Sukha Chicken/सुक्खा चिकन ( Chicken without Gravy)

Sukha Chicken

Dry chicken is taken as appetizer as well as well as main course. In main course it goes especially well with Tandoori roti / naan. Being less oily it is easier to digest and tastes very good. My personal preference next to tandoori chicken is sukha chicken. 

Preparations Time: 10 min.

Cooking Time: 40-45 min.

Servings: 4-5 large servings

Ingredients Required To make Sukka Chicken :

• 1 kg. Chicken dressed, washed, and cut to pieces.

Chicken for Sukha Chicken

 For Marinade:

• 50 gm. Ginger-Garlic past.

Ingredients for marinade

• 100 gm. Thick Curd.
• 10 gm. Turmeric powder. 
• 10 gm. Red Chili powder.
• 1/4 Tea spoon freshly grated Nutmeg. 

For Masala/Spice mix:

• 250 gm. Onion.( finely chopped )

Finely cut Onions

• 50 gm. Ginger- garlic paste.
• 100 gm.(2 medium size ) Tomatoes.( chopped).

Tomatoes

•  2 Bay leaves.

• 3-4 Cloves.
• 1 Inch piece of Cinnamon.

Spices for chicken

•  5-6 Black pepper

• 1 Black Cardamom

• Salt to taste.
• Red chili powder to taste.
• 1 ml. Cooking Oil if cooking in non-stick wok / 10 ml. if cooking in normal wok

 Direction To Marinate Chicken 

• Poke the chicken pieces with fork .
• Mix garlic, ginger paste, curd, turmeric powder, chili powder, nutmeg.

Ingredients for marinade mixed in a bowl

• Beat them with a spoon or fork to form nice creamy mixture. 

Marinade for chicken

• Rub the mixer nicely on the chicken pieces and coat them with the mixer.

Marinade mixed with chicken and kept for marinating

• Cover and leave for 5-6 hrs. ( It can be kept in fridge ).

Direction To Prepare Sukka Chicken

• Take a thick bottom wok, put 2 teaspoon of oil in it and heat on gas till smoking hot.
• Add cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves and black cardamom.Cook for 1/2 min.
   

  

  Spices being cooked till they splutter in 2 teaspoon of Olive oil

• Add finely chopped onions and cook till transparent.

  

  Finely cut onions added to oil and spices mixture

Onions cooked to transparent state

• Add ginger- garlic paste and cook for 1 min.
• Add finely chopped tomatoes, and cook till tomatoes turn just tender.

Onions added after adding ginger-garlic paste

Tomatoes cooked till tender

• Add marinated chicken, mix nicely.

Chicken added to cooked onion, tomato and spices mixture

Mixed and being cooked on low flame

• Add salt, red chili powder and mix.
• Cook on low flame with constant stirring for 5 min. Juices from chicken will come out.
• Cover and cook on low flame till all liquid dries.

Covered and being cooked on low flame

• Cook on low flame with regular stirring and sprinkling of very little water till the chicken becomes tender.

10 ml. Water sprinkled and being cooked on low flame

State after 5 min. of cooking (After sprinkling water)

• Add garam masala and mix.
• Cover and remove from gas.
• Keep it aside for 4-5min. so as to allow the flavor of garam masala to seep in the chicken.

Sukha Chicken

• Remove the cooked sukha chicken in a serving bowl and garnish with ringlet of onions, tomatoes, sprig of coriander / celery / parsley.

• Enjoy the sukha chicken with hot Nan, Tandoori roti, Roomali roti.

Sukha Chicken

 Tips:

• Cook in non-stick container otherwise oil requirement will become 10-15 ml.

• Let the liquid of marinade dry completely before sprinkling water first time.
• Do not add too much water at one go.
• Cook on low flame. If the heat is increased to high then masala will get burnt.

 Suggested Variations:

• Cut chicken pieces to bite size and serve it as appetizer.

• Oregano can be added to the marinade replacing nut meg for a change of flavor.

• Olive oil can be taken for cooking as it is healthy medium to cook.