Chicken and Oats with Ghee and Spices

Introduction

You simmer chicken with ginger, garlic, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, then puree it back into the stock with 500 g oats until the mixture turns thick and smooth. Once it sets in a square mold and gets a center of ghee-fried onions, you have a filling main that works well for a weekend lunch or a make-ahead dinner.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 35 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
• Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 young chickens weighing 1.2 kg
• 500 g oats
• 4 red onions
• 15 cloves garlic
• 15 cardamom seeds
• 10 whole cloves
• 50 mm piece cinnamon stick
• 100 mm fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons white pepper
• Salt to taste
• 340 g ghee
• Onions, chopped

Instructions

1. Clean the chicken, and cut into fourths.
2. Place the chicken in a stock pot.
3. Blend the ginger and garlic. Cut red onion into quarters, and put the blended ingredients and onion into the stock pot.
4. Add 12 glasses of water, salt, cardamon seeds, cinnamon sticks and cloves.
5. Bring the chicken to boil.
6. Take out the chicken, debone it, and blend it into puree.
7. Sieve the chicken stock, bring it to boil again, add in the chicken puree, oats, white pepper, and salt to taste.
8. Stir nonstop until it thickens. Add in half of the ghee, and stir until the mixture is smooth.
9. Pour the mixture into a square mold, and make a depression in the middle.
10. Use the rest of the ghee to fry the onions. Place the fried onions into the depression.
11. Sprinkle additional fried onions on top to garnish.

Variations

• Use boneless chicken thighs instead of the whole chickens if you want to skip deboning; you will get a slightly looser, less gelatinous texture.
• Change the oats to quick oats for a smoother finish and a faster thickening stage on the stove.
• Reduce the 340 g ghee to about 250 g if you want a lighter dish; it will still set, but the final texture will be less rich and glossy.
• Replace half of the red onions with yellow onions if you want a sweeter, milder fried onion topping.

Tips for Success

• Let the chicken cook until the meat pulls from the bone easily before you debone and puree it.
• Sieve the stock thoroughly in step 7 so spice fragments and any small bones do not end up in the final mixture.
• Once the oats go into the pot, keep the heat moderate and stir the bottom and corners constantly to prevent sticking.
• Add the first half of the ghee while the mixture is still very hot so it blends in smoothly instead of sitting on the surface.
• Fry the chopped onions until deep golden brown, not dark brown, since they continue to color slightly after you take them off the heat.

Storage and Reheating

Let the dish cool completely, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it in individual portions in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months, though the texture will be denser after thawing.

Reheat on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of water or stock, stirring until smooth and hot. For the microwave, cover loosely and heat in 1-minute bursts, stirring between each burst so the center heats evenly.

FAQ

Can I use steel-cut oats instead of regular oats?

No. Steel-cut oats need much longer to cook and will leave the dish coarse instead of smooth and cohesive.

Do I need to puree the chicken completely?

If you want the smooth texture this dish is built around, yes. If you prefer more bite, you can finely shred the chicken instead, but the texture will be noticeably different.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Yes. It firms up as it cools, so it is well suited to making a day ahead and reheating before serving.

Can I replace the ghee?

Yes. Unsalted butter keeps a similar richness, while a neutral oil gives you a lighter result with less buttery flavor.