Chicken Machboos / Whole Chicken Majboos

Ingredients:

600 gm whole chicken, cleaned

2 cups basmati rice

1 onion, sliced

1 tbsp crushed ginger-garlic

6 green chillies, chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp pepper powder

1 tsp tomato sauce

1 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 tsp majboos masala

2-3 tbsp carrot, grated

6 cardamoms

1 small piece cinnamon

4 cloves

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp pepper corns

1 dried lemon

salt to taste

oil as required

Preparation:

1. Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes, drain it and keep it aside
2. Heat 4-5 tbsp oil in a thick bottomed pan and add cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, pepper corns and dried lemon and saute for few seconds.
3. Add sliced onion, chopped tomato, crushed ginger-garlic and chopped green chillies and saute well.
4. Add turmeric powder, pepper powder, tomato sauce and chicken stock and saute well. Add majboos masala to this and mix well.
5. Add cleaned chicken and saute well till masala is well coated with chicken. Add 1 cup of water and salt to this and cook covered on low flame till chicken is cooked well, stirring occasionally.
6. Then remove the cooked chicken from the gravy and add the drained rice to the gravy and mix well.
7. Add 1 1/2 cups of boiling water and grated carrot to this and cook covered till done at low flame. ( Adjust the water according to the rice you used..Check after 12-15 minutes if more water is required, add 1/4-1/2 cup of more water if required to cook the rice properly).
8. In the meantime, fry the cooked chicken in the hot oil till brown.
9. Place this fried chicken on top of the rice and keep it covered for 5 minutes at low flame... Serve hot...

Recipe Source: Vanitha Magazine