Arabic style grilled chicken prepared with a blend of Arabic spice mix along with yogurt and other spices making it the most succulent and juicy kabab ever.
Al Faham Chicken always takes me down memory lane when I first visited this beautiful town called Nilambur in Kerala which is popularly known for its Teak plantation. My visit to this place was mainly to see my nephew who was then studying at Peevees Public School.
It so happened that one evening we decided to eat at a place called Woodbine Restaurant to have dinner and came across Al Faham Chicken on the menu card which was really appetizing. Finally, when the dish arrived at our table, we just couldn’t wait to devour it.
It had mild flavors which were almost similar to our garam masala and a hint of Arabian flavors. Along with Al Faham Chicken, just to balance the spices, we had ordered Ajwain Murg Tikka which was quite spicy and reddish in color just like any tandoori chicken but the Ajwain flavor was divine and very much appealing to the taste buds.
So this is how I got inspired to make this Al Faham Chicken or Dejaj Al Faham, where ‘Faham’ means coal and is very popularly known as Coal Grilled Chicken. I took ideas by watching some of the videos on youtube, and it also seems like this dish is more popular in Kerala than in any Middle Eastern country.
Al Faham Chicken can also be made without an oven. Just heat a wide nonstick saucepan and add some butter. Fry the marinated pieces on both sides for a few minutes, add 1/2 cup of water, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Once the chicken pieces are cooked and juices have dried up, serve hot with pita bread and Hummus or any Dip of your choice.
You can watch a quick video here:
Al Faham Grilled Chicken ~ Dejaj Al Faham
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram chicken whole or cut into large pieces with slits
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
First marinade:
- 2 tablespoon yogurt
- 1 tablespoon ginger & garlic paste combined
- 1 tablespoon black pepper powder
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
Second marinade:
- 4 dry red chilies mild
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds Badi saunf
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
Whole Spices:
- 4 cardamom
- 4 cloves
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon
- 1 small onion roughly chopped
- 1 small tomato roughly chopped
- 2 green chilies
- ¼ cup coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
- Mix together in a bowl, all the ingredients of the first marinade. Marinate chicken pieces in it for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Prepare the second marinade by dry roasting dry red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, and whole spices for 2 to 3 minutes. Cool and grind to a fine powder. To the spice powder, add chopped tomato, chopped onion, chopped green chilies, and coriander leaves. Grind again to a smooth paste without adding any water (if needed add just 2 or 3 teaspoons of water to ease the grinding).
- Marinate chicken pieces in this spice paste for 2 or 3 hours or even overnight in a refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees C for 10 minutes.
- Place the chicken pieces on a baking tray and place the tray close to the top flame.
- Grill the chicken for 20 minutes by turning the pieces halfway through grilling (10 minutes on each side).
- Serve hot with pits bread, Hummus, and some Fresh Salad.
If you have any queries regarding the recipe, do mention it in the comments section and I shall get back to you.
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