A rustic Chicken curry, simple and basic – perfect for a beginner!
Learn how to make a very basic and simple Chicken curry, dhaba style. Dhaba’s are small roadside restaurants/shacks found throughout India that serve very rustic food for truckers and travelers. The recipes are simple and ingredients are things we use everyday. This is a super simple dhaba style curry that is perfect for a beginner to try out. Chicken simmered and cooked in a thick onion and tomato gravy, flavored with warm spices. Perfect to scoop up with soft and fluffy homemade naan, roti or rice.
There are hundreds of ways to make chicken curry with a variety of different gravies. You can add creams, nuts, and other ingredients to make them richer and different. This is a a very basic and common recipe and easy to adjust to your taste of spiciness. Besides chicken, you can add other ingredients to variate it like fresh methi leaves, chopped spinach, large diced potatoes, or bell peppers. These are optional, the basic chicken curry is yummy and satisfying just by itself.
Soft naan to pick up a piece of chicken, slightly crunchy onion and bell pepper pieces enveloped in a thick flavorful gravy, its a perfectly satisfying bite…hmmm, check it out!
Makes 4-5 servings
Time: 45 mins
Ingredients:
- 2 lbs (~ 1 whole) skinless chicken pieces (You can use boneless or with bone as you prefer)
- 1 1/2 cups fried onions (bilista)
- 1 1/2 cups tomato
- 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 elcho
- 3 green cardamom (elaichi)
- 1 Bay leaf
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp cumin coriander powder
- 1/8 tsp red chili powder or red chili flakes or fresh green chili, adjust to your taste
- 1 tsp Garam Masala
- Optional: 1 tsp Kasuri Methi, 1 cup of large diced onion and colorful bell pepper
- Chopped coriander leaves for garnish
Method:
- In a blender, add fried onion, tomato, yogurt and grind into a smooth paste. Set aside
- In a nonstick pan on medium heat, add oil, add all the whole spices and heat till they splutter, approximately 2 mins.
- Add ginger garlic paste, stir fry for 30 secs
- Add the blended mixture
- Add the salt and all the powder spices, stir well. Cook for 5 mins stirring frequently, you will start to see some oil separating on the edges of the pot, this is a sign that the masala is cooked.
- Add chicken and water, cover and cook on medium heat for 30-45 mins or till the chicken is fully cooked through. Stir in between periodically. Depending on size of pieces the time can vary, be sure to poke a knife in the biggest piece at a bone and there is no red inside. If using legs, you should see some bone when cooked.
- Add water to adjust the gravy to the consistency you like, after the chicken is cooked. Typically this is a thicker gravy.
- Stir in Kasuri methi, onion and bell peppers. Cover and cook for another 5 mins then turn off.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with naan, roti or rice and Enjoy!
Tips:
- Don’t have fried onions, no worries. You can make your own: slice and fry till they brown. Or use regular raw white onions.
- If you want to make it richer, you can add 10 cashews and blend along with the tomato mixture. And or add 2 tbsp of sour cream at the end.
- This curry is easy to freeze, make extra or freeze leftovers for at least 3 months in a well sealed container