Chicken Boneless Juicy Mandi-single Recipe

Prepare and marinate

Pat chicken pieces dry. In a large bowl combine yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, ground coriander, ground cumin, black pepper, turmeric, red chili powder, salt, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add chicken and massage marinade into pieces until evenly coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably 3–6 hours (overnight for best flavor).

Pan-roast or sear (to build color)

Heat 1 tablespoon butter or oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Remove excess marinade from the chicken (keep the marinade in bowl). Sear chicken in batches, 2–3 minutes per side, just until golden (not fully cooked). Transfer seared pieces to a plate. Keep skillet drippings to baste later.

Prep rice

Rinse soaked basmati rice under cold water until water runs clear. Drain and set aside for 10 minutes to remove excess water.

Cook aromatics

In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons ghee/oil over medium heat. Add sliced onion and sauté until deep golden brown (8–10 minutes). Remove half the fried onions and reserve for garnish. To the pot add remaining ghee if needed, then add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.

Combine rice with spices

Add the drained rice to the pot and gently stir to coat grains with fat and aromatics for 1–2 minutes. Add black lime (loomi) or lime powder, baharat/mandi spice mix and salt, mixing gently.

Add liquids

Pour in 3.5 cups water (or a combination of water and the prepared mandi broth). If using saffron, stir saffron milk into the water now. Bring to a gentle boil uncovered.

Layer chicken and finish cooking

Once water is boiling, reduce heat to low. Arrange the seared marinated chicken in a single layer over the rice (skinless pieces). If you reserved wet marinade, spoon it sparingly over chicken (do not pour large amounts or rice will become soggy). Cover the pot tightly with a lid or seal with foil and cook on low for 18–22 minutes until rice is tender and chicken is cooked through (internal temp 74°C / 165°F).

Rest

Turn off the heat and let the pot rest, covered, for 10 minutes to allow steam to settle and flavors to meld.

While chicken marinates, bring 2 cups chicken stock (or water), halved tomato, smashed garlic and 1/2 tsp salt to a simmer in a small saucepan for 10 minutes. Strain and reserve the clear broth. Use 1–1.5 cups of this broth to replace equal part of the rice cooking water for deeper flavor; keep remainder for basting or serving if desired.

Optional smoky aroma (dumphing)

If you want a smoky mandi aroma, heat a small metal bowl or piece of foil and place 1 tablespoon smoked wood chips in it. Set the bowl on top of the cooked rice/chicken (or place chips in a small pan over low heat until smoking), then immediately cover the pot tightly and let smoke infuse for 5 minutes. Remove bowl before serving.

Crisp chicken (optional)

For extra juicy-browned chicken, heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter/oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Quickly pan-roast the cooked chicken pieces 1–2 minutes per side to crisp and baste with pan drippings. This step also caramelizes any marinade for extra flavor.

Assemble and garnish

Fluff rice gently with a fork. Transfer rice to a serving platter or leave in pot and arrange chicken on top. Sprinkle reserved fried onions, toasted nuts, and chopped cilantro over the rice. Serve with lemon wedges, pickled chiles or green chili sauce and extra broth on the side.