Name: Bihari Dehati Chicken
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 375 g Chicken, curry cut, bone-in; 2 Onion, finely sliced (equal ratio to meat is preferred in Bihar); 1 Garlic, WHOLE bulbs, outer skin cleaned; ¾ tbsp Garlic, crushed fresh garlic; ½ tbsp Ginger, crushed into paste; 2 Dried Red Chili Peppers, whole; 1 Indian Bay Leaf; ½ Black Cardamom; ½ tsp Cumin Seeds; 5 Black Peppercorns; ½ tsp Ground Turmeric; ¾ tsp Red Chilli Powder; ¾ tbsp Ground Coriander; ½ tsp Garam Masala, meat masala preferred; ⅛ cup Mustard Oil, absolutely mandatory for the authentic pungent flavor; ¾ tsp Salt, to taste

1 hr 15 mintotal

1 hr hands-on15 min hands-off

Prep 15 min · Cook 45 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: Spicy

Add to your week

Method

Heat mustard oil in a heavy-bottomed kadhai until it smokes heavily. This burns off the raw mustard smell. Lower the heat.
Add cumin seeds, dry red chillies, bay leaves, black cardamom, and black peppercorns. Let them crackle.
Add the huge mountain of sliced onions. Fry on medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes until they melt down and turn dark, caramelized brown. (Do not rush this; onions form the entire base of the gravy).
15–20 min
Add ginger and garlic paste. Sauté for 2 minutes.
2 min
Add the chicken and sear it hard on high heat with the onions for 10 minutes, the bhuna stage.
10 min
Add turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Add the WHOLE garlic bulbs into the kadhai. Toss them so they get coated in the spices.
Cover the pan and lower the heat to medium-low. Let the chicken cook in its own juices for 15 minutes. Stir occasionally so it doesn't burn at the bottom.
15 min
Once the oil separates heavily and the chicken is 80% cooked, add the measured hot water (adjust for desired gravy thickness). Add the meat/garam masala.
Cover and simmer for another 10-15 minutes until the chicken falls off the bone and the whole garlic bulbs become completely squishy and soft.
10–15 min
Turn off the heat and serve.

How to tell it's done

An intensely dark, oily, deeply caramelized onion gravy coating succulent chicken, accompanied by butter-soft whole roasted garlic.

Getting it right

Tip

The highlight of this dish is eating the whole garlic bulb. Once cooked, the garlic cloves turn sweet and buttery. You squeeze the bulb and pop the soft garlic paste directly into your mouth along with the meat.

What to serve it with

A rustic village feast. Serve it with thick rotis or a large mound of plain rice, eaten with your hands.

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Ingredients