Hariyali Murgh (Baked Chicken Thighs With Herbs)

Hariyali means greenery in Hindi but it also has a more nuanced cultural meaning: it is often used as a term of blessing. Elders will touch the head of a child, saying “Tere taqdeer mein hariyali bhar ke aaye, tum phoolon phalo”—may you thrive and flourish. It is a blessing of abundance.

This was one of the first dishes I learned to cook when I came to England, since the butcher in Cambridge sold skinless chicken thighs. In India, we rarely eat chicken with the skin on; the masalas can penetrate the meat more easily without it. So, I was surprised to see chicken sold with the skin on it. I struggled when taking the skin off until someone told me to use paper towels to grab the skin to pull it off before cooking. Here, the skinless (but bone-in) chicken is rubbed with a simple herby yogurt marinade, then baked in a roasting pan.

This recipe was excerpted from 'Ammu' by Asma Khan. Buy the full book on Amazon. This book was selected as one of the Epicurious top cookbooks of 2022.