This classic chicken curry is high on flavors and is the best kept secret of our family kitchen since ages! Our family meal won’t be complete without this classic delicacy!
Classic chicken curry is the most integral part of our family meal. Our life would have been incomplete without this chicken curry which I have to share with you guys! If there is one Indian recipe which has thousands of versions, each being uniquely delicious on its own, then it has to be chicken curry! I believe every non-vegetarian Indian family has their very own chicken curry recipe which holds their family secret; today I am here to reveal ours!
Our family favorite chicken curry has always been a part of any celebratory meal like birthdays or anniversaries. My own version of chicken curry is a fusion of my mum’s and my MIL’s and eventually I have experimented with spices and stuff. Finally, I have arrived at something which I can proudly call my best ever chicken curry and hence it is appearing here in our blog!
During my short trip to Greece couple of years back, I had realized that if there is any Indian dish which is popular abroad then it is definitely curry; any curry for that matter. Chicken curry is the most universal of all curries and I strongly believe that one must have a fail-proof recipe of this mind-blowing dish in his/her repertoire! Chicken curry is such a friendly dish that it can be your savior when you have surprise guests coming over for dinner! It not only feeds a crowd but will please them immensely making you the star of the show!
I am sure that as you are reading this you might be comparing your own family chicken curry with mine, but hold on! Don’t compare as I am sure yours is as mind-blowing as mine! I am very sure every family does their chicken curry differently and that’s the beauty of it! The flagship recipe of our country has uncountable number of versions which can make it a cuisine in itself! Don’t you agree?
In my previous recipe of simple Bengali potato curry, I had mentioned about my mum’s lavish Sunday lunch and chicken curry was one of her Sunday specialties. Like any other curry, chicken curry also has the similar flavor base – onion, ginger, garlic and tomatoes. My mum used less amount of tomatoes which I have modified. Also, I love to use whole spices to temper the oil as they emanate a beautiful aroma making the chicken curry even more flavorful.
My personal twist on the classic chicken curry is the two types of onions; I mean I used both sliced and pureed onion in the curry as this combination makes a great base for the gravy. And I must tell you that the gravy of this chicken curry is something to die for! It is simply incredible and anything will taste good with this miracle gravy – be it roti or rice or may be some fluffy butter naan if you want your dinner to be a little extra fancy! So this chicken curry is now passed from me to you; do let me know how it turned out!
- Chicken – 1.2 kg, cut into medium sized curry cut
- Ginger paste – 2 tbsp
- Garlic paste – 2 tbsp
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- Red chili powder – 1 tsp
- Garam masala – 1 tsp
- Salt – 1 tsp
- Yogurt – ¼ cup
- Vegetable/mustard oil – ⅛ cup
- Vegetable/mustard oil – ⅛ cup
- Sugar – 1 tsp
- Green cardamom – 6 to 8
- Cloves – 6 to 8
- Cinnamon – 2 inch piece
- Dry red chili – 2
- Onion – 6, large
- Ginger paste – 1 tsp
- Garlic paste – 1 tsp
- Tomato – 2, chopped
- Tomato puree – ¼ cup
- Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
- Cumin powder – 1 tsp
- Coriander powder – 1 tsp
- Red chili powder – 1tsp
- Garam masala – 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Fresh coriander leaves to garnish
- Wash the drain the chicken pieces. Put them into a large bowl and add all the ingredients listed under marinade – garlic & ginger paste, turmeric powder, red chili powder, garam masala, salt, yogurt and oil. Mix everything well to coat all the chicken pieces thoroughly. Cover with a cling film and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.
- For making the gravy, puree 2 onions and thinly slice the remaining 4.
- Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pan or wok. Add the sugar and let it melt.
- Temper the hot oil with green cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and dry red chilies. Sauté them for few seconds until fragrant.
- Next add the ginger and garlic paste and fry them on low for few seconds making sure they do not burn.
- Now add the sliced onion and sauté them until translucent and soft. This would take about 5 minutes on medium flame.
- Now add the onion puree and continue cooking until the onions turn golden brown for about 20 minutes on medium heat.
- Then add the chopped tomatoes and stir them in. Cover and let the tomatoes cook on low heat until they break down and become mushy.
- Add the tomato puree and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Now add the powdered spices – turmeric, cumin, coriander and red chili. Add a splash of water to avoid burning of the spices and sauté them well for about 5 minutes on high.
- Now it’s time to add the marinated chicken. Add the chicken pieces along with the marinating liquid to the wok. Carefully stir to mix everything well. Saute the chicken on medium high heat for 5 to 10 minutes until the spices adhere to the chicken pieces.
- Then cover and cook the chicken on low for about 15 more minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked. The chicken may ooze out a lot of water, so do not add any water at this point; will adjust the gravy in subsequent steps.
- When the chicken is three-fourth done, add about a cup of water and season with salt (Do keep in mind that the chicken was already marinated with salt, so season accordingly.)
- Bring the gravy to a rolling boil. Then cover and simmer on low for 10 more minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through.
- Then uncover and check the consistency of the gravy. If it seems to be too thick, boil off some excess or if it’s too dry and sticks to the bottom of the pan, add some more water and bring to rolling boil.
- Finally sprinkle some garam masala and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with roti or rice. Enjoy!
Maha Khan says
greate Recipe. I like this recipe and made this recipe for my family next sunday
Thnak You..!