Indian style Chicken Curry

 chicken curry

A very flavorful Indian style Chicken curry, this is a cross between the oh-so-popular-Butter chicken and the notoriously famous Chicken Tikka masala. While the curry or the sauce resemble a  Makhani curry ( Butter chicken curry), the chicken pieces are marinated like that in Chicken tikka masala. But instead of grilling the ‘tikka‘, the marinated chicken is pan fried and then cooked further with a spicy onion tomato curry.

Ingredients:

  • 550 gm* Chicken ( Bone- in or boneless, or a combination of both will do)
  • 2 tbsp of White butter/any butter/ oil to fry marinated chicken

For marinade:

  • 2  tbsp curd
  • 1/4 tsp red chilly powder
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp Turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp Kitchen king masala
  • 1 tsp Garam masala powder
  • 2 tsp Kasoori methi
  • 6 garlic cloves, pounded or crushed
  • 1 ” piece of Ginger, pounded
  • 2-3 green chillies, chopped (Adjust as per taste)
  • Salt

For curry:

  • 3 Red onions, sliced
  • 2 medium sized ripe tomatoes, pureed or grated
  • 2 cloves
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1/2 inch stick of Cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp of oil to caramelize onions
  • Salt ( Be careful as there is already some salt in the marinade)
  • 1/4 tsp of red chilly powder (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
  • Hot water to adjust consistency of gravy
  • Fresh coriander leaves to garnish
  • Freshly ground black pepper powder (optional)

* I have used Bone-in chicken. If you intend to use boneless, feel free to reduce the quantity of chicken in that case.

chicken_curry2

Method:

  • Clean the chicken pieces thoroughly by rinsing with water. Remove the skin (optional).
  • Take a large bowl and mix all the ingredients listed under ‘For Marinade‘.
  • Add the chicken pieces and mix thoroughly so as to coat the pieces well, with the marinade.
  • Cover the bowl with lid or cling film and refrigerate for minimum 4 hours.
  • Take a  pan, add 2 tbsp of white butter and add the chicken pieces. Reserve the rest of marinade to add it to the curry, later on.
  • Cook the chicken pieces on high flame so as to dry up the mixture, gently scraping away the brown bits, if any! Put off the flame .
  • Take another pan or kadai and add 2 tbsp of oil. When the oil is hot, add the cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, one by one and let the flavors infuse in oil for few seconds.
  • Add sliced onions and cook till well browned. The key to perfect blend of flavors of the curry lies in the perfect caramelization of onions along with the proper seasoning.
  • Remove from pan and let the onions cool down.
  • Grind these to a paste and pour back to the pan/kadai.
  • Add oil if needed, and then add grated or pureed tomatoes. Add some salt and cook well, turning the mixture frequently and sprinkling some water if the mixture tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. Once the tomatoes are cooked well, add the leftover marinade and cook for a while.
  • When the oil separates out, its time to add the prepared chicken pieces. Mix well, taste it and adjust the seasonings.
  • Add around 2-3 cups of hot water, some chopped coriander leaves and let the chicken cook well for around 15-20 minutes. The cooking time varies according to the  size of pieces, the cuts of chicken used and the quality of it.
  • The gravy is supposed to be thick but  if needed, use hot water to thin out the gravy or to reheat the chicken curry.
  • Enjoy the restaurant style Chicken curry with roti or naan !

13 Replies to “Indian style Chicken Curry”

  1. Will try them next time when i have guest ( when i give a indian dinner) what is this Kitchen King masala, as i dodn’t hav ethem what can i use instead of that.

    1. Dear Finla,
      Kitchen king is a powdered spice mix, like garam masala and is usually used in Indian gravies. It does imparts a unique flavor to the end dish. But you can go ahead with the recipe without using KK. Just add a dash of black pepper powder and some roasted cumin powder 🙂

  2. I tried your Indian style Chicken curry. It was superb. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.

  3. Superb, simply superb.
    I made once for my family, and they couldnt stop from asking for more.
    So making it again today….

    Thanks for sharing.
    Malay

  4. Excellent recipe. I made chicken for the first time using this recipe and I myself was like WOW!! my entire family was surprised and elated how good it was in the very 1st time. Thanks alot.

  5. I’ve experimented with a lot of chicken recipes and I’ve fared too bad until I tried your’s. It came out so good, everyone really liked it. Thanks so much for the recipe. ????

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *