There are several variations of murg musallam and almost every family has its own take on this traditional whole chicken recipe. For me, murgh musallam means taste of nostalgia since for generations it has been an integral part of our family wedding menu. No wedding reception till this day is complete without our very own murgh musallam. And it was originally cooked by a proficient muslim cook named khudoos and later his son murshid who had an expertise in old mughlai khana. Although they are no more, but luckily my family managed to document the recipe though they were very secretive about the same. Murgh mussallam is a mughlai style whole chicken recipe stuffed with boiled egg and dry fruits and slow cooked in curd and onion based sauce. It is an incredible dish to pamper your family and friends for those special occasions. It takes a little time and patience but believe me it is so rewarding and delicious.

Ingredients

Chicken : 1 whole ( remove all the integral organ from the cavity of the chicken)

Marination

Curd : 1 cup

Ginger paste : 2 tsp

Garlic paste : 1 tsp

Red chilli powder : 2 tsp

Garam masala powder : 1 tsp

Salt : as required

For the stuffing

Hard boiled eggs : 2 (shell removed)

Fried onion : 2

Khoya : 100 gms

Kaju : 10

Kishmish : 10

Green chilli : 5 to 6

Mint leaves 

Coriander leaves

Garam masala powder : 1 tsp

Salt : 1 tsp

Step 1

Wash the chicken thoroughly from outside and clean the cavity by placing it under running water.

Step 2

Make deep incision with sharp knife.

Step 3

In a bowl whisk together curd, Ginger paste, garlic pastel, garam masala powder, red chilli powder and salt.

Step 4

Marinate the whole chicken along with the cavity evenly with the curd mixture. Refrigerate it for at least an hour.

Step 5

In a separate bowl, mix the fried onion, khoya, dry fruits, mint and coriander leaves, garam masala along with eggs and salt.

Step 6

Stuff the cavity with the egg mixture.

Step 7

Tie the legs of the chicken using a kitchen twine.this will help the stuffing from falling out.

Step 8

Heat 4 tsp oil in a thick bottom pan.

Step 9

Layer the sliced onion over it.

Step 10

 Top it with the chicken along with the marinade and kashmiri red chilli powder.

Step 11

First let it cook on high flame for about 5 to 7 minutes.
Flip the chicken gently to the other side.

Step 12

Lower the flame and cover the lid. Let it cook on medium heat for about 25 minutes and after every 5 minutes make sure to rotate the chicken onto the other side for even cooking.

Step 13

After half an hour flip chicken and pour the sauce over it and let it cook for another 10 minutes.

Step 14

Switch off the heat and let the chicken rest in pan for about ten minutes. Now gradually transfer the murgh musallam into the serving dish and pour the rest of the masala over the chicken.

Tip

For a perfect soft and tender chicken try to marinate the chicken a day before the actual cooking.