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Nawabi Chicken Chaap


A 110 years old Bengali Nawabi recipe, Chicken Chaap/Chaa(n)p (with a nasal tone) was brought by the Nawabs when shifting bases from Bangladesh to Murshidabad in Bengal around the eighteenth century. The popular Mughlai restaurant Royal Indian Hotel, commonly known as "Royal" in Burra Bazar, Calcutta have been serving this delicacy over 105 years! Though I've never been a big fan of chicken, this dish made its appearance whenever guests appeared unannounced, along with Biryani, Naan or Roomali roti. Made with chicken leg quarters having a mildly rich aromatic gravy, and pairs seamlessly with almost anything from Indian breads to rice, Chicken Chaap is what you should try if you have a thing for Awadhi dishes like most Bengali's do.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg chicken, cut into leg quarters.

  • 1 cup yogurt/dahi/hung curd

  • 3 medium onions, sliced

  • Ginger paste, 2 tbsp

  • Garlic paste, 2 tbsp

  • Garam masala powder (Indian mixed spices), 1 tbsp

  • 1 cup poppy seeds, made into paste

  • 1/2 cup cashew nuts, made into paste

  • Kashmiri red chilli powder, 1-2 tbsp

  • Red chilli powder, 1-2 tbsp

  • Ghee

  • Mustard oil

  • Salt, to taste

  • Sugar, to taste

  • Meetha attar (edible perfume oil), 3-4 drops

  • Kewra water, 3-4 drops

Directions

Fry onions in a pan with a pinch of salt. After the onions turn golden brown, transfer them to a blender to make a paste. Add yogurt, onion paste, ginger garlic paste, garam masala powder, poppy seed paste, cashew seed paste, red chilli powder, Kashmiri chilli powder and salt to chicken. Mix well and marinate for 3-4 hours. Heat oil and ghee (1:1) in a big pan. Add the marinated chicken pieces followed by the marinade. Cover the pan with a lid and cook in low to medium flame for 30 minutes until oil comes out. Turn off the flame, add a few drops of meetha attar, kewra water and a teaspoon of ghee. Mix well and serve along with biryani or naan/paranthas.

P.S. If you are adding mutton instead of chicken, don't forget to add 4-5 tbsp of raw papaya paste in the marinade. Enjoy!

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