Achari chicken is an Indian chicken curry flavored with pickle masala (achar masala). It goes great with Indian bread or rice dishes (stovetop and instant pot recipe included).
If you like to try more chicken recipes, here are some – Coconut Curry Chicken, Chicken Masala, Kadai Chicken, Chicken Angara, Malabar Chicken Curry, and Chicken Keema Masala.
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About This Recipe
Achari chicken or achari murgh, as the name describes it well, is an aromatic, tangy, and flavorful North Indian chicken curry with the delectable flavors of pickling spices.
Indian pickles are very different than their US cousins. They are loaded with spices and oil and are packed with a punch.
Achari chicken curry uses some spices which are also used to make an achaar and the base of this curry is made of tomato and yogurt.
To give it an extra achaari flavor, I have used achari masala spice mix (recipe to make it is given below) and masala from already made pickles.
This curry is mostly made during winters as it is the best time to enjoy hot and spicy food. Having said that, you can enjoy it any time of the year.
Ingredients
You will get all the ingredients to make this curry in an Indian grocery store.
Chicken – I generally use skinless bone-in chicken to make curries as the bones give a lovely flavor to the curries. Having said that, you can use boneless too if you are not a fan of chicken with bones.
You can make the same recipe using goat mutton or lamb too. Cooking time will vary in that case.
Oil – This curry tastes best when made in mustard oil.
If you don’t have mustard oil, you can use any vegetable oil to make this curry.
Whole Spices – We will use some of the spices that are used to make achaar or pickle. These spices are fenugreek seeds (methi), fennel seeds (saunf), mustard seeds (sarson), cumin seeds (jeera), and nigella seeds (kalonji).
These spices when added to hot oil release very earthy, nutty, and slightly bitter flavors. Do not overdo the spices otherwise, the curry will become bitter.
If you don’t have one or two spices, just skip adding them.
Achari Masala – Achari masala is a spice mix that is used to make Indian pickles. You can make a big batch of this spice mix and keep using it in your recipes. I have given the recipe to make achari masala in the post below.
Masala From Ready Pickle – Apart from the dry achari masala spice mix, I recommend adding some already prepared achaar masala from your mango pickle to enhance the taste of this curry.
I have used the achaar masala from my Rajasthani aam ka achar recipe. You can use any pickle though. Store-bought pickles also work well.
Yogurt, Onions, and Tomatoes make the base of the curry.
Other Ingredients – Other than the above-mentioned ingredients, we will need ginger garlic paste, salt, Kashmiri red chili powder, all-purpose flour, lime juice, and cilantro (coriander).
You can also add some cubed bell peppers to this curry.
How To Make Achari Chicken
Heat 5 tablespoon of mustard oil (or vegetable oil) in a large heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil starts to fume, switch off the heat, and let it cool for a minute. This process will remove the raw smell of the mustard which is very pungent. If you like pungency, you can skip fuming the oil. Skip this step if using vegetable oil.
Now switch on the heat again and let the oil heat up on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds, ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, ½ teaspoon mustard seeds, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, and ¼ teaspoon nigella seeds and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
Add 2 cups of thinly sliced onions and fry until they turn slightly brown in color (8-10 minutes). Keep stirring while frying at regular intervals.
Add 2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and fry until onions turn golden brown (6-8 minutes).
Wash 2 pounds (1 kg) of bone-in chicken pieces (cut into 1 and ½ inch chunks) and add them to the pan. Fry on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
Add 1 cup chopped tomatoes, salt to taste, and 3 tablespoon achari masala spice mix along with ½ cup of water and cover and cook for 10 mins.
Add 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and 1 cup yogurt whisked with 1 teaspoon of all-purpose flour to the pan.
Kashmiri red chili gives a lovely red color to the curry. You can increase the amount of chili powder if you like your chicken curry spicy. Adding some flour to the yogurt prevents it from curdling while cooking and also makes the curry creamier.
Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low heat until the chicken is tender. It will take 30-35 minutes for the chicken to cook perfectly.
Add 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon of masala from the ready-made pickle. I generally use the masala from the ready mango pickle. Mix everything well and remove the pan from heat.
