Achari Chicken Curry

Achari Chicken Curry is a North Indian-style chicken curry flavored with pickling spices (achar masala). It goes great with Indian bread or rice dishes. Make it in a pan over the stovetop or in an instant pot using my easy recipe.

Jump to:

• About Achari Chicken Curry
• Ingredients
• How To Make Achari Chicken Curry
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Serving Suggestions
• Storage Suggestions
• You Might Also Like
• Recipe Card

About Achari Chicken Curry

Achar in Hindi means pickle.

Achari Chicken Curry (Achari Murgh), as the name describes it well, is an aromatic, tangy, and flavorful North Indian chicken curry with the delectable flavors of Indian 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 recipe uses spices, which are also used to make an achaar, and the base of this curry is made of tomato and yogurt.

This curry is mainly made during winter as it is the best time to enjoy hot and spicy food. Having said that, you can enjoy it any time of the year.

I like to cook this curry in a pan over the stovetop, but you can make it in an instant pot or a traditional pressure cooker. I am sharing all the methods in the post below.

Achari Chicken recipe can be easily doubled or tripled.

I make this recipe in my 3-quart instant pot or a large pan. If doubling the recipe, use a bigger (6-qt) instant pot or a bigger pan. The cooking time in the instant pot will remain the same, but it will slightly increase if you cook it in a pan.

Here are some more chicken curry recipes that you may like

• Coconut Curry Chicken
• Chicken Masala
• Kadai Chicken
• Chicken Angara
• Malabar Chicken Curry
• Chicken Keema Masala
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Butter Chicken

Ingredients

You will get all the ingredients to make chicken achari in Indian grocery stores.

Chicken – I generally use skinless bone-in chicken to make curries, as the bones give a lovely flavor to them. Instead of using a whole chicken, you can also use chicken drumsticks. To remove the skin on the drumsticks, grab the skin with a paper towel and pull it back towards the narrow end.

You can also use boneless chicken breast or thighs if you don’t like chicken with bones. Reduce the cooking time as the boneless chicken pieces cook much faster than the bone-in pieces.

Oil – This curry tastes best when made in mustard oil.

You can use any cooking oil to make this curry if you don’t have mustard oil.

Whole Spices – You will need some whole spices used to make achaar (pickle). These spices are fenugreek seeds (methi dana), fennel seeds (saunf), brown mustard seeds (sarson), cumin seeds (jeera), and nigella seeds (kalonji, onion seeds).

When added to hot oil, these spices 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, skip adding them.

Achari Masala – Achari masala is a spice mix used to make Indian pickles. You can make a big batch of this achari spice mix at home and keep using it in your recipes

You can also buy this masala if you are on a time crunch.

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 homemade pickles though. Store-bought pickles also work well.

Yogurt (Dahi, Curd), Onions, and Tomato Paste make the curry base. You can also use canned tomato puree or homemade pureed tomatoes.

Other Ingredients – You will also need ginger garlic paste, salt, Kashmiri red chilli powder, all-purpose flour (maida), lime juice (or lemon juice), and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).

Adding some flour to the yogurt prevents it from curdling while cooking and makes the curry creamier.

You can also add some cubed bell peppers to this curry.

How To Make Achari Chicken Curry

Stovetop Recipe

Heat 5 tablespoon of mustard oil (or any other cooking 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 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

• ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ teaspoon brown mustard seeds
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ teaspoon nigella seeds

and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.

Add 2 cups of thinly sliced onions and cook until they turn slightly brown (6-8 minutes). Stir frequently at regular intervals.

Add 2 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and cook until onions turn golden brown (4-5 minutes).

Rinse 2 pounds (1 kg) of bone-in chicken pieces (cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces) and add them to the pan. Cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low.

Add

• ¼ cup tomato paste (or ½ cup canned tomato puree or 1 cup homemade pureed tomatoes)
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoon achari masala spice mix
• ½ cup of water

and mix everything well. Cook for 4-5 mins, stirring frequently.

Add 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder and 1 cup yogurt whisked with 1 teaspoon of all-purpose flour to the pan and mix well.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat until the chicken is tender and the oil separates on the sides of the pan. It will take 40-45 minutes for the chicken to cook perfectly.

Stir a few times while cooking.

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.

Check for salt and add more if needed.

Chicken Achari is ready. Garnish the curry with chopped cilantro. I also like to garnish it with ginger juliennes and slit green chilies.

Serve hot with phulka or steamed rice.

Instant Pot Recipe

Press the SAUTE button of the instant pot and add 5 tablespoon mustard oil to it.

Follow the steps until adding yogurt.

Close the instant pot lid 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 or a spoon to move the valve to avoid steam burn.

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.

Check for salt and add more if needed.

Instant Pot Achari Chicken is ready. Garnish the curry with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with phulka or steamed rice.

Traditional Pressure Cooker Recipe

Follow the recipe until adding the yogurt over high heat.

Close the cooker’s lid and pressure cook the chicken for 2 whistles on high heat. Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.

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.

Check for salt and add more if needed.

Instant Pot Achari Chicken Curry is ready. Garnish the curry with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with phulka or steamed rice.

Frequently Asked Questions

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 you prefer to serve it with.

It tastes incredibly good with Steamed Rice, Matar Pulao, and Jeera Rice.

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.

You can freeze the curry in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw and heat before serving.

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