Marinate the chicken with the yogurt, saffron and lemon juice for at least ½ an hour.
Heat the ghee/butter in a big and thick bottomed pan, and add the ingredients for tempering. When the spices release their aroma, add the sugar and let it caramelise.
Add the chopped onions and cook, stirring continuously till translucent. Add the ground paste, along with the coconut, turmeric, cumin and chilli powders. Cook, stirring constantly, till all the moisture evaporates and the mixture gets lumpy.
Add the chicken pieces, along with the marinade. Season with salt, stir and cook for 5-6 minutes over medium - high heat.
Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and cook till the chicken is cooked ¾ths of the way.
While the chicken cooks, in another pan, dry roast the rice for a few minutes till the grains are crispy. Make sure not to burn the grains. Remove from heat and save aside for later.
Increase the heat for the chicken, and stir till most of the moisture has evaporated.
Add the rice, water and garam masala powder , stir well and bring to a boil .
Reduce the heat, cover and cook till the water has evaporated. But do check... if you see the rice grains have cooked and there is still quite some liquid left, then raise the heat and stir constantly but gently, till all the moisture evaporates. We do not want the rice to overcook and become mushy.
Serve immediately with raita or yogurt.
If serving later, let it cool completely ( stir it a bit to quicken the cooling process) and then cover. If the cover is put on immediately after removing from heat, it will make the rice cook a bit more.