Bihari Chicken Curry

5 from 2 votes

on Apr 09, 2022, Updated Oct 20, 2023

Try this traditional Bihari Chicken Curry, where chicken pieces are cooked with whole garlic knobs, tomatoes, spice powders, and a few more simple ingredients. Serve it with phulka or rice.

Here are some more chicken curry recipes that you may like: Chicken Keema Masala, Chicken Salna, Andhra Style Chicken Curry, Butter Chicken, and Chicken Vindaloo.

Saturday lunch at my home is almost always a non-vegetarian curry with roti or rice. I keep trying out new recipes, and this weekend, I tried this Bihari version of chicken curry. Robust and loaded with bold flavors, this curry is love at first bite. Try it!

About Bihari Chicken Curry

Bihari Chicken Curry (Bihari Chicken Masala) is a traditional chicken curry recipe popular in Bihari homes. Chicken pieces are marinated, pan-fried, and then dunked in a spicy onion-tomato-based curry.

The addition of whole garlic knobs makes this gluten-free curry unique and different from others.

It is best served with phulka or steamed rice for weekday meals with some sliced onions and lemon wedges on the side. The whole garlic nobs soak up the curry flavor and become very delicious. While eating the curry, squeeze out the garlic pulp and eat it along with the chicken pieces.

Ingredients

For The Marination

Skinless bone-in chicken pieces are marinated with Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, freshly squeezed lime juice, and salt.

Try to use bone-in chicken pieces, as the bones release their juices and add a beautiful flavor to the curry. But if you are not a bone-in chicken person, use boneless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch cubes. Breasts get drier after cooking and will not taste good.

For The Curry

To make the curry, you will need mustard oil, red onions, salt, a few basic spice powders, ginger garlic paste, pureed fresh tomatoes, whole garlic knobs, plain yogurt (dahi), ghee, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).

Mustard oil gives this curry a unique taste. If it’s not available, you can use any cooking oil.

Whole garlic knobs are the unique ingredient of this chicken curry. They also give it a very nice taste.

This recipe uses basic spice powders such as coriander powder, turmeric powder, Kashmiri red chili powder, garam masala powder, and roasted cumin powder.

How To Make Bihari Style Chicken Curry

Marinate The Chicken

Mix the following ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

2 pounds (1 kg) bone-in skinless chicken (cut into 1-½ inch chunks)
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

Chicken and othe rmarination ingredients added to a bowl.

Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Fry The Chicken

Heat ¾ cup of mustard oil in a large pan over high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the marinated chicken to the pan and arrange the pieces in a single layer. Fry for 4-5 minutes on each side. If your pan is not very large, fry the chicken in batches.

Remove the fried chicken to a plate and set it aside.

Make The Curry

Add 1 and ½ cups of finely chopped onions and 1 teaspoon salt to the same pan and saute until onions turn golden brown (10-12 minutes). Stir frequently.

The chicken will release some liquid in the pan, but that is normal.

Add 2 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste and saute for another minute.

Now add 1 and ½ cups of pureed fresh tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the following spice powders and saute for 2-3 minutes.

2 tablespoon coriander powder
2 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon garam masala powder
1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder

Add 1 cup water and 2 whole garlic knobs and cook until oil starts to separate on the sides of the pan (3-4 minutes).

Water and garlic knobs added to the pan.

Now add ½ cup of whisked yogurt and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add 2 cups of water and bring the curry to a boil.

Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the fried chicken pieces back to the pan and mix well.

Reduce the heat to low.

Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 35-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked and tender and the masala is cooked well too. Stir a few times in between cooking.