Murg Musallam | Whole Stuffed Chicken

Lost Recipes of India, Episode 5

Murg Musallam translates to whole chicken.

This Mughal recipe is made by stuffing whole chicken with ground meat (usually lamb or chicken) and boiled eggs, & is finished by cooking the chicken in a beautiful, rich gravy.

In the final episode of season one of Lost Recipes of India, we are bringing you our favorite find of the series! This recipe is full of flavor & can be perfectly paired with white basmati rice for a complete meal.

The earliest written record of this recipe can be found in Ain-i-akbari written by Abul Fazl in the 16th century. In the book, Abul Fazl categorizes Mughal recipes in 3 main categories. Murg Musallam falls in the third category: meats cooked in exotic spices and dried fruits.

Jump to recipe

The chicken is marinated twice which makes it very juicy and tender. The first marination is a simple rub of salt and lime juice. The second marinade packs all the flavors!

Ingredients:

These are ingredients to make Murg Musallam for ~2.5 lb chicken.

First Marination:

1. salt: 1 tsp

2. lime juice : 5-6 tbsp

Second Marination:

1. Greek yogurt or hung curd: 5 tbsp or 70 gms

2. Ginger paste: 1 tbsp or 14 gm

3. Green chili paste : 1 tbsp or 14 gm

4. Garlic paste: 1 tbsp or 14 gm

5. Red chili powder (cayenne) : 1 tsp or 5gm

6. Turmeric : 1 tsp or 5 gm

7. Coriander powder : 1tsp or 5gm

8. Salt : 1 tsp or 5gm

Stuffing / Filling

1. Boiled eggs, cooked for 8 mins & peeled : 2 large

2. Ground chicken, preferably leg meat : half lb or ~220 gm

3. Onions, chopped : half cup or ~ 70 gm

4. Ginger paste: 1 tbsp or 14 gm

5. Green chili paste : 1 tbsp or 14 gm

6. Garlic paste: 1 tbsp or 14 gm

7. Red chili powder (cayenne) : 1 tsp or 5gm

8. Turmeric : 1 tsp or 5 gm

9. Coriander powder : 1tsp or 5gm

10. Salt : 1 tsp or 5gm

11. Oil : 2 tbsp or 25 gm

Gravy:

1. Whole Chicken, skin removed : ~ 2.5 lb or ~ 1.2 kg

2. Almonds, unsalted : 15 pcs (make a paste after soaking in water)

3. Oil : 2 tbsp or 25gm

4. Cumin seeds : 1 tsp or 5 gm

5. Bay leaves : 2 pcs

6. Green Cardamom : 2-3 pcs

7. Red chili powder (cayenne) : 1 tsp or 5gm

8. Turmeric : 1 tsp or 5 gm

9. Salt : 1 tsp or 5gm

10. Garlic paste : 1 tbsp or 14 gm

11. Greek yogurt or hung curd : 3 tbsp or 15 gms

Equipment needed:

1. Large pot that can fit the whole chicken

2. Butcher's twine to tie the chicken after stuffing, optional step

Directions:

Marination Process:

1. Soak the almonds in warm water and set aside. We will use these later in the gravy.

2. Rinse your chicken if you need to & pat dry.

3. When ready, place the whole chicken in a big bowl. Mix together the salt and lime juice for the first marination. Rub this all over the chicken, including the cavity.

4. Refrigerate for ~45 mins.

5. While the chicken in marinating, prep for the second marinade. For this, mix all ingredients for the second marinade in a bowl and whisk to combine. Set this aside in a cool place until you are ready to marinade the chicken for the second time.

6. When about 45 mins have passed, bring out the chicken from the fridge. It will have released some juices due to the salt. Discard these juices.

7. Pop the chicken in the second marinade and rub it all over. Again, don't forget to get the second marinade up in the cavity.

8. When ready, cover and set in the fridge again. This time for at least 2 hours OR even overnight if you plan ahead. Let's prep the stuffing while the chicken marinades.

Prep for stuffing:

1. For the stuffing, heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the white onions and cook on medium flame until they're golden.

