Do you want to know which dish you can make that will impress your guests the very first time? Then you don’t need to look anywhere else and can unquestionably make this restaurant style mughlai chicken curry for your next house party!
Another day, another recipe But not just any recipe! Today I’m bringing to you the recipe of a royal dish – the one & only mughlai chicken curry!
Restaurant style mughlai chicken curry is another gem from my kitchen which will win over your heart & soul quite easily! And your guests’ too!
A restaurant classic, this mughlai chicken curry is enjoyed best with a soft & fluffy butter naan or with just plain white rice. The flavor of the luscious gravy of chicken mughlai will keep lingering in your mouth for a long time!
I don’t know if this mughlai chicken curry has any real connection with The Mughals or not but nevertheless, this recipe is a must-have in your collection if you are fond of cooking and feeding just like me!
What is mughlai chicken curry?
This one is not an ordinary everyday kind of chicken curry; this is special! Mughlai chicken curry is an experience in itself and you must indulge in it with all your love & attention!
This is an exquisitely rich & creamy chicken curry recipe where chicken pieces are cooked to perfection to acquire a melt-in-mouth texture!
The base of the gravy is made with soaked almonds which are ground with onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies to make a very smooth & creamy masala paste. This spice paste is then nicely sauteed in oil or ghee until it releases oil.
Then the marinated chicken is cooked in this spice paste until the chicken pieces are nicely browned and seared well on all sides. Finally, they are simmered in the gravy to make a beautifully rich & creamy curry.
Ingredients for Mughlai chicken curry
Let’s Check out what you need to make a delicious mughlai chicken curry!
Chicken: You will need curry cut pieces of chicken which you can easily get at your butcher’s shop or even online. About a kg of skinless chicken curry-cut will be good enough for 5 adult servings.
Aromatics: Ginger and garlic are must-have aromatics and we will be creating a special spice paste using these two along with a few other magic ingredients.
Almonds: This royal nut is the key ingredient behind a super tasty chicken mughlai. Soaked and peeled nuts are ground to a smooth paste with ginger, garlic, onion and green chillies which makes the base of this delicious gravy.
Onion: Though onion is used in almost all Indian chicken recipes, here we would use it a little differently. We will first fry the thinly sliced onion in oil until they are golden brown. Then take them out and grind to a smooth paste with nuts and other aromatics to get a smooth brown onion paste.
Fresh green chilli: Mughlai chicken is not too spicy a dish but just has a subtle kick of spiciness which comes from fresh green chillies. Use it as much or as little as you like.
Whole spices: Tempering oil using a bunch of whole spices is a unique technique used in almost all Indian dishes and this method enhances the flavor of the dish multiple times! Same goes for this mughlai chicken where oil is tempered with cloves, green cardamom, cinnamon sticks and whole black peppercorn.
Powdered spices: Chicken pieces are marinated with turmeric powder and Kashmiri red chilli powder. The gravy of mughlai chicken is flavored with a generous amount of coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala.
Oil: You are free to use the oil of your preference for making mughlai chicken curry. Sunflower or canola oil would work well; even mustard oil would also be good if you are habituated with its pungent flavor.
Pro tip: For a richer experience use ghee to cook your mughlai chicken. The flavors will be much better if you are willing to indulge in a little higher calorie!
Kewra /screwpine water: Royal dish needs a royal finishing touch and hence a drizzle of good quality kewra water (aka screwpine water) will make your mughlai chicken ultra-special and absolutely restaurant style!
Seasoning: Use the right amount of salt to bring out the best flavors of all the amazing ingredients used in this recipe of mughlai chicken!
How to make mughlai chicken curry?
Step 1: Fry the thinly sliced onion in warm oil until it turns golden brown. Then take them out using a slotted spoon draining the excess oil out and place them in a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper.
Step 2: Wash the chicken pieces and drain out all the excess water. Take the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl and start marinating.
Step 3: To marinate the chicken, add salt, Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric powder. Toss the chicken pieces so that the spices coat each piece evenly on all sides. Set it aside.
Step 4: Now in a blender jar, add fried onion, raw ginger pieces, garlic cloves, fresh green chillies and soaked & peeled almonds.
Step 5: First blend these ingredients without water to make a coarse mixture. Then add about half a cup of water and blend again to make a smooth paste without any lumps or coarse pieces. Set it aside until needed.
Step 6: Now heat a kadai or wok and add the oil to it. Once the oil is warm, temper it with green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks and whole black peppercorn. Saute it on low heat for a few seconds until they are fragrant.
Step 7: Then pour in the prepared onion mixture from the blender into the kadai and stir it into the oil. Continue cooking the mixture while stirring occasionally.
Step 8: It would take about 10 to 15 minutes to cook the mixture completely until it changes its color from a pale brown to a deep brown and oil starts to release from it. Be patient at this step, otherwise the flavors will not develop properly.
Step 9: Once the mixture is nicely sauteed, add coriander powder, cumin aka jeera powder and garam masala. Stir to mix them with the onion mixture.
