Video summary

Afghani Chicken | अफगानी चिकन मलाई आसानी से घर पर | creamy Chicken Afghani gravy | Chef RanveerBrar

Main summary

Key takeaways

Cooking

Presenter / Channel

  • Chef Ranveer Brar (Chef RanveerBrar channel)

Ingredients (with quantities/substitutions mentioned)

For scoring & chicken

  • Chicken leg pieces (thighs + drumsticks) — recommended
  • Clarified butter (ghee) — used for gravy and also to roast/brown chicken (quantity not specified)
  • Oil — suggested as an alternative to clarified butter for chicken (quantity not specified)
  • Water — added after masala cooks (amount not specified; keep gravy not too saucy)
  • Salt — added into the onion paste before mixing with curd

Marinade / base (mixed into curd)

  • Fresh coriander — with “distant relatives” jokes (no extra clarified ingredient)
  • Green chillies
  • Ginger
  • Onions — white onions preferred; pink onions or spring onions acceptable
  • Curd (yogurt) — marinade base
  • Turmeric — for color
  • Coriander powder
  • Cumin powder
  • Garam masala (optional)
    • Substitution mentioned: powdered green cardamom, black cardamom, black pepper
  • Dry fenugreek seeds (methi dana) — “dry fenugreek seeds”

Whole spices for gravy tempering

  • Cinnamon: 1 inch piece
  • Green cardamoms: 2
  • Bay leaves: 2

Optional / excluded

  • Cashew nuts — explicitly not needed / not to add

Equipment / Preparation Steps

  • Bowl — to prepare the marinade paste
  • Pan — for tempering whole spices and cooking the masala/gravy
  • Lid for the pan
    • Cook partially covered to help thicken/boost “viciousness”
  • Chicken prep: scoring (technique below)

Chicken Scoring (Technique)

  1. Use leg pieces (thigh/drumstick areas) and ensure the piece has the connected structure.
  2. Score the chicken in two cuts:
    • Cut the fleshy part
    • Cut the tendon belt on the other side
  3. Why: tendons shrink during cooking and can hamper the meat shape, so cut the tendon beforehand.

Step-by-Step Method (with key timings/technique cues)

1) Make onion–ginger–chilli paste + marinade base

  1. In a bowl, add:
    • Coriander, green chillies, ginger, onions
  2. Add oil and salt to this mixture.
  3. Prepare a paste.
  4. Mix the paste into curd.
  5. Add spices to the curd mixture:
    • Turmeric
    • Coriander powder
    • Cumin powder
    • Garam masala (optional) OR substitute with powdered green cardamom + black cardamom + black pepper
    • Dry fenugreek seeds
  6. Finish: marination is ready.

2) Divide marinade into two parts

  • Divide into 2 halves:
    1. One half for marinating chicken
    2. Second half for gravy/sauce

3) Marinate chicken

  1. Apply the chicken marinade.
  2. Marinate for at least 30 minutes
    • Chef’s emphasis: “if you don’t want 30 minutes, still do it” (no alternative time given)
  3. Why: salt in the marinade helps absorb water released by chicken, making it juicier and more tender—especially with packaged chicken.

4) Start the gravy (masala)

  1. Heat a pan; add clarified butter (ghee).
  2. Add whole spices:
    • Cinnamon (1 inch)
    • 2 green cardamoms
    • 2 bay leaves
  3. Pour in the prepared masala (the second half from marinade).
  4. Technique cues:
    • It may splutter—be careful
    • Cook until thoroughly cooked
  5. Add water only after the masala is cooked thoroughly
    • Chef warns: adding early increases cooking time
  6. Aroma cue explanation:
    • Raw smell comes from onions/ginger/garlic/green chillies
    • Aroma comes from cinnamon, dry fenugreek leaves, cardamom
  7. Thickening method:
    • Let gravy become viscous
    • Open lid occasionally, gently stir, then close lid again until viscous
    • Once viscous enough, you can stir without closing.

5) Cook chicken separately (before adding)

  1. In a pan, add clarified butter (ghee) to chicken (oil is an option).
  2. Roast/brown the marinated chicken:
    • Cook until brown in color
    • Chef notes chicken is about 60% done
    • Use high flame to brown outside while finishing inside in gravy.
  3. If masala/gravy is ready, you can pour water after it is completely cooked (per earlier cue).

6) Combine and finish

  1. Add the cooked chicken into the gravy.
  2. Chef notes:
    • Don’t add too much water
    • Gravy should not be too saucy (more meat pieces)
    • Chicken will release water after a while—wait patiently instead of overcooking to fix consistency.
  3. Cook until gravy and chicken are well done.
  4. Rest/hold: leave aside for 10 minutes.
  5. Consistency check:
    • Don’t make gravy more viscous than this (Chef calls the reached consistency “perfect”)
  6. No cashew nuts added (and not needed, per Chef).

Chef Tips / Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Do not add cashew nuts
    • Explicitly says there’s “no need”
  • Avoid over-saucing / watery gravy
    • Don’t make it too watery—don’t cook chicken curry
    • Don’t add too much water
    • Add water only after masala is cooked thoroughly
  • Marination time matters
    • At least 30 minutes; chef strongly discourages skipping
  • Chicken shape preservation
    • Scoring/cutting the tendon belt prevents shrinkage/misshapen drumsticks
  • Tempering caution
    • Masala may splutter—be careful (especially if wearing new clothes)

Be patient with thickness: chicken releases water later, so avoid rushing to “fix” consistency.

Plating / Serving

  • No specific plating style described.
  • Key serving emphasis:
    • The dish is meat-forward (more meat pieces, not overly sauce-heavy)
    • Flavor balance: you can taste chicken and spices, but spice isn’t dominant—good when you don’t want “too spicy” food.
  • Includes call to share and subscribe (not a food instruction)

Referenced Sources

  • No external sources mentioned in the subtitles.

Original video