Murgh Musallam: The History Of Whole Chicken You Never Knew
Image Credit: Murgh Musallam

Talking about the earliest documented history of this dish, murgh musallam was a popular dish served in the Sultanate of Delhi. A great was dinner hosted by Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlak (1325-1351 AD) for a qazi (a sage who resolves conflicts and disputes) from a foreign country. This dinner was served with a plate of fried chicken on rice cooked in ghee.

Murgh musallam is an impressive recipe, marinated for hours and then slowly cooked on dum. It has two different avatars: dry or with a thick sauce. Either way, the chicken comes out juicy and delicious.

Ingredients 

1 whole chicken 

2 green chillies

10 to 15 cloves of garlic

½ inch piece of ginger

Pinch of turmeric powder

¼ cup yogurt

1 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 teaspoon garam masala 

4 to 6 brown cardamom

8 to 10 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

8 to10 peppercorns

1 teaspoon  cumin seeds

2 teaspoon coriander seeds

10-15 almonds

oil

2 large onions

salt to taste

Method 

  • Start with making a thick chicken marinade. Combine ginger, garlic, yogurt, green pepper, salt, ½ teaspoon red pepper powder, turmeric and garam masala. Marinate the whole chicken, spread the masala everywhere and refrigerate for four hours.
  • Roast the garam masala, cumin, coriander seeds and almonds and set aside. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the chopped onions; After cooking, beat the drained onion with the roasted spices. You can also add a little water if necessary.
  • In the same pan as the onions, brown all the marinated chicken for a few minutes (reserve the marinade for later use), remove and set aside. Heat a little oil in the same pan and cook the onion paste over high heat, adding the remaining chili powder, marinade and salt if necessary.
  • Cook over high heat for a few minutes, add the whole chicken and water, close the lid completely and bring to medium heat. Bake for 15-20 minutes on one side and 10-15 on the other.
  • When the chicken is tender, put it on a plate, pour the masala over or over it and garnish with the vegetables. Serve with baked peas, tomatoes, potatoes and bell pepper. 

You can serve it with a side dish and hard-boiled eggs, butter naan and raita. 

Preparing this dish means experiencing a gradient change in colours, smells and taste. Don’t forget to enjoy cooking murga musallam.