Bold, spicy, and full of flavors, Chicken Masala is a delicious Indian Chicken Curry, where marinated chicken is cooked in tomato-onion gravy. Serve it with Chapati and Kachumber Salad for a hearty meal. Here is how to make it.
You can also try some of my other favorite Indian Chicken Curries, that can be enjoyed for an everyday meal – Achari Chicken, Coriander Chicken, Coconut Curry Chicken, Fresh Methi Chicken, and Ginger Chicken Curry.
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About This Recipe
Chicken Masala is an Indian Chicken curry where chicken is marinated first and then cooked in a delicious onion-tomato based gravy. Spicy and full of flavor, this curry is a huge hit at all my house parties and get-togethers.
It is the most simple home style curry which is great for beginner cooks.
Chicken is marinated with lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, and red chili powder and set aside for about an hour so that it soaks up all the flavors nicely. This marinated chicken is then cooked along with onions, tomatoes, and everyday spices to make a spicy and flavourful curry.
This one is a super easy chicken curry, that can also be prepared for your weekday treats, and the best part it is prepared with everyday ingredients.
This Chicken Masala is also a popular recipe, that can be found in most of the North Indian Non-Veg Restaurants and if you want that same restaurant-style taste, do make this recipe at home.
This Chicken Masala is,
- Delicious
- Protein Rich
- Comforting
- Easy to make
- Perfect for house parties
Ingredients
Chicken – I have used bone-in chicken to make this curry as it gives it a delicious flavor but you can use boneless chicken too.
Mustard Oil – I love the taste mustard oil brings to non-veg curries and therefore I mostly use this oil only. Make sure you heat the mustard oil until it is smoking hot, and then cool down a bit before you add whole spices. If you do not heat it properly, it might give a raw mustard taste to your curry.
If you don’t have mustard oil, you can use any vegetable oil or ghee to make this curry.
Marination Ingredients – In this recipe, chicken is marinated with a set of ingredients such as lime juice, ginger-garlic paste, and red chili powder. At least keep the marinated chicken for an hour, so that the chicken soaks up the flavor nicely.
You can adjust the amount of red chili powder according to your taste.
Onions, Green Chillies, and Tomato – The base of this curry is made with a spicy tomato onion masala, in which marinated chicken is added later to make a delicious curry.
Green Chilies are added to add more spicy flavor to the curry. If you like it to be less spicy, you can avoid adