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Chicken Akni in a white plate
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5 from 4 votes

Easy Chicken Akni

Aromatic one-pot dish made with chicken and rice
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: chicken akni, one pot chicken dish
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 kg chicken see note 5
  • 1 cup Basmati rice
  • 2+3 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 2 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 pieces cinnamon stick
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 5 cloves
  • 10 peppercorns
  • 2 tsp masala
  • 2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1&1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp ginger/garlic paste
  • 2 large roma tomatoes skin removed and blended
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 3 potatoes cut into fours
  • handful mint leaves
  • handful fresh coriander
  • 2 cups water see note 3
  • salt

Instructions

  • Peel potatoes and cut them into four pieces or smaller if you prefer. Add a few tablespoons of water, cover and steam for 5 minutes in the microwave. If you prefer you can also fry them and set aside
  • Heat 2 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot. Add the cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, clove, bay leaf, peppercorns and fry until fragrant. Add the onion and fry until golden brown and caramelized
  • Add the ginger/garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the masala, turmeric, chilli powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala and fry for 2 minutes. Add the chicken and mix well. Leave the pot open and allow it to fry for 10 minutes on low heat. Add a few drops of water only if required
  • Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius
  • Add the rice, potatoes, coriander and mint. Add 2 cups water or less, depending on how soon your potatoes will be able to cook. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook in the oven for an hour or more, until potatoes and rice is cooked. Half way through cooking cut up the butter into little cubes and place it in the pot. When cooked the Akni should remain a little moist but not mushy

Notes

  1. You can add some peas to the Chicken Akni if you prefer
  2. I used basmati rice for this dish, however you can use parboiled long grain rice. 
  3. Although I used 2 cups of water you may not need all of it so please use your discretion here. People on the coast may need less water as the potatoes cook faster.
  4. You can reduce or increase the amount of the masala and kashmiri chilli powder if you prefer.
  5. Yogurt is not one of the ingredients used in Akni but you can add about a 1/4 cup if you prefer. You can add it after you add your spices.