Sonam Saxena's Kitchen

Directions

1. Score the chicken. Pat the chicken dry. With a sharp knife, cut deep slashes — about ½ inch deep — all over the breasts, thighs and drumsticks, 3–4 slashes per piece. This is what lets the marinade in and the heat through, so don't be shy.
2. First marinade. Rub the lemon juice and salt all over the chicken and into every slash. Rest 20 minutes at room temperature while you mix the spice marinade.
3. Mix the spice marinade. Whisk together the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, both chili powders, turmeric, coriander, cumin, garam masala, chaat masala, ajwain, mustard oil and vinegar until smooth and brick-red.
4. Marinate overnight. Coat the chicken thickly with the marinade, pushing it into every slash. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, ideally overnight — the longer it sits, the deeper the red color and the juicier the meat.
5. Bring to room temperature. Take the chicken out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking, and scrape off most of the thick surface marinade (a thin coating stays on). Cold chicken straight from the fridge fries unevenly.
6. Heat the oil. Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pot or karahi to a depth of about 3 inches and heat to 325°F (165°C) — a cube of bread dropped in should sizzle and turn golden in about 45 seconds. Keep a lid nearby and never leave hot oil unattended.
7. Fry, breast-side down first. Lower the chicken gently into the oil, breast-side down, using tongs and a slotted spoon. Fry 15 minutes, turning once or twice, until the skin is deep red-brown and crisping at the edges. Adjust the heat to hold 300–325°F (150–165°C); if the skin darkens too fast, lower the heat.
8. Flip and finish. Turn the chicken over and fry 15–20 minutes more, until the skin is uniformly crisp and dark red and a thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F (74°C) — about 30–35 minutes total. If the breast browns before the thigh is done, tent that side loosely with foil in the pot's steam, or finish in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 5–10 minutes.
9. Rest and carve. Lift the chicken onto a wire rack and rest 10 minutes — the juices redistribute and the skin stays crisp instead of steaming soft. Carve at the table into breasts, thighs, drumsticks and wings.
10. Serve. Arrange on a platter with the onion rings, cilantro and lemon wedges. Serve hot with mint chutney and warm naan for scooping up every spiced bit.

Tip: Kashmiri chili powder is what gives chargha its signature ruby-red skin without scorching heat — the small amount of regular chili powder supplies the kick. If the skin is browning too fast in the oil, drop the heat rather than pulling the chicken early; an undercooked center is the one mistake you can't fix at the table.