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1
Remove and discard the skin from the chicken legs and breasts.
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2
Cut each leg into drumstick and thigh, and quarter the breasts.
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3
To prepare the marinade paste, peel and coarsely chop the garlic, ginger, and 3 onions.
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4
Place in a blender with the cloves, peppercorns, cardamom seeds, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, poppy seeds, mace, 1 teaspoon salt, and the lemon juice.
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5
Blend to a smooth paste.
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6
Turn into a large bowl, add the yogurt, and mix well.
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7
Dry Roasting: Spices are often dry-roasted before use.
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8
It is best to do this over medium heat in a preheated small, heavy, cast-iron frying pan.
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9
No oil is used; the spices are just stirred around in the pan with a wooden spatula until they brown lightly.
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10
Roasted spices develop a heightened, nutty aroma.
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11
They can be stored for several months in an airtight jar.
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12
Peel the 3 remaining onions, halve lengthwise, and slice finely.
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13
Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over medium heat.
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14
When hot, add the bay leaves and cardamom pods.
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15
Fry for 10 to 15 seconds.
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16
Add the sliced onions and fry, stirring, for about 10 minutes or until brown and crisp, but not burned.
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17
Remove with a slotted spoon, squeezing out as much oil as possible.
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18
Reserve the oil, cardamoms, and bay leaves.
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19
Add 2/3 of the fried onions to the marinade paste and mix well.
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20
Drain the rest on paper towels and set aside for garnishing.
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21
Pierce the chicken pieces with a fork and add to the bowl of marinade paste; mix well.
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22
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight, turning the chicken occasionally.
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23
Transfer the chicken and marinade to a large heavy-based cooking pot or pan.
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24
Bring slowly to a boil, cover, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
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25
Lift out the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and place them in a 6-quart casserole dish; cover and set aside.
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26
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
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27
Crumble the saffron into the warm milk and set aside to soak.
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28
Boil the marinade paste, stirring, over a medium heat, until reduced to 9 to 10 tablespoons.
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29
Spoon the paste over the chicken.
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30
Cover again.
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31
Pour about 3 quarts water into a large cooking pot or flameproof casserole.
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32
Add 3 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil.
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33
Add the rice, bring back to a boil, then simmer for precisely 5 minutes.
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34
Drain the rice in a colander, then place it on top of the chicken in the casserole.
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35
Pour the saffron-infused milk over the rice, streaking it with orange lines.
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36
Sprinkle the reserved cardamom, bay leaves, and oil over the rice (retaining 1 tablespoon oil, for frying the raisins, if using).
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37
Cover the casserole dish with foil, cut 2 inches wider than the rim of the dish.
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38
Now put the lid on and use the protruding foil edges to seal the dish as best you can by crinkling it and pushing it against the sides.
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39
Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
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40
To prepare the garnishes, if including raisins fry them briefly in the reserved oil.
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41
Lightly toast the almonds if you wish.
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42
Quarter the hard-cooked eggs lengthwise, or cut into slice.
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43
Spoon the rice and chicken onto a large warm platter.
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44
Sprinkle with the fried onions, raisins, almonds and hard-cooked eggs.
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45
Serve hot.
