Lahore's whole-bird kebab-house classic: a full chicken scored, steeped in spiced yogurt and vinegar, steamed until cooked, then flash deep-fried so the skin crackles. It occupies the same menu slot as tandoori chicken but with a distinct steam-then-fry texture.
Also known as: chicken chargha, charga, Lahori chargha, چرغہ
Watch it made
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (1.2-1.4 kg), skin deeply slashed
- 200 g yogurt
- 60 ml white vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 tsp garam masala and 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1.5 tsp salt
- Oil, for deep frying
- Chaat masala and lemon, to finish
How to make it
- 1
Cut slashes to the bone on breasts and thighs, then work the yogurt-vinegar-spice paste into every gash. Refrigerate overnight.
- 2
Set the bird breast-up on a rack over briskly boiling water in a lidded stockpot and steam 40-45 minutes, until the thigh reads 74 C.
- 3
Lift out and let the surface dry 10 minutes; a wet bird fights the fryer.
- 4
Deep-fry at 180 C for 3-4 minutes, ladling oil over the top, until the skin blisters brick red.
- 5
Dust heavily with chaat masala, squeeze lemon over, and tear apart by hand.
Pro tip: Steam first, fry second, always in that order: the steam cooks the bird to the bone so the hot oil only has one job, the crust. Fry a raw chargha and the skin burns ten minutes before the thigh is safe.
