Indian-style chicken schnitzel. Parche means leaves.
During my work, I had several opportunities to visit culinary hotspots in India, Hyderabad and Lucknow. The royal kitchens from both these places have contributed numerous delectable and elegant recipes developed by chefs/ cooks. Hyderabadi cuisine is known as Nawabi and the cuisine from Lucknow, and Rampur areas as Awadhi.
The Nawabi cuisine of Hyderabad has Persian, Turkic, and Arab influences. Added to this were the stronger spice profiles of Marathwada and Telugu regions. The use of grilling and Tandoor dominates this style.
The culinary heritage of Lucknow was an elegant amalgamation of Mughal, Persian, and some Afghani influences known as Shahi or Awadhi recipes. Awadhi recipes are renowned for their subtle aromatic spices and natural perfumes such as Kewra (pandanus), rose, and saffron.
Murgh ke parche, are cooked in both styles of cooking and can be made using boneless thigh meat, or as I do, tenderized breast meat of chicken.
For my formal dinners, I have been cooking Murgh ke parche, mixing styles, and using the breast of the chicken, by borrowing a bit of a Viennese schnitzel. This shortens the cooking time as well as it works perfectly with the marinade I use.
The Murgh ke parche, cooked in barely 7-9 minutes, is ideal to cook a la minute for your guests.
Use one chicken breast per person if you are cooking it as the main dish, or divide the chicken breast into two vertical pieces if you intend to use it as a side dish.
A variation of this recipe: you can add 1 tbsp of fried and crumbled onion, plus 1 tbsp cashew powder in the marinade.
Recipe for 1 chicken breast, multiply as needed. 1 cup = 240 ml/ 1 Tbsp= 15 ml/ 1 tsp = 5ml.
| 1 chicken breast filet/ de-boned chicken breast | |
| 1 fresh green chilli diced | |
| 2 cm fresh ginger grated | |
| 1 tsp lemon zest | |
| 1 tbsp lemon juice | |
| ½ tsp green peppercorns, freshly crushed into a powder | |
| A tiny pinch of saffron, 5-6 strands, crumbled and soaked in 2 tsp hot milk | |
| Salt to taste | |
| ¼ cup thick full-fat yogurt/ Greek-style yoghurt | |
| 1 tsp kewra or rose water for the marinade + few drops for finishing (this step is optional, but adds layers of flavour and elegance) | |
| 2-3 tbsp of ghee for frying | |
| ¼ tsp good quality garam masala |
An elegantly flavourful, delicious Chicken, Indian-style schnitzel
| 1. | Use a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Between two sheets of clingfoil/ plastic sheets, beat the chicken breast to shape into a schnitzel about 1 cm thick. |
| 2. | In a tiny bowl, soak the saffron in hot milk. Immediately cover it with a small lid to lock in its aroma. |
| 3. | Using a mortar & pestle, crush the chilli + ginger into a paste. Mix with 1 tbsp water. Squeeze the juice out using a tea strainer/ sieve into a small bowl. |
| 4. | To this add all the other ingredients, except the chicken, garam masala and the ghee. Mix well. |
| 5. | On a plate place the chicken and marinate it by smearing the marinade generously on both sides. |
| 6. | Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge min. 1 hour/ preferably 3-4 hours. |
| 7. | Remove the marinade chicken from the fridge and bring to room temperature before cooking it. |
| 8. | Heat a wide iron/ non-stick pan, and add the ghee. When the ghee is hot, add the chicken breast. |
| 9. | Keep heat to medium and cook the Murgh ke Parche for 3-4 minutes on each side till golden. |
| 10. | While cooking the second side, baste the top with the hot ghee once or twice. Prick with a fork, and when cooked till tender, it is ready. |
| 11. | Before removing the Parche from the pan, sprinkle the garam masala over it and if you are using, a few drops of kewra or rose water as extra aroma for finishing. |
| 12. | Serve warm with a wedge of lemon on the side. To serve it with a naan- see the Naan in a Pan recipe on the website. |