Restaurant Style Chicken Angara is a spicy chicken curry made using freshly ground masala powder. Make it using my easy recipe at home (gluten-free).

About Chicken Angara

Chicken Angara is a North Indian smoky chicken curry that is spicy, tangy, and loaded with flavors.

Angara means fire ball in Hindi. This Chicken Angara is fiery red hot in color and spicy and 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.

Here are some more chicken curry recipes that you may like

• Boneless Chicken Curry
• Tariwala Chicken
• Chicken Salna
• Andhra Style Chicken Curry
• Tomato Chicken Curry
• Kadai Chicken
• Chicken Masala Curry
• Dahi Chicken Curry
• Chicken Chettinad Curry
• Chicken Vindaloo
• Desi Chicken Curry

Ingredients

To Marinate The Chicken

Chicken – I like to use bone-in skinless chicken pieces to make this curry as the bones lend a lot of flavor. If you are not a bone-in chicken person, then you can use boneless chicken cut into small pieces.

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 Kasuri methi.

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

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, then use a cinnamon stick in its place.

How To Make Chicken Angara

Marinate The Chicken

Add

• 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

to a bowl and mix well. Cover the bowl with a lid and keep it aside.

Make The Roasted Spice Mix

Add

• 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)

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 3 tablespoon ghee and 3 tablespoon oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.

Once the oil is hot, add

• 2 whole bay leaves
• 3-4 cloves
• 2 whole 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 1 teaspoon 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.

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 that you would like to serve it with.

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 3-4 days.

Reheat in a pan or a microwave until hot. Add some water if the curry has thickened after refrigerating.