Kozhi Nirachathu / Stuffed Chicken

The famous Malabar Kozhi Nirachathu!!!

Ingredients

Whole Chicken: 1 Kg
For marination
Red chilly powder: 1 Tea Spoon
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 Tea Spoon
Lime Juice: 1 Tea Spoon
Salt
For Stuffing & Gravy
Onion: 5
Green Chilly: 2 - 3
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1 Table Spoon
Tomato: 1
Hard Boiled Eggs: 2
Red Chilly Powder: 2 Tea Spoon
Turmeric Powder: 1/4 Tea Spoon
Coriander Powder: 1 Tea Spoon
Chicken Masala Powder: 1 Tea Spoon
Fennel Seeds Powder: 1/2 Tea Spoon
Oil: 4 -5 Table Spoon
Curry Leaves
Coriander Leaves

Cooking Time: 1 hour
Preparation time: Over night
Method

Clean and wash the chicken and make gashes on it and keep aside

Mix everything mentioned under for marination and rub it on to the chicken

Cover and keep in fridge overnight or minimum 4 to 5 hours
To make filling and gravy
To a pan pour 2 to 3 table spoon oil and add sliced onion to it
Saute till onion becomes translucent and then add chopped green chilly, ginger garlic paste and curry leaves
Saute for another 4 to 5 minutes and then add salt and turmeric powder

Stir for another minute and at this stage take 2 table spoon of the onion mix and keep aside
This will be used along with boiled eggs for stuffing

Now to the rest of the onion mix add red chilly powder, coriander powder, chicken masala and fennel powder
Saute till the raw smell of the masala is gone and then add the chopped tomato and some chopped coriander leaves
Saute for few more minutes and then switch off the flame

Now take the marinated chicken and fill the chicken with the hard boiled eggs and the onion mixture we had kept aside

Tie the legs and wings of the chicken

To a pan add 2 table spoon oil and place the chicken and shallow fry the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes flipping sides regularly

Let the chicken become slightly brown on all sides

Place this chicken in the gravy that we made and cover the chicken in the gravy

Cover and cook in the lowest flame possible.  Open every 10  minutes and keep flipping the chicken so that it cooks evenly.  Be careful while doing this

It will take about 40 to 50 minute to cook and by the time the chicken cooks the gravy will have become thick and oil will start to leave
Carefully untie the legs and wings and remove the thread.
Serve hot with ghee rice, roti, parantha, naan, pathiri etc

Note:
You can do any stuffing of your choice
You can even bake the chicken, but the authentic recipe calls for cooking the chicken on stove.