Chicken Keema

Chicken Keema: Chicken keema means chicken mince made with spices, herbs and green peas. Usually mince is also known as keema, kheema or qeema and can be made from any meat. The best part of chicken keema is you could use them as stuffing in samosas, parathas, sandwiches etc. and chicken keema tastes great when stuffed in bread with omelette and some sauce or chutney.

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

• 500 gms minced chicken
• 3 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 inch ginger
• 12 – 13 garlic cloves
• 10 – 12 fresh mint leaves
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 4 – 5 green cardamoms
• 10 – 12 black pepper corns
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp caraway seed
• 1 tbsp garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp chicken biryani masala powder
• 4 – 5 dry red kashmiri chilies
• 5 cloves
• 1 tbsp coriander seed
• 1 tbsp poppy seed
• 1 tbsp white sesame seed
• 1 tbsp melon seed
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 10 – 12 almonds
• 20 cashew nuts
• 1 glass boiling hot water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 boiled eggs
• Salt, to taste
• 8-10 chopped coriander leaves, for garnishing
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

Method:

• Marinate the chicken mince with lime juice and ginger-garlic paste.
• Mix well.
• Marinate the chicken mince for an hour or overnight in the fridge.
• Grind the chopped onion, ginger, garlic, mint leaves and coriander leaves.
• Add in the marinated chicken mince to the above grinded paste.
• Mix well and keep aside.
• Heat the 1 tbsp ghee in a pan, on medium heat.
• Add the caraway seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds.
• Once it crackles, add the dry red chillies, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper corns, cloves, green cardamoms and coriander seeds.
• Sauté the spice mixture for a minute.
• Grind in a food processor to make a smooth paste.
• Separately grind melon seeds, poppy seeds, almonds and sesame seeds till smooth paste is formed, adding little water if required.
• Heat the ghee in another pan, on low heat.
• Add the grounded red chilli paste.
• Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until it starts leaving oil around the edges of the pan.
• Add in the minced chicken.
• Sauté until the water evaporates.
• Mix in turmeric powder, cashew nuts, garam masala powder  and chicken biryani masala powder.
• Mix well.
• Add in the milk and boiling hot water.
• Allow the chicken keema to cook until gravy thickens.
• Season the chicken keema with salt.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and sliced boiled eggs.
• Serve hot chicken keema with pav or roti.

If you have any queries regarding the Chicken Keema recipe, please leave a comment.