Shahi Dum Ka Murgh

Hyderabadi Style Shahi Dum Ka Murgh is an amazingly delicious, mildly spicy, aromatic and flavoursome main course chicken recipe. In this recipe, well marinated chicken pieces are slow cooked in rich and creamy nut based smooth gravy.  Shahi Dum ka Murgh is a crowd-pleasing Eid, celebration and party chicken recipe. Serve this Dum ka Chicken with any Indian bread like naan, kulcha, rumali or you can even serve this with bagara khana, biryani, pulao, etc.

Best Chicken Gravy Recipes To Try – Butter Chicken, Methi Murgh, Shahi Mughlai Chicken Korma, Achari Chicken, Hyderabadi Murgh Korma,

What is Shahi Dum Ka Murgh?

Shahi Dum ka Murgh or Chicken is a jewel in the crown, a heirloom recipe from the kitchens of Hyderabadi Nawabs. This is mildly spicy, full of flavour, aromatic, rich and creamy gravy-based chicken recipe.

In this recipe, the first step is to marinade chicken pieces overnight with aromatic spices and masalas. In the second step, we cook chicken pieces in rich, creamy and velvety roasted nuts, seeds and curd-based gravy. Finally, leave chicken pieces on dum by sealing the vessel with dough.

Upon cooking, chicken pieces will turn succulent, flavoursome, aromatic and delicious. This a finger lickingly good recipe. Do give this a try!

Dum ka Murgh History

Hyderabadi Dum ka Murgh is a classic example of fine and rich tastes of Nizams. The Khansamas (royal chefs) at Nizams were extremely talented and have always been applauded, appreciated and rewarded for their culinary delights.

As the story goes, Dum ka Chicken is a 500-year-old recipe. This is one of the jewel recipes from the kitchens of Nizam which is famous till date. This authentic recipe is slow-cooked on a wood fire in a wide thick bottom vessel (lagan) by sealing the edges with dough. This technique of slow cooking is called Dum. And so, this recipe is also called as Lagan ka Murgh (Lagan ka Chicken)

Finally, after sealing the vessel, place burning charcoal on the lid. This will provide heat from both top of the vessel. This helps in even cooking of chicken pieces. This is the traditional way of cooking a dish on dum.

Shahi Dum ka Murgh Recipe Ingredients

Main ingredients needed to make shahi dum chicken recipe are,

Chicken Pieces: As I said above large tender chicken pieces with bone are mostly preferable in making dum ka murgh recipe.

Mixed Nuts: Rich, creamy and velvety gravy of dum ka chicken is result of mixed nuts. Roast and make a fine paste of cashews, almonds, chironji (calumpang nuts) and muskmelon seeds form base for thick gravy.

Birista: Thin sliced and deep-fried crisp onion slices play a major role in thickening the gravy, bringing in color and giving delicate sweet taste to the recipe.

Ginger-Garlic Paste: This paste helps in removing the smell from chicken pieces and imparts flavour. Do follow my recipe to make ginger-garlic paste at home.

Garam Masala: Garam Masala is the most important ingredient in making this chicken recipe. Shahi garam masala not only gives flavour, but it also adds aroma to the dum chicken masala recipe.

Curd: Fresh, thick and creamy curd brings velvety texture in the gravy of this dum chicken recipe. Nothing can beat fresh homemade curd. Do follow my easy step by step recipe to set fresh curd every time at home.

Herbs: Handful of fresh coriander and mint leaves in marination adds flavour and aroma. Apart from this we use these herbs as garnish too.

Tips to make The Best Hyderabadi Dum ka Murgh

• Always remember to bring out the marinated chicken from the fridge an hour before the cooking.
• This will bring the chicken to normal temperature and helps in cooking fast.
• The key ingredients in this recipe are garam masala, ginger-garlic paste and birista (fried onions).
• Always use fresh and thick curd. If the curd is sour, then it will change the taste of the curry.
• Roast the nuts and seeds on medium flame only. Burned nuts will give bitter taste to the recipe.
• I always fry sliced onion in ghee-oil mixture and use this ghee-oil in making the dish. This not only flavours the dish, but also gives nice aroma.

Recipe Notes

What is the meaning of Dum?

The word Dum is derived from Persian word ‘Dum Pukht’ where Dum means ‘cooked with steam’ and Pukht means ‘process of cooking’. Dum cooking has been integral part of legendary Nizma and Mughal Cooking.

Must-Try Famous Dum Cooking Recipes,

Aloo Dum Biryani – A flavorful rice dish where aromatic basmati rice is cooked with spiced potatoes (aloo) in the Dum style, allowing the ingredients to absorb each other’s flavors.

Dum ki Chai – A traditional Indian slow-cooked tea, Dum ki Chai involves simmering tea leaves, milk, and spices on low heat, resulting in a rich and aromatic beverage.

Egg Dum Biryani – A delectable biryani recipe with boiled eggs cooked with fragrant basmati rice and an array of spices, all sealed in the Dum style for enhanced taste.

Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani – A famous Hyderabadi dish where marinated chicken and basmati rice are slow-cooked together in layers, creating a flavorful and aromatic one-pot meal.

Kacchi Chicken Dum Biryani – A traditional preparation where raw marinated chicken is layered with partially cooked basmati rice and slow-cooked in the Dum style, allowing the flavors to meld perfectly.

Mutton Dum Biryani – A classic biryani preparation involving marinated mutton and fragrant basmati rice cooked together in Dum style, resulting in tender meat and flavorful rice.

Paneer Dum Biryani – A vegetarian delight where marinated paneer (Indian cottage cheese) is layered with basmati rice and slow-cooked in the Dum style, creating a delicious and aromatic biryani.

Soya Dum Biryani – A vegetarian biryani variant featuring soya chunks cooked with basmati rice and a blend of aromatic spices in the Dum style, offering a flavorful and protein-packed dish.

Bone or Boneless Chicken Pieces. Which is best for making Dum ka Murgh?

You can use bone or boneless chicken pieces to make this dum ka murgh recipe. Authentic recipe calls for large curry cut chicken pieces with bone. As the marination time is more, 8-10 hours, big chicken pieces will stay in shape upon cooking. Whereas, small pieces will turn mushy upon dum cooking. Hence, choose accordingly.