After trying my hands on so many different chicken recipes, I have come to the conclusion that this exploration is a never exhaustive process and one can not really run out of the recipes which offer flavour, taste and challenge, nevertheless. The present one, known as Chicken Lababdar, which is basically a Mughlai Khana, adds variety to the existing palate of chicken delicay. And as the name perhaps indicates to a spicy, rich and high calorimetric non-veg genre, indeed ‘lababdar’ lives up to the expectation with dose of fresh cream and cheese. Ideal to enhance the mood of festivity, Chicken Lababdar although bearing some similarity to Butter Chicken, is much easier to prepare and surprise.

Ingredients to serve 2-3 :

1. Chicken with bone (medium size pieces) – 350 gm.
2. Onion (large) – 1
3. Tomato (medium size) – 1½
4. Capsicum (small) – 1
5. Ginger – garlic paste – 1 tbspoon
6. Cashew nut (soaked into water) – 6-8
7. Yogurt – 2 tbspoon
8. Black pepper powder – ½ teaspoon
9. Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
10. Kashmiri Red chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
11. Cumin powder – ¼ teaspoon
12. Coriander powder – ½ teaspoon
13. Garam masala powder – ¼ teaspoon
14. Dry fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi) – ½ tbspoon
15. Fresh cream – 2 tbspoon
16. Grated cheese – 1½ tbspoon (heaped)
17. Salt & sugar to taste
18. Mustard oil – 5-6 tbspoon

Procedure :

Marinate the chicken with yogurt, ½ tbspoon ginger-garlic paste, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder,black pepper powder and salt for half an hour.

Make a smooth paste with tomatoes and cashew nuts.

Make another smooth paste with onion.

Cut the capsicum into small squares.

Heat oil in a kadai over medium flame.

Fry the chicken till it turns light brown. Remove the chicken from oil and keep aside.

Now add onion and ½ tbspoon ginger-garlic paste in the remaining oil and fry till the mixture turns golden brown.

Add tomato-cashew paste and cook till raw flavour of tomatoes go away.

Now add all dry spices (turmeric powder, remaining red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder). Mix the spices well and cook for couple of minutes.

Then add garam masala powder and dry fenugreek leaves (after rubbing it between your palms). Again cook for couple of minutes.

As oil comes out from the mixture add 1 large cup of warm water, salt and sugar. Mix all the ingredients well.

As water starts boiling add fried chicken and capsicum, let them cook for 10 minutes over low-medium flame. Cover the kadai with a lid.

After that check whether the chicken is properly cooked and gravy thickens to your desired consistency.

Now add fresh cream and 1 tbspoon of grated cheese. Mix them well and cook for another minute.

Now put the flame off and give it a standing time for few minutes.

Transfer the chicken into a serving dish and garnish with remaining grated cheese.

Serve with roti or paratha or nan or pulao.