Instructions

Trim and wash chicken pieces well and drain thoroughly. Put the chicken in a large bowl and mix with the yogurt, garlic, and ginger. Marinate for an hour or up to one day.
Saute the onions on medium heat in the oil and ghee/butter until golden brown. Add cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaf, stirring until fragrant.
Add marinated chicken and salt, raising the temperature to medium high. Stir frequently until water and juices separate from the chicken to create a gravy. Consistently monitor that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan or gets brown, about 10 minutes. Once the liquid has reduced, add a few tablespoons of hot water slowly (maintaining the bubbling of gravy) until chicken is partially submerged. The amount of water will vary because some chickens naturally give off more liquid than others. Bring to a boil and then lower to medium heat so that the gravy is at a heavy simmer but not boiling.
Cover and stir occasionally. Once oil droplets start to rise to the surface (about 20-30 minutes) and the gravy is reducing, add lemon juice, ground almonds, sugar, raisins, and chiles. Check to see if sugar has balanced out the tartness of the yogurt. Cover and cook another 5 minutes on medium-low and remove from the heat.
Optional: Sprinkle with rose water. Garnish with almonds, more raisins, and fried shallots. Serve with plain pulao, biriyani or steamed basmati or jasmine rice.