Restaurant Style Chicken Angara is a spicy chicken curry made using freshly ground masala powder. Check out its recipe here!
Who can say no to a spicy chicken curry with smoky flavour?
Well, I certainly cannot and this Chicken Angara is one such recipe which is very popular at home and also gets a lot of compliments whenever I make it for my friends and family.
The smoky flavour of the chicken, the yogurt gravy with fried onions and garlic and that slight hint of kasuri methi, the flavours of this curry can make anyone hungry.
Well, if you are not sold at this. Then wait until you smell the divine aroma of this recipe, I am sure you will not be able to resist to devour this delectable Chicken recipe.
You can also find this dish in most of the North Indian restaurants.
So if you want a restaurant style Chicken Angara, you don’t have to visit a restaurant.
Just follow the recipe and make it in your kitchen and enjoy it at the comfort of your own home.
Therefore, get all the ingredients ready and make this curry this weekend and enjoy every bite of it with your friends and family.
What is Chicken Angara?
Succulent chicken pieces in a rich yogurt based gravy, this is a North Indian curry that just needs everyday ingredients which are already available in your pantry.
This chicken gravy is smoked at the end to bring out that rustic flavour, which makes this curry even more irresistible.
The spices play an important role in the taste of this curry.
Coriander seeds, black peppercorn, cinnamon, cumin seeds, beg red chillies are dry roasted and ground into a fine powder to make this spice powder.
The fresh homemade masala always has a distant flavour because of the freshly roasted spices, and thus it always brings a sense of freshness in the curries.
You must be wondering why it is called Chicken Angara?
Well, Angara is a hindi term used for coal and this curry is also smoked with charcoal.
A charcoal is heated on direct flame until it is red hot.
Once it is hot, add it in a bowl and keep it in the middle of the chicken curry.
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 to 4 minutes.
Remove the coal bowl and you will see that the curry will have a beautiful smoky flavour.
Ingredients
Serving Suggestions
This curry tastes best with Handi Biryani.
It adds a beautiful smoky aroma and taste when mixed with the soft aromatic Biryani rice.
You can serve it with any Indian bread too such as Rumali Roti, Tandoori Roti, Tawa Paratha, Lachha Paratha, Missi Roti, Naan or any other Indian bread that you would like to serve it with.
You can also serve it along with Steamed Rice, Jeera Rice or Pyaaz Pulao.
I like to serve some Lacchedar Pyaaz on the side with a hint of lemon juice.
Step by Step Recipe
Add all the ingredients to marinate in a bowl and mix well.
Keep aside.
Dry roast coriander seeds, black peppercorn, cinnamon, cumin seeds and bedgi red chillies until they are slightly browned and fragrant. Remove the pan from heat and let the spices cool.
Grind them to make smooth powder.
Heat ghee and oil in a pan.
Add bay leaves, cloves, black cardamom in the pan and fry for a few seconds.
Add the marinated chicken and the ground masala.
Cover the pan and cook for 30-35 minutes on medium low heat until chicken is cooked well.
For Smoking
Heat charcoal on direct flame until it is red hot. Keep a small bowl in the centre of the pan and keep the 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. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.

Chicken Angara Recipe
Ingredients
To marinate
- 1 kg Chicken (Curry cut)
- 1 cup Yogurt
- ½ cup Golden Fried Onion
- 2 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- ½ cup Tomato (Grated)
- 2 tablespoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri Methi
To roast and grind
- 1 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns
- 2 inch Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 8-10 Dry Red Chillies
For the gravy
- 3 tablespoon Ghee
- 3 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 3-4 Cloves
- 2 Black Cardamom
For smoking
- 1 piece Charcoal
- 1 teaspoon Ghee
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to marinate in a bowl and mix well.
- Keep aside.
- Dry roast coriander seeds, black peppercorn, cinnamon, cumin seeds and bedgi red chillies until they are slightly browned and fragrant.
- Remove the pan from heat and let the spices cool.
- Grind them to make smooth powder.
- Heat ghee and oil in a pan.
- Add bay leaves, cloves, black cardamom in the pan and fry for a few seconds.
- Add the marinated chicken and the ground masala.
- Cover the pan and cook for 30-35 minutes on medium low heat until chicken is cooked well.
For smoking
- Heat charcoal on direct flame until it is red hot.
- Keep a small bowl in the centre of the pan and keep the 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.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot.
Dennis Pearce
Awesome recipe
Neha Mathur
Thanks for trying.
Sneha Shirodkar
Can I marinate the chicken overnight
Sneha Shirodkar
With all the marination and spices masala
Neha Mathur
Yes sure. You can. Keep the marinated chicken in the refrigerator.
Ankita
How much is 1 cup!!!! I mean Ml?n it seems too spicy!!!! Is it?
Neha Mathur
1 cup of what?
Savyanair
1cup of curd 1cup of fried onions
Neha Mathur
Hi, curd is yogurt and fried onions is browned crispy onions.
Savyanair
Hai Wts the measurement of 1 cup u use can I knw pls
Neha Mathur
Every ingredient has a different cup measurement. Which one are you looking at?
Reshma
Made this today – it was unbelievably great. Thank you for the recipe
Gaurav
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.
Neha Mathur
I can try.
Gaurav
Thanks I will wait for it 🙂