Best and Easy Chicken Handi Recipe. Are you ready to make food for unexpected guests? So, you must show your quick cooking skills to make delicious food to entertain your guests.
Therefore, we have a surprise recipe for chicken Handi that is traditional and trending Indian Pakistani food. It needs simple and readily available ingredients, so visit the nearby grocery store to find all the cooking elements. The cooking time of this chicken curry is about 30 minutes. However, you can serve This saucy and flavored food with rice and bread.
What Is Chicken Handi?
Whenever you talk about Pakistani or Indian food, chicken Handi and chicken kadai will be on the list. This food is part of everyday life in south Asian countries. Multiple variants of this recipe are available due to its worldwide popularity.
This spicy food is the best blend of chicken, onion, tomatoes, turmeric, and spices. Traditional people used clay pots for cooking. However, if you still have the clay ports, nothing is more satisfying than its earthy aroma and juicy texture.
Chicken Handi allows us to add spices and ingredients according to our requirements. So, follow us to make this delicious food in our style for the perfect dinner.
What Is The Difference Between Chicken Kadai And Chicken Handi?
Most of the time, people confuse chicken handi with chicken kadai. However, both have almost the same ingredients, but a slight difference in cooking style and ingredients makes them different.
Chicken handi comes with smooth gravy, a blend of onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, chili, and spices. Deep cooking pans are used for cooking on medium flame.
However, Chicken kadai has a sticky gravy blend of tomatoes, chili garlic, and ginger. Although, a flat metal pan is recommended for cooking on high flame.
Serve Chicken Handi With:
Is Chicken Handi Healthy?
It contains.
- Medium range of calories
- Fewer carbohydrates
- A reasonable amount of fats
- High level of protein
- Vitamin b6
- Vitamin e
However, the number of ingredients and way of cooking can change its nutrient facts. Chicken has a good amount of carbs that are a source of instant energy. Moreover, chicken has a reasonable amount of protein that is helpful in muscle building, boosting the immune system, and repairing body tissues. But it is recommended to take a very wise amount of chicken because its fat amount may increase your cholesterol level.
Why Chicken Handi?
- Less Cooking Time
This food is the best solution for instant hunger. You need some essential ingredients, The cooking time of chicken is low, but if you are using a pressure cooker, then it can be done in less time.
- Spicy taste
Chicken curry is a Pakistani and Indian dish, and the foods of these regions are famous due to their spices. So, it makes the best combination of rice and bread.
In addition, if you like spices and love bold aromas, nothing can beat this chicken curry.
- Proteins
Using a reasonable amount of chicken is recommended to meet your protein needs. Chicken helps in tissue building and muscle health. However, protein with low spices and oils is good for maintaining body mass.
So, please use our recipe to stay healthy and active to meet your daily needs.
Chicken Handi Ingredients
- Chicken Meat: It is a vital component of this food. There are multiple chicken meat options, such as boneless whole chicken meat, chicken with bones, chicken chest meat, or chicken thigh meat. However, we will use a bite-size boneless chicken thigh. You are free to use fresh or frozen chicken thighs. If you have thighs with bone, you can easily remove them with the help of a sharp knife.
- Greek Yogurt: Yogurt helps to make smooth gravy, softer chicken, and savory flavor. We use greek yogurt in our recipe, but it depends on availability.
- Spices: No doubt chicken is a key ingredient, but you must consider other ingredients for this unique recipe. Every spice has its unique taste and value to make delicious food. So, it would be best to have powdered spices such as salt, pepper, cloves, chili, turmeric, cumin, dry coriander, and red chili.
- Tomatoes- Its use provides a smooth reddish gravy that increases the taste and presentation value of chicken handi. However, due to the non-availability of fresh tomatoes, replace them with canned tomatoes and puree.
- Onion: Onion makes good smooth gravy with tomatoes. Use onion as available, such as red, yellow, or white.
- Garlic: Use fresh minced garlic. However, bottled garlic is fine.
- Bay leaves: adds an ingredient to enjoy its unique aroma to the gravy. However, it is optional.
- Oil: Oil is a necessary ingredient to cook. You can alternatively use many oils as per your taste, such as sunflower or canola.
Required Equipment for Cooking
- Cooking wok
- Spatula
- Instant Pot
Step By Step Cooking Instructions
Marination
- Add chicken, turmeric, salt, lemon juice, and yogurt in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well to coat all ingredients on the meat properly. Cover with a paper sheet and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Cooking
- Take a cooking pot, set the medium heat level, and add oil and onion. Saute onions.
- Now add tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft.
- Add marinated chicken pieces, bay leaves, chili, salt, and minced garlic. Cook chicken for 6-7 minutes on medium heat and cover for 5 minutes on low heat. Or let it cook into its juices.
- When all moisture evaporates, then add a little water for smooth gravy. Cook until the chicken turns soft.
- At the last stage, add all other mentioned spices as per your required quantity.
Expert Tips
- You can use other parts of chicken instead of thighs.
- It is your choice to use boneless chicken or with bones.
- You can add ginger paste.
- Don’t overcook.
- It would be best to have a thick bottom wok.
- Set heat wisely. The High heat could cause burning.
- Cook until the chicken turns into a softer foam.
- If gravy is not smooth and looks raw, curry is not cooked correctly.
- If your gravy is shining, it means chicken Handi is ready.
How Do You Store?
You can store curry for up to two weeks in a refrigerator with an air-tight container. Long storage needs to be hygienic. Use a microwave to defrost it. Don’t freeze the same curry again and again to prevent health issues.
Best and Easy Chicken Handi Recipe
Equipment
- 1 medium-sized bowl
- 1 Instant Pot Duo Crisp 8 quarts
- 1 Ladle for mixing
Ingredients
- 300 grams chicken thigh please see notes
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium tomatoes quartered
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 tbsp cooking oil of your choice
Marinade
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 lemon Juice of half lemon
- 5.3 oz Plain Greek Yogurt
Spices
- 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
- 1/8 tsp Ground Cardamom
- 1/8 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Chili Powder (Gochugaru} please see note 1
- 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander
- 1/8 tsp Cumin
- 2 leaves Dry Bay Leaves
Instructions
Prepare the Chicken
- Slice chicken thigh into bite-sized pieces and put into a medium- size bowl. Add the rest of the marinade ingredients and cover with plastic wrap. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for thirty minutes or more.
- When the chicken is ready, heat two tablespoons of cooking oil in a medium size pan and saute the onion. Saute until the onion turns transparent and has charred edges as shown above. Add the garlic and cook for another two minutes.
- Add the tomatoes and cook on low heat until the tomatoes are soft. Add the chicken and add spices and gently mix. Add the cilantro leaves and the bay leaves. Cover and continue cooking on low heat until the chicken pieces are soft.
How to Cook in the Instant Pot
- Follow step one above.
- When the chicken is ready, place the inner pot into the IP base and push the saute button. Set the timer to thirty minutes. Add in the oil.
- Wait for three minutes and saute the onion until translucent and brown charred are present to the edges. Add the garlic and cook for two more minutes. Add the tomato and cook it until soft.
- Add the prepared chicken and add the spices. Mix the ingredients gently. Add the cilantro leaves and top with the dry bay leaves.
- Cancel the saute setting and cover the pot with the pressure cooker lid. Push the pressure cooker button setting and set the pressure to HI. Set the timer to eight minutes. Please see note
Notes
- Slice the chicken thinly if you are cooking it stove top for quick cooking.
- Cooking chicken handi in the Instant Pot is quick and easy, but it may yield and thin sauce compared to cooking it stovetop.
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