cumin and chiles.
Yogurt: Use full-fat yogurt for the marinade.
Chicken with-bone: I like to use chicken thighs but you can use a mixed cut or chicken drumsticks instead.
Vegetable oil: Any neutral oil with a high smoke point (such as canola or sunflower) will work.
Make Ahead
What makes this dish great for weeknights as well as dinner party is that a lot of the prep work can be done in advance. You can dry roast the spices, grind, and store them in an airtight container several days ahead. The chicken can be marinaded at least 6 to 8 hours in advance. When you are ready to serve dinner, just take the chicken out from the fridge roughly 1 to 2 hours in advance, and ideally let it come to room temperature before slow-cooking it in a heavy bottomed pot.
What to Serve Dahi Chicken With:
Weeknight Dahi Chicken (Chicken with Yogurt Curry) Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
Spice Blend
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 6 mild dried red chiles
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Yogurt Sauce
- ½ cup full-fat yogurt lightly whisked
- 1 ½ teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon crushed ginger
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ kilogram (about 1 pound and 1 ounce) chicken with-bone, preferably thighs, cut in medium-sized pieces
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Roast the spice blend in a small frying or saucepan over low heat for roughly 2 minutes or until fragrant. Remove from heat and let it come to room temperature. Transfer to a spice grinder and pulse until coarsely ground.
- Add yogurt, salt and garlic and ginger paste to a large bowl, and whisk until well-mixed. Fold in the freshly ground masala, and mix well. Add chicken to the yogurt marinade, and coat it well. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour and up to overnight. When ready to cook, remove from the fridge, and let the chicken come to room temperature.
- In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium heat. Once it begins to shimmer, add the chicken with the yogurt marinade. Bring heat to low, and cover with a tight fitting lid. Let the chicken cook on low heat for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pieces, moving them occasionally with a spatula to make sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the chicken is cooked through and tender, remove from heat and serve.
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