2. Then, add in chili, ginger, garlic pastes & the powdered spices mentioned in the ingredient list for the Stuffing.

3. Add a splash of water to avoid the powdered spices from burning. Mix well.

4. When the raw smell of the ginger and garlic goes away, add the ground chicken.

5. Don't need to fully cook the chicken. Just break it apart and mix with the spices. Cook for about 3 mins are remove from the flame. Let cool on a plate.

6. This is also a good time to boil 2 eggs. I suggest boiling them for 8 mins. When the eggs are cooked & cooled, peel them. These are ready for the stuffing process.

7. Let's make the gravy while the chicken marinades for a good 2 hours.

Prep for gravy:

1. Start by peeling and making a paste of the almonds. Upon soaking, almonds are easy to peel. When you have them peeled, rough chop them if your grinder is small. You can use a coffee grinder for this process. Make a paste with less than 2 tbsp of water. Set aside.

2. In a large pot (something big enough to fit the whole chicken), add the oil and heat it on medium flame.

3. When the oil is hot, add cumin, bayleaves & cardamom. Saute for 20 seconds.

4. Add a splash of water (no more that 2 tbsp) because we are about to add powdered spices and they burn easily. The water will bubble a bit. That's okay.

5. Add the powdered spices & mix!

6. Next is the almond paste & garlic paste. Mix this well. You can add another 2-3 tbsp of water at this step. The almond paste may soak some water, depending on the type of almonds. It's totally fine, you can add some water if you think the paste is sticking.

7. Cook this for 3-4 mins on medium flame. Stir constantly.

8. Get your yogurt ready. Whisk it with a fork (or even a small spoon) to break all lumps. This will also prevent it from splitting in the hot pan.

9. Add the yogurt & constantly mix it. This is again important to avoid yogurt from splitting.

10. When the gravy is bubbling away, it's ready. Turn off the flame/heat. Let's stuff the bird now.

Stuffing the bird:

1. Bring the chicken out of the fridge. Put it on a plate or a chopping board where you can stuff it. Save the leftover marinade in the bowl, we'll use it.

2. Stuff the bird alternating between stuffing & boiled eggs.

3. Stuff it all the way to the max and pack everything in by applying a bit of pressure.

4. Optional step: you can tie the legs together with a twine. This will help to keep the bird intact when pulling it out of the pot after it is cooked. Time to cook the chicken when you are ready!

Cook the chicken:

1. Bring your gravy up to temperature by heating on medium flame. Make sure your pot is big enough to fit the whole bird.

2. Place the chicken in the pot, breast facing down. Keep the flame on medium. Cover with a lid & let cook.

3. You will have to peak occasionally & stir the pot to make sure nothing is sticking.

4. It should take between 45 - 60 mins for the chicken to cook.

5. Chicken releases a lot of juices & I did not add water to my chicken, but you may need to! If you think the chicken in under-cooked and the gravy is too thick, add about half cup of water & more later if needed. It is better to add water since you can always burn it off on high flame once the chicken is cooked. But, if you don't add water, the chicken may burn!

6. About 45 mins in, flip the chicken so that the breast part is facing up & finish cooking with the lid off.

7. When ready, turn off the flame (remove from heat if you have an electric or induction stove). Cover & let it rest for 5-7 mins before you plate it.

Plating:

The chicken stuffing and gravy are very flavorful. The best accompaniment would be plain steamed basmati rice.

Here is a video to help you cook perfect basmati rice!

Useful Tips:

1. You can marinade the chicken the day before. The result will be even better.

2. Using your largest pot will help you to move the chicken around & will also be easier to pull out when the chicken is ready.

3. You can always reduce the chili paste by half for a milder version.

4. It helps to tie the legs together before cooking the bird. The meat will be tender & tied up legs are easier to pull out.

5. If you added too much water to the gravy, pull out the chicken with some tongs & a spatula. Burn off the water on high heat.

6. You can store this dish in the freezer. Shred the leftover chicken & mix with the gravy. Portion it out & freeze. Freezes well for up to 3 months when you freeze it the same day as cooking!

Thanks for reading! You can PIN this image to come back to it later! :)