Step 10: Add ¼ cup of water to prevent the spices from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring and let the water evaporate, releasing the oil again.
Step 11: Now add the marinated chicken to the kadai. Stir them so that the prepared masala mixture coats each piece of chicken evenly on all sides. Be patient and carefully keep stirring the chicken.
Step 12: Continue to saute the chicken in the masala until the chicken pieces turn golden brown and oil releases again from the chicken. This step will take some time; about 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat.
Step 13: Once oil is released, add about 1 to 1 & ½ cup of water, preferably warm, to the kadai. Season the mughlai chicken with salt to taste and give a stir to distribute salt evenly.
Pro tip: You may need to add more water depending on the quantity of the chicken. Some of the water will be absorbed while the chicken gets cooked and remaining will create the creamy & luscious gravy.
Step 14: Bring the gravy of mughlai chicken to boil. Then cover the wok with a lid and reduce the flame to lowest. Let the chicken simmer for 15 to 20 minutes on low heat.
Step 15: Stir the chicken in between to ensure it is not sticking to the bottom of the kadai. Check the doneness of the chicken by cutting a piece using your stirring spatula.
Step 16: Once the chicken is completely cooked through and becomes tender & succulent, drizzle kewra water (aka screw pine water) over the wok. Give a good stir to mix it in.
Step 17: Check the consistency of the gravy; boil off some excess if it seems too thin. Check and adjust the seasoning too at this point if needed.
Your Mughlai chicken is ready to devour. Serve with butter naan or plain white rice and enjoy!
More delicious restaurant style dishes from Flavor Quotient
- Chicken - 1 kg, skinless, curry cut
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
- Kashmiri chilli powder - 1 tsp
- Onion - 4, large, thinly sliced
- Ginger - 2 inch piece, peeled & cut into small pieces
- Garlic - 8 to 10 cloves
- Fresh green chilli - 4 to 5 or as per your taste
- Raw almonds - 15 to 18, soaked and peeled
- Sunflower or canola oil - ¼ cup
- Cloves - 6 to 8
- Green cardamom - 5 to 7
- Cinnamon stick - 2 inch stick
- Whole black peppercorn - 8 to 10
- Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
- Cumin powder - ½ tbsp
- Garam masala - 1 tsp
- Kewra /screw pine water - 1 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Fry the thinly sliced onion in warm oil until it turns golden brown. Then take them out using a slotted spoon draining the excess oil out and place them in a plate lined with absorbent kitchen paper.
- Wash the chicken pieces and drain out all the excess water. Take the chicken pieces in a large mixing bowl and start marinating.
- To marinate the chicken, add salt, Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric powder. Toss the chicken pieces so that the spices coat each piece evenly on all sides. Set it aside.
- Now in a blender jar, add fried onion, raw ginger pieces, garlic cloves, fresh green chillies and soaked & peeled almonds.
- First blend these ingredients without water to make a coarse mixture. Then add about half a cup of water and blend again to make a smooth paste without any lumps or coarse pieces. Set it aside until needed.
- Now heat a kadai or wok and add the oil to it. Once the oil is warm, temper it with green cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon sticks and whole black peppercorn. Sauté it on low heat for a few seconds until they are fragrant.
- Then pour in the prepared onion mixture from the blender into the kadai and stir it into the oil. Continue cooking the mixture while stirring occasionally.
- It would take about 10 to 15 minutes to cook the mixture completely until it changes its color from a pale brown to a deep brown and oil starts to release from it. Be patient at this step, otherwise the flavors will not come out well.
- Once the mixture is nicely sautéed, add coriander powder, cumin aka jeera powder and garam masala. Stir to mix them with the onion mixture.
- Add ¼ cup of water to prevent the spices from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Keep stirring and let the water evaporate, releasing the oil again.
- Now add the marinated chicken to the kadai. Stir them so that the prepared masala mixture coats each piece of chicken evenly on all sides. Be patient and carefully keep stirring the chicken.
- Continue to sauté the chicken in the masala until the chicken pieces turn golden brown and oil releases again from the chicken. This step will take some time; about 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat.
- Once oil is released, add about 1 to 1 & ½ cup of water, preferably warm, to the kadai. Season the mughlai chicken with salt to taste and give a stir to distribute salt evenly.
- Bring the gravy of mughlai chicken to boil. Then cover the wok with a lid and bring the flame to lowest. Let the chicken simmer for 15 to 20 minutes on low heat.
- Stir the chicken in between to ensure it is not sticking to the bottom of the kadai. Check the doneness of the chicken by cutting a piece using your stirring spatula.
- Once the chicken is completely cooked through and becomes tender & succulent, drizzle kewra water (aka screw pine water) over the wok. Give a good stir to mix it in.
- Check the consistency of the gravy; boil off some excess if it seems too thin. Check and adjust the seasoning too at this point.
- Your Mughlai chicken is ready to devour. Serve with butter naan or plain white rice and enjoy!
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