Chicken Bharta Kolkata Style | Dhaba Style Chicken Bharta | Cook Na Kaho

Hello everyone, I hope all of you are doing well despite the current global crisis that has left us shaken and stirred. As for me, I am working from home, cooking, cleaning, washing, interacting with my loved ones over video calls on a loop.

Cooking keeps me occupied for quite a long time, thanks to my ever growing appetite! From Aloo Tikkis to Momo, Phuchka to Egg Rolls, I have been trying to cook all that my heart and tummy craves for. And I find no reason not to do so. When you heart craves for something that you can achieve, why not go ahead and do it!

To be honest, I am not fond of meat with bones. I like my chicken to be boneless, one that requires very little effort while eating (blame it on my lazy “lyadhkhor” genes). I love “Bharta” in any form. Be it the traditional Begun (Brinjal) Bharta on a wintry night with char-grilled tomatoes, kancha lonka (greeen chilli) and lots of chopped onion or the creamy Chicken Bharta which is best relished with thin Rumali Rotis, I am always eager to cook it.

Let us now find out how Chicken Bharta is cooked in a true Kolkata Style, the one which is garnished with boiled eggs.

Serves 2 people

Ingredients

• Boneless chicken breast : 250 gm
• Bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, clove – for tempering
• Ginger Garlic paste : 2 tsp
• Onions : 2 (Big sized, chopped)
• Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
• Cumin powder : 1 tsp
• Coriander powder : 1 tsp
• Kashmiri Mirch powder : 1 tsp
• Tandoori Chicken powder : 1 tsp
• Garam masala : 2 pinches
• Poppy seed paste : 2 tbsp (Alternatively you may take melon seed paste or char-magaj paste)
• Cashew paste : 2 -3 tbsp
• Tomato puree : Out of 2 medium sized tomatoes
• Salt to taste
• Sugar – Half tsp
• Refined Oil : 3 tbsp
• Butter : 2 tbsp
• Keora water – Few drops
• Rose water – Few drops
• Cilantro chopped : handful
• Kasuri methi : 2-3 tsp
• 2 Boiled eggs for garnishing

Method

• The chicken breast needs to be poached first. For that, wash it thoroughly under running water. Heat a frying pan and smear some oil into it. Once the oil is hot, drop in the chicken pieces carefully. The oil will splutter, so make sure you are a little away from the pan. After a minute turn the chicken on the other side. Add a pinch or two of salt over it, cover the pan with a lid, and let the chicken poach over medium-low flame for 10 minutes. Do not open the lid before 10 minutes.
• Once the chicken is poached, switch off the flame and let it cool. Now start shredding the poached chicken breast into thin long pieces with the help of your hands. Keep the shredded chicken aside. Also do not discard the water that has accumulated while poaching the chicken. We shall use it later in this recipe.
• In the same frying pan, add some more oil and butter. Let it heat. Drop in the bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon stick and cloves. Let it splutter.
• Next add the chopped onions and fry till it gets translucent. Add in the ginger garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell of the ginger garlic paste evaporates. Add the tomato puree. Add salt and sugar. Let it cook for about two minutes.
• We will now add the spices such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, kashmiri mirchi and tandoori chicken powder. Make sure that the gas stove is on the lowest flame here. Sprinkle some water over it so that the masala does not burn. Let the spices cook well for another minute, so that the oil oozes out of the mixture.
• Now add in the cashew-poppy seed paste. Cook it on very low flame. Add cream. Then add the shredded chicken along with the stock, and mix it well on medium heat till the shredded chicken gets coated with all the spices. Add very little water if required, and cook for another two minutes. Add the keora and rose water.
• Now switch off the flame. Add a generous dollop of butter. Garnish with chopped cilantro and kasuri methi.
• Cut the boiled eggs into slices and garnish the bharta with it. Sprinkle two pinches of garam masala over it.
• Serve the chicken bharta hot with rumali roti or naan.

Variations

• Some add chopped green chili to the onions while frying. I like my chicken bharta to be non-spicy. You may add in a chopped green chili in case you like it spicy.
• Some add curd to the bharta. I do not like curd hence I totally skip this step. Instead I add a generous amount of cream.
• Some also prefer mashing the boiled egg yolk into the bharta to give it a creamier texture. You may do so.
• Some prefer to keep the chicken bharta white and hence skip turmeric. Totally upto you.

This is one dish that is a sure-shot hit with my family and friends, because it is a “no fail” recipe. So give this a try and do let me know how it turned out to be.