Chicken Salan {Murghi Ka Shorba}

Chicken Salan {Murghi Ka Shorba} is the quintessential Pakistani comfort food. A thin, light and soupy gravy accompanies bone in chicken. Enjoyed with naan, roti {a tortilla like flatbread} or basmati-rice it's a favorite meal for many Pakistanis.

What Is A Salan Or Shorba?

Salan translated means curry or gravy in Pakistan's native language. On the other hand, Shorba, according to food.ndtv.com, is derived from the Arabic word "Shurbah".

Shorba is traditionally a broth prepared by slow cooking meat in aromatic spices. Similar to a soup, the only difference is that it's often served as an entree versus a first course.

In Pakistan, the term Shorba and Salan are used interchangeably to refer to a thin soupy meat based curry.

Eaten as an entree, the meat and curry are served together and are usually accompanied with rice or flatbread.

Boneless Or Bone In Chicken?

A shorba, like any other good broth, is only possible with bone in chicken. Many chicken recipes, such as my hyderabadi-style-chicken-curry or my best-karahi-chicken-recipe can be made with either type. But this particular curry relies heavily on the bones for its flavor.

The Recipe

Despite the fact that Chicken Salan is a household basic, there are probably as many recipes as there are households in Pakistan. I'm posting my recipe here today at the request of my friend Saima, who wanted a variation on her family recipe.

The Onions

The first and most important step is browning the onions to a perfect caramel color. In order for the perfect consistency to my curry, I like to puree my onions in a food processor first. This makes the perfect thin Shorba!

Chopped onions need to be cooked for a very long time to achieve the right texture. Some people chop, brown and then puree, but I find it's much easier to puree them first. You're welcome to go about it with either method, just as long as the onions can't be seen.

The Garlic & Ginger

After the onions are a nice even brown, saute the garlic and half of the ginger paste just long enough to release the aroma. This creates the base for your curry.

Then it's time to add the chicken and roast it till it's no longer pink, which should take about 5 minutes. This seals in all the juices, making the meat more succulent.

The Spices

After this, add all of the spices and roast for another 5 minutes, till the chicken is coated in a nice dark paste of the onions and spices. This is called "bhunna" and is essential to all curry making.

It insures that the meat and spices are well roasted and that the onions (and if using, tomatoes) reach a paste like consistency.

The Yogurt

The next step, adding the yogurt, is the most crucial one in order to have a smooth Salan. It's very important to have the yogurt at room temperature to prevent it from curdling.

I usually leave mine on the counter when I start prepping for the curry. By the time I'm ready for this step it's usually at room temperature.

The other important thing to remember is to add the yogurt to the gravy 1 tablespoon at a time. Even at room temperature, the yogurt is colder than the piping hot contents in the pot.

If it's added in all at once it will curdle. Adding it in slowly allows it to gradually adjust to the heat and prevent that from happening.

The Ginger

Once all of the yogurt has been added in, it's time to add the remaining ginger and roast the chicken for about 1 minute. This adds a fresh and delicious taste to the curry.

At this point, after all the roasting, the chicken is about half cooked and it's time to add some water to make the gravy.

The Final Step

Add the water, cover the pot and bring the Shorba to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the flame to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Once the 15 minutes are up, test to see if the chicken is cooked through. I usually insert the tip of a knife to see if it goes in smoothly and the juices run clear.

Once you're sure the chicken is cooked, turn the flame on high and cook the curry till the oil separates and rises to the top. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or naan.

What Do I Do If The Yogurt Gets Curdled?

If you've followed all of the above steps, your yogurt shouldn't have curdled. However, every once in a while we all have kitchen mishaps.

There's an easy fix to this one! Cool the curry a little, remove the meat and then run it through your blender. Return it to your pot, reheat and serve!

Can I Freeze The Salan?

Once cooked, the Chicken Salan can last 2 days in the fridge, or be frozen for upto 4 weeks. Another really good time saving method I like to use is to half prep the chicken and freeze it.

follow all of the steps until you have roasted the chicken with the spices. At this point, cool the chicken completely and freeze it. Defrost the chicken overnight in the fridge the day before you want to cook it and then follow with the remaining steps outlined above.

My Meat Is Finished How Can I Use The Leftover Shorba?

As I mentioned above, Pakistanis like to eat their Shorba with meat. What often happens is that the meat finishes and the shorba remains. It's such a shame to waste the delicious curry, I like to use mine to create another meal out of it.

One option is to cook rice in the leftover curry to make a pulao. Another family favorite is to add quartered potatoes to the curry and let them cook through.

Once the potatoes are done, boiled eggs are halved and added. The curry, now known as Aloo Anday Ka Salan is garnished with cilantro and enjoyed with fresh Naan.

Happy Cooking! Don't forget to share your cooking adventures on social media and a rating and comment below is always appreciated.