Fauzia's Kitchen Fun

Chicken Sharjani

165

Chicken Sharjani

This recipe has got to be one of the EASIEST yet TASTIEST meals ones one could make! The chicken, cooked very simply is packed with spicy flavours and is served over a colourful bed of rice, garnished with egg slices and fried potato cubes. A truly magnificent meal.
Servings 5 people

Ingredients
  

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken around 1.2-1.5kg skin removed (cut into 8-12 pieces) OR 500 gm boneless chicken cubes (marinate the chicken in the following ingredients for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight)
  • 1 tbsp tandoori masala
  • 6 tbsp yoghurt fresh and whipped well
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • 1 tsp garlic paste

Other Ingredients

  • 2-3 tomatoes
  • 1-2 tbsp tomato puree/paste optional
  • 1 onion sliced and fried until golden
  • small bunch of coriander
  • 1-2 green chillies
  • 2-3 tbsp oil
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 whole black pepper
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • juice of half a lemon
  • chopped coriander for garnishing
  • 2-3 boiled eggs peeled and sliced
  • 4 potatoes peeled and cubed then fried until tender
  • salt as needed

Ingredients for Rice

  • 3 cups basmati rice washed 2-3 times then soaked for half an hour
  • salt
  • saffron & food colouring
  • oil
  • whole spices

Instructions
 

  • Put the chicken with its marinade into a pan and place on the heat. Simmer on a gentle boil until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Allow the chicken to cool and then shred into big chunks. (If you used boneless chicken then no need to shred). Then cover and set aside. If there are any leftover liquids in the pan from boiling the chicken, do not discard. We will use this when preparing the chicken gravy.
    Next, put the tomatoes and 2 tbsp of the fried onions in a blender. Add the small bunch of coriander and one green chilli. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
    Now heat the oil in a pan, add the whole spices (cumin, cinnamon stick, pepper, cardamom and cloves). Let them splutter then add the blended mixture of tomatoes, fried onions and coriander/chilli. Simmer on low heat and add the tomato paste/puree plus some salt and the leftover cooking liquids from boiling the chicken earlier. Allow this to simmer gently until it thickens and is cooked through. Finally add the chunks of chicken and sprinkle on the garam masala plus some chopped coriander. Squeeze in the lemon juice and turn off the heat.
    Next, make the Rice
    Soak a few saffron strands in some water and set aside.
    Bring a big pot of water to boil, add salt, 4 cardamom pods, 2-3 cinnamon sticks and 2-3 cloves plus about 2 tbsp. of oil.
    Drain the soaked rice and add it to this water when it is boiling. Cook until the rice is about 3/4 done, remove and strain out all the water.
    Then put the rice back in the pan, drizzle 2 tbsp. of oil, the soaked saffron water and some orange/yellow colour on the rice. Seal the pot and put on dum/steam it on the stove….or bake in the oven for about 10 minutes. Serve the rice with the chicken on top and garnish with fried potato cubes, boiled egg slices and fresh coriander.
    Enjoy!

Notes

When cooking the chicken, it is not necessary to add any water, the yoghurt is normally sufficient to tenderise the chicken. But if needed, you can add a quarter cup of water.

Join the Conversation

  1. Which is d biryani style plsss clrarify may Allah SWT continue to guide u amin

    1. W/Salaam it is a type of spice which adds flavour and colour to dishes. Should be easily available on the spice isles of supermarkets or indian shops/grocers.

      1. salams sister! In Sri Lanka too its difficult to find tandoori masala, how do we make it? and also whats garam masala? And you are doing a great job!!

        1. W/Salaam, am sure it can be
          W/Salaam, am sure it can be made but I personally have never tried it. You can use paprika powder if you have that. Garam masala is all-spice powder. A combination of a variety of spices, powdered and mixed together.

  2. thanx for the delicious recipes have tried many n sooo far alhumdulilah alwere great.kindly advise which make of tandoori masala do u advise as from ur experience,,jazak Allah

  3. Assalamualaykum sister fauzia! I made this recipe first time today
    And Alhamdulilah I was very impressed with the outcome
    Even my husband loved the chicken sharjani, I have just recently
    Discoverd your website and I’m in love with it I want to try everything from it inshallah
    I have already made around 4-5 rice dishes an other items too
    May Allah Subhanahu watala give you jazae kher inshallah
    Jazakallah for making such a wonderful website. Sister from U.K

  4. tnx 4 dx enlytning program rili appreciate it..jst did one of d recipex n it waz fabulous..may ALLAH reward u abundantly

  5. Hello Fauzia,
    Can we make this with boneless chicken from the beginning or do we have to use firstly with bones and then de-bone it after boiling with the masala?
    Thanks

    1. I have done it both ways, turns out ok either way. Just that the version with the bones in has a bit more flavour to it.

  6. Can one still use instead of chicken or the recipe only works with chicken?
    Thank you so much Fauzia, this site has really changed my eating habits and i cannot wait to try a new recipe each evening. Asante sana 🙂

    1. I’ve only ever tried it with
      I’ve only ever tried it with chicken but it should be fine. Thank you! 🙂

    1. Yes you can, although you
      Yes you can, although you will need to boil the beef for longer to make sure it is tender. You will need to add water accordingly.

  7. Once I made this dish.It was
    Once I made this dish.It was awesome. Everybody enjoyed it.
    Thanks a lot.
    May allah bless you.

  8. a.a if you want to bake it in
    a.a if you want to bake it in the oven, do we cover it with foil or not?

    1. Don’t cover and make sure the
      Don’t cover and make sure the top grill is turned on.

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