Chicken Masala

5 from 1 vote

Chicken Masala, or the Indian Murgh Masala is a delicious homemade chicken curry cooked in a spiced and spicy sauce that is flavourful and rich. It's the most basic chicken curry recipe that is wonderful in its simplicity, and it rivals any restaurant curry.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: people

Calories: 450kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

1 kg chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into chunks (2.2 lb)
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 cm fresh ginger (1 tablespoon)
½ cup chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoon ghee ( or vegetable oil)
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup hot water
1 tablespoon fresh parsley or coriander
2 tablespoon plain yogurt ( optional)

Spices

2 bay leaves
5 cloves
4 cardamom pods
1 small cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon garam masala
½ tablespoon chilli powder
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander
½ tablespoon ground cumin

Instructions

Peel and quarter the onion, garlic and ginger and add them to a blender.
Blitz everything to a paste.
In a large pan, heat up the ghee, add the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves and cinnamon and fry them for 30 seconds until they release their flavour.
Add the onion paste and give everything a good stir, then leave to cook until the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally.
Add the spices, stir well, and leave to cook for a further 30 seconds.
In go the chopped tomatoes, give everything a good stir.
Add the chicken, and mix well to coat it into the tomato paste.
Place a lid on, and leave the chicken to cook until it releases all its liquid and it evaporates - stir occasionally.
Once all the chicken is dry, add the hot water, give everything a good stir, and leave to cook for a further 15 minutes on a medium heat.
If you wish to add yogurt at this stage, you can do so - I prefer to mix it with a bit of the hot liquid from the sauce to avoid curdling.
Garnish with fresh parsley or coriander.

Video

Notes

If you see oil floating on the top of the sauce once the dish is ready, not to worry, that's a sign that the curry is cooked well and you have done a great job.
The oil is essential for a good rich curry sauce, and that happens once the water is evaporated and the oil separates - you can spoon it off if you like.
Do no add the hot water straight after the chicken has been added to the pan - it is crucial to let the chicken release its liquid firm and wait for it to evaporate before adding any more liquid.
Once the masala is ready, you can scoop out as much of the whole spices as you can - the cooked cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and cloves are pretty bitter, and should not be eaten as such.

Nutrition