Chicken Angara Recipe

By Neha Mathur

4.43 from 14 votes
Updated: Apr 02, 2025 | Published: Apr 02, 2025
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GFIndian Gluten Free
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If you like Chicken Angara at your favorite restaurant, then try my recipe too. You will fall in love with it.

I make chicken curries on almost all weekends. Here are some of my favorite recipes that I make on repeat: Tariwala Chicken, Chicken Salna, Andhra Style Chicken Curry, Tomato Chicken Curry, and Kadai Chicken.

Chicken angara served in a bowl.

As many of you may already know, we have relocated from Bangalore to the US. The house is mostly settled, but I am still not back to shooting new recipes. To get back to work, I have started updating some of the old posts that I felt needed additional information. This chicken angara is also one of them. We love this curry at home, and I make it very often. So, when I made the update 3-4 days ago, I also added some more pointers to the post. Do try this recipe. I am sure you will all love it.

Table of Contents

About Chicken Angara

Chicken Angara is a North Indian smoky chicken curry that is spicy, tangy, and rich in flavor.

Angara means fireball in Hindi. This Chicken Angara is fiery red in color and spicy, with a smoky taste, just like a fireball, hence the name.

With the smoky flavor of the chicken, the yogurt gravy with fried onions and garlic, and that slight hint of Kasuri methi, the flavors of this curry can make anyone hungry.

It is a popular dish served at many Indian restaurants.

The good news is that you can make this restaurant-style curry at home using a few simple ingredients.

This curry is gluten-free, and you can easily double or triple the recipe if making it for a crowd.

Ingredients

All the ingredients, including the curry-cut chicken, are available at Indian grocery stores.

To Marinate The Chicken

Chicken – I prefer using bone-in, skinless chicken pieces (curry cut) to make this curry, as the bones contribute a significant amount of flavor. If you are not a fan of bone-in chicken, you can use boneless chicken cut into small pieces.

You can also use chicken drumsticks, which are available in most local grocery stores.

You will also need plain yogurt (dahi, curd), crispy fried onions (birista), ginger garlic paste, fresh tomatoes, Kashmiri red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, garam masala powder, and dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi).

You can either make crispy fried onions at home or buy them.

To Roast And Grind

Make a roasted spice powder using whole coriander seeds, whole black peppercorns (kali mirch), cinnamon (dalchini), cumin seeds, and whole dry red chilies.

For The Gravy

I like to make this curry using a mix of ghee and oil. You can also use either of the two.

You will also need a few whole spices like bay leaves (tejpatta), black cardamoms (badi elaichi), and cloves (laung).

To Smoke The Curry

To give the chicken angara recipe a restaurant-style smoky flavor, you will need a piece of charcoal and some oil or ghee.

If charcoal is not available, use a cinnamon stick as an alternative.

How To Make Chicken Angara Recipe – Step By Step

Marinate The Chicken

Step 1: Add the following ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix well with your clean hands, ensuring the chicken pieces are evenly coated with the spices.

  • 2 pounds (1 kg) bone-in skinless chicken pieces (cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
  • ½ cup crispy fried onions (packed)
  • 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • ½ cup grated tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi

Step 2: Cover the bowl with a lid and keep it aside on the counter.

marination ingredients added to a bowl.
Marinated chicken.

Make The Roasted Spice Mix

Step 3: Add the following ingredients to a frying pan and dry-roast over medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant. Stir continuously while roasting so that the spices roast evenly.

  • 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 2-inch piece of cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 8-10 whole dry red chilies (stalks removed)
Ingredients to roast added to a pan.
Roasted ingredients.

Step 4: Remove the pan from the heat and let the spices cool down to room temperature.

Step 5: Transfer the roasted spices to a grinder and grind them to create a smooth powder.

Cooled roasted ingredients aded to a blender.
Fine powder made.

Make Chicken Angara Curry

Step 6: Heat 3 tablespoons of ghee and 3 tablespoons of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.

Ghee and oil heating in a pan.

Step 7: Once the oil is hot, add the following spices to the pan and fry for 3-4 seconds.

  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 3-4 cloves
  • 2 whole black cardamoms
Whole spices added to the pan.

Step 8: Add the marinated chicken and the spice mix that we made earlier, and mix well.

marinated chicken and spice powder added to the pan.
Mixed well.

Step 9: Reduce the heat to low.

Step 10: Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 40-45 minutes, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Stir a few times while cooking.

Pan covered with a lid.

Step 11: Check for salt and add more if needed.

Cooked chicken curry.

