Chicken Ghee Roast

Ingredients

• For Marinating:
• 1/2 cup thick yoghurt
• 2 teaspoons lime juice from one lime
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 whole chicken leg quarters (about 2 pounds total skinned
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• For Spice Paste:
• 3 tablespoons ghee or Indian clarified butter
• 6 medium cloves garlic
• 6 Kashmiri chillis
• 1 tablespoon corriander seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 cup water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the yoghurt, lime juice, turmeric, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken, turning it well so every piece is covered. Cover the bowl tightly with cling film and chill for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
2. When you’re ready to start cooking, warm 2 teaspoons ghee in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic, chilis, coriander seeds, fenugreek, and cumin, stirring often, until the spices smell toasted and aromatic, about 5 minutes. Take the spice mixture out of the pan and let it cool, then move it to a blender, small food processor, or mortar and pestle and work it into a fine paste.
3. Add the remaining ghee to the same cast iron skillet and heat it over medium heat until glossy and hot. Lift the chicken from the marinade, letting the extra drip off, then carefully ease it into the ghee and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Open up a space in the center of the skillet between the chicken pieces and spoon in the spice paste. Stir the paste in that open spot until it becomes fragrant, about 5 minutes, then turn and toss the chicken so it is well coated. Pour in 1 cup water. Lower the heat to low and cook until the chicken is done through and most of the liquid has cooked away, about 10 minutes. Serve hot with white rice or bread.