Achari chicken is ready. Garnish the curry with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with phulka or steamed rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ingredients
16-18 whole Kashmiri dry red chilies
2 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoon onion seeds
6 tablespoon fennel seeds
4 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
6 tablespoon cumin seeds
4 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon asafetida
4 teaspoon dry mango powder
Instructions
Dry roast dry red chilies, coriander seeds, onion seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin on medium heat until slightly browned and fragrant.
Cool for 5 minutes.
Grind in a grinder with the rest of the ingredients to make a coarse powder.
Store in an airtight container for up to a month or refrigerate it for about 2 months.
Check out the detailed recipe of achari masala here.
I have always used mango pickle masala, as it has the right amount of tanginess and spiciness. You can also try using green chili pickle masala.
In this version, you can simply skip adding yogurt and make the curry base with just tomatoes and onions.
Mustard oil has been the preferred oil for cooking in India for centuries. It is supposed to have many medicinal benefits. But unfortunately, It is banned in a few countries like the US, Canada, and Europe. It comes with a label ‘For external use only. ‘ It is due to the presence of a compound Erucic Acid in it which is considered harmful for health.
Serving Suggestions
Achari chicken tastes great with all Indian bread, such as Phulka, Tawa Paratha, Laccha Paratha, Tandoori Roti, Naan, Missi Roti, or any other bread that you prefer to serve it with.
It tastes incredibly good with Steamed Rice, Matar Pulao, and Jeera Rice too.
You can also serve a Raita and Vinegar Onions on the side to complete this meal.
Storage Suggestions
Achari chicken tastes better the next day, as the achaar tastes become more prominent. You can store it for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat it in a pan or microwave, before serving.
This curry is not recommended to freeze, as the yogurt in it will split while thawing.
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Recipe Card
Achari Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken (1 kg, skinless, bone-in, cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces.)
- 5 tablespoons mustard oil (or any other oil)
- ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi)
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds (sarson)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ¼ teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)
- 2 cups thinly sliced onions
- 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons achari masala spice mix
- salt (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour (maida)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon masala from pickle (I generally use the masala from the ready mango pickle.)
- chopped cilantro (coriander)
Instructions
- Heat 5 tablespoon of mustard oil (or vegetable oil) in a large heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil starts to fume, switch off the heat, and let it cool for a minute. Skip this process if using any other oil.
- Now switch on the heat again and let the oil heat up on medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and nigella seeds, and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Add onions and fry until they turn slightly brown in color (8-10 minutes). Keep stirring while frying at regular intervals.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and fry until onions turn golden brown (6-8 minutes).
- Wash the bone-in chicken pieces and add them to the pan. Fry on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, salt, and achari masala spice mix along with ½ cup of water and cover and cook for 10 mins.
- Add Kashmiri red chili powder and yogurt whisked with all-purpose flour to the pan.
- Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and cook on low heat until the chicken is tender. It will take 30-35 minutes for the chicken to cook perfectly.
- Add lime juice and masala from the ready-made pickle. Mix everything well and remove the pan from heat.
- Garnish the curry with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with phulka or steamed rice.
Notes
- Press SAUTE button of the instant pot and add oil to it.
- Once the oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and nigella seeds, and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Add onion and fry for 8-10 minutes until they turn slightly brown in color. Keep stirring while frying at regular intervals.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and fry until onions turn golden brown (6-8 minutes).
- Wash the bone-in chicken and add it to the instant pot. Fry for 3-4 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, salt, and achari masala along with ½ cup of water and cook for a minute.
- Add Kashmiri red chili powder and yogurt whisked with all-purpose flour to the pot.
- Close the lid of the instant pot and set the valve to the sealing position.
- Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes on HIGH PRESSURE.
- Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually by moving the valve to the venting position. Use a kitchen cloth to move the valve to avoid steam burn.
- Open the lid of the pot and add lime juice and masala from the ready-made pickle. I generally use the masala from the ready mango pickle. Mix everything well.
- Garnish the curry with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with phulka or steamed rice.
