Chicken Mandi
- 80 min
- mild
- Serves 6
- 12 people cooked this
Chicken mandi of whole chicken legs in roasted mandi masala and saffron water, with basmati rice. Mild, serves 6, 80 minutes plus soaking, step-by-step video.
Good for: Party
Ingredients
- Basmati Rice750 grams
- Cinnamon2
- Green Cardamom5
- Cloves8
- Mace1
- Star Anise1
- Nutmeg¼
- Coriander Seeds2 tbsp
- Cumin2 tsp
- Black Peppercorns1 tbsp
- Saffron1 pinch
- Hot Water3 tbsp
- Chicken (whole leg)6
- Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder1 tbsp
- Mandi Masala3 tbsp
- Ginger Garlic Paste2 tbsp
- Oil5 tbsp
- Chaat Masala Powder¼ tsp
- Lemon Juice45 ml
- Salt4 tsp
- Saffron Water3 tbsp
- OilFor shallow frying
- Ghee2 tbsp
- Bay Leaves1
- Onion, Thinly Sliced3
- Green Chilli, Slit3
- Red Chilli Powder1 tsp
- Turmeric Powder¼ tsp
- Water7 cup
- Charcoal1
- Fried Nuts & Raisins¼ cup
- Fried Onion2 tbsp
- Coriander Leaves, Finely Chopped2 tbsp
Cooking for someone with an allergy? Read every ingredient above. We have not finished checking allergens on this recipe.
Nutrition
Per 1 person, and for all 6 people. Worked out from the ingredients, so treat it as a close guide.
| Nutrient | Per 1 person | All 6 people |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 970kcal | 5820kcal |
| Protein | 53g | 316g |
| Carbohydrate | 117g | 703g |
| Fat | 33g | 197g |
| Fibre | 7.4g | 44g |
| Sugar | 4.3g | 26g |
Cookd masalas for chicken (whole leg)
Method
Wash and soak the rice for 20 minutes.
Prepare the mandi Masala by dry roasting the mentioned ingredients till it turns aromatic and let it cool down. Blend the dry roasted spices to a fine powder and keep it aside.
Prepare saffron water by soaking a pinch of saffron strands in 3 tbsp of hot water to absorb colour.
Prepare the marinade for the chicken by mixing kashmiri chilli powder, 2 tbsp of the mandi masala, ginger garlic paste, chaat masala, oil, lemon juice, salt and 3 tbsp of the saffron water. Mix till all ingredients combine into a thick paste. Score the chicken legs. Apply the marinade on the chicken legs and rub it in gently. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes. Heat a kadai with oil for shallow frying. Deep fry the marinated chicken on a medium flame for 6 minutes on each side. Keep it aside.
To make the mandi rice, Heat a deep pot, add oil and ghee. Add cinnamon, bay leaves and let it crackle. Add the sliced onions and green chillies. Saute till the onions turn golden brown. Add ginger garlic paste and mix for a few seconds. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder and the mandi masala and mix for a minute.
Add 1.75L of water and mix well. Add salt and lemon juice. Bring the water to a boil. Add the soaked and strained rice and keep stirring gently to avoid letting it stick to the bottom. Cook it till the rice and water are level. Cover the pot and seal it tightly.
Place the pot on a preheated tawa for 10 minutes on a low flame. (if the tawa isn’t preheated, keep the flame on high for 5 minutes and then on low for 5 minutes). After 10 minutes, turn off the flame and let it rest for 10 minutes. Open the pot, create small gaps using a thin stick. Place the chicken on top of the rice leaving some space in the middle. Place a bowl with a piece of hot charcoal in the middle. Pour some ghee over it and seal the pot immediately. Let it smoke for 5 minutes. Open the pot, take out the chicken separately, fluff up the rice. Serve the rice on a big plate, garnish it with fried nuts and raisins, fried onion and chopped coriander. Place the chicken legs on top and serve it hot.
Before you start
- How long does Chicken Mandi take?
- 1 hour 20 minutes from start to finish. That is 20 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking.
- How many people does Chicken Mandi serve?
- 6. The ingredient quantities on this page rescale if you are cooking for a different number.
- Is Chicken Mandi vegetarian?
- No, it contains meat or fish.
- Is Chicken Mandi spicy?
- It is mild: 1 on our scale of 3. Chilli scales gently when you change the servings, so doubling the recipe does not double the heat.
- What do I need to make Chicken Mandi?
- 6 Chicken (whole leg), 1 tbsp Mandi Masala, 750 grams Basmati Rice, ¼ cup Fried Nuts & Raisins, 1 Cinnamon, 5 Green Cardamom, and a few more listed on this page.
- Do I need a pressure cooker for Chicken Mandi?
- No, it is cooked in an open pot.
- How many calories are in Chicken Mandi?
- About 970 a serving. The full nutrition table is on this page, per serving and for the whole batch.
Tips from other cooks
2 notes- J
Jeevan MOctober 2026
This is the 1st time I'm cooking. Over the 1st time I'm cooking for 16-20 members, chicken mandi at home and the taste is same like a authentic restaurant mandi taste followed every step properly the result was amazing and unexpected. Thank you Cookd and team.
- C
A Cookd cookOctober 2026
Please write hindi
