Chicken Salan
چکن کا سالن
This is the chicken that most Pakistani homes cook on an ordinary weekday: bone-in chicken in a thin, spicy , with no cream, nuts or special spices. It is built on onions fried until golden and a proper of the tomato masala, and then just enough water is added to make a gravy for dipping roti or pouring over rice. It takes under an hour and uses only what is already in the kitchen.
- ⏱ Total: 1 hr
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 45 min
- Easy
- Serves 5
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Heat the oil in a over medium heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring often, for 8–10 minutes until evenly golden. Do not let them go dark brown, or the shorba will taste bitter.
Add the ginger and garlic paste and a splash of water. Stir for 1 minute until the raw smell goes.
Add the chicken and turn the heat up to high. Fry for 5–6 minutes, stirring, until the pieces turn white on all sides.
Add the tomatoes, salt, chili powder, turmeric and coriander powder. Lower the heat to medium and do the for 8–10 minutes, stirring and adding a spoonful of water if it sticks, until the tomatoes have broken down completely and the oil rises to the surface.
Pour in the hot water and bring it to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for 15–20 minutes, until the chicken is tender and comes away from the bone easily.
Uncover and check the shorba. It should be thin but not watery, with a layer of red oil on top. If it is too thin, cook uncovered for 5 minutes; if too thick, add a little hot water. Stir in the garam masala and green chilies and cook for 2 more minutes.
Turn off the heat, scatter the coriander over the top and serve hot with roti, chapati or plain boiled rice.
Kitchen notes
Golden onions are the backbone of this salan. Pale onions give a raw, sweet shorba; burnt ones make it bitter. Aim for an even golden colour.
Always add hot water, not cold. Cold water stops the cooking, can make the chicken tough and dulls the colour of the shorba.
For a thicker everyday gravy, use 1.5 cups of water; for a soupy one to eat with rice, use 3 cups.
The everyday salan
In Pakistani homes, salan simply means a curry with gravy, and chicken salan is the one cooked most often. Unlike a , which is cooked dry and fast, a salan is meant to have a generous shorba that soaks into roti or rice. It is the dish packed into tiffins, served when guests drop in unexpectedly and made in large pots for the whole family. Its strength is its simplicity: a handful of pantry spices, onions and tomatoes.
Getting the shorba right
The flavour is set before any water goes in. First, the onions must be evenly golden; they give the gravy its colour and a gentle sweetness. Second, the tomato masala needs a full bhunai, stirred over medium heat until the oil comes up to the surface and the masala looks glossy rather than wet. This is what removes the raw taste of the powdered spices.
Only then is hot water added and the chicken simmered. A good salan has a thin layer of red oil, called tari, floating on top of the shorba. If it doesn’t, the bhunai was too short or there is too much water; a few minutes of uncovered cooking usually fixes it.
Variations
- Aloo chicken: add halved potatoes with the water.
- With yogurt: a few spoons of whisked yogurt during the bhunai give a richer, tangier gravy.
- Shimla mirch chicken: add strips of capsicum in the last 5 minutes.
- Mutton salan: the same method works, but the mutton needs about 45–60 minutes of covered cooking with more water.
Storing and reheating
Chicken salan keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days and freezes well for a month. The shorba thickens as it cools, so add a few tablespoons of hot water when reheating it in a pan over medium heat. Add fresh coriander after reheating.
Questions people ask
Can I add potatoes?
Yes, aloo chicken is a very common version. Add 2–3 peeled, halved potatoes along with the water and simmer until they are tender, about 20 minutes.
Why does my salan taste of raw spices?
The bhunai was cut short. Keep frying the tomato masala until the oil clearly separates before adding water. Once the water is in, the spices no longer fry.
Can I add yogurt?
Many homes do. Whisk 3 tablespoons of yogurt and add it after the tomatoes have broken down, then keep up the bhunai until the oil separates again. It gives a slightly tangier, creamier shorba.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 410
- Protein
- 34 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