Smoke The Chicken Curry

Step 12: Heat a piece of charcoal (or a cinnamon stick) on a direct flame until it is red hot.

Charcoal heating in a pan.

Step 13: Place a small bowl in the center of the pan and add the hot charcoal to it.

Step 14: Drizzle 1 teaspoon ghee on top of the charcoal and immediately close the lid of the pan.

Let the curry absorb the smoke for 3-4 minutes.

Ghee drizzled over hot charcoal.
Pan covered with a lid.

Step 15: Discard the charcoal and remove the bowl.

Removing the bowl.

Step 16: Garnish chicken angara with chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves) and serve hot.

Ready chicken angara.

Serving Suggestions

You can serve Chicken Angara with any Indian bread, such as Rumali Roti, Tandoori Roti, Plain Tawa Paratha, Lachha Paratha, Missi Roti, Naan, or any other Indian bread.

It also tastes great with Chicken Biryani or Mutton Biryani

You can also serve it along with Steamed Rice, Jeera Rice, Indian Turmeric Rice, or Pyaaz Pulao.

Storage Suggestions

Chicken Angara Curry can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

Reheat in a pan or a microwave until hot. Add water if the curry appears thick after refrigeration.

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Chicken angara served in a bowl.
4.43 from 14 votes

Chicken Angara Recipe

By: Neha Mathur
Restaurant Style Chicken Angara is a spicy chicken curry made using freshly ground masala powder. Make it using my easy recipe at home.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 6 people
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Ingredients 

To Marinate

  • 2 pounds bone-in skinless chicken pieces (1 kg, cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces)
  • 1 cup plain yogurt (dahi, curd)
  • ½ cup crispy fried onions
  • 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
  • ½ cup grated fresh tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
  • 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi

To Roast And Grind

  • 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns (kali mirch)
  • 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick (dalchini)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 8-10 whole dry red chilies (stalks removed)

For The Gravy

  • 3 tablespoons ghee
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 2 whole bay leaves (tejpatta)
  • 3-4 cloves (laung)
  • 2 whole black cardamoms (badi elaichi)

For Smoking

  • 1 piece charcoal
  • 1 teaspoon ghee
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Instructions 

Marinate The Chicken

  • Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix well. Cover the bowl with a lid and keep it aside.

Make The Roasted Spice Mix

  • Add all the ingredients to a pan and dry roast on medium heat until lightly browned and fragrant.
  • Remove the pan from heat and let the spices cool down to room temperature.
  • Transfer the roasted spices to a grinder and grind them to make a smooth powder.

Make Chicken Angara Curry

  • Heat ghee and oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
  • Once the oil is hot, add bay leaves, cloves, and black cardamoms to the pan and fry for 3-4 seconds.
  • Add the marinated chicken and spice mix and mix well.
  • Reduce the heat to low.
  • Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 40-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked well. Stir a few times while cooking.
  • Check for salt and add more if needed.

Smoke The Chicken Curry

  • Heat a piece of charcoal (or a cinnamon stick) on a direct flame until it is red hot.
  • Keep a small bowl in the center of the pan and keep the hot charcoal in the bowl.
  • Drizzle ghee on top of the charcoal and immediately cover the lid of the pan.
  • Let the curry absorb the smoke for 3-4 minutes.
  • Discard the charcoal and remove the bowl.
  • Garnish chicken angara with chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves) and serve hot.

Video

Notes

I like to use bone-in skinless chicken pieces to make this curry as the bones lend a lot of flavors. If you are not a bone-in chicken person, then you can use boneless chicken cut into small pieces.
If charcoal is not available, then use a cinnamon stick in its place.

Nutrition

Calories: 408kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 32g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Cholesterol: 87mg, Sodium: 168mg, Potassium: 543mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1618IU, Vitamin C: 90mg, Calcium: 100mg, Iron: 3mg
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4.43 from 14 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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20 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    this is one of my favorite chicken recipes. I like to make it hot with some of the kashimi chili powder as the extra hot kind. I make it in the Instant Pot sometimes. the masala really adds a lot.

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    Unbelievably delicious. I cooked it in the oven at 190C for 40 minutes instead of cooking it on the stovetop and the chicken was so moist and full of flavour.

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe. I tried making this today and like all your recipes came out to be perfect. Everyone loved the recipe!

    I have a request, there is a dry tandoori chicken style version of chicken Angara that I tried in Jodhpur (raja chicken corner) and I loved it. Can you please see if you can recreate that? Thanks.

    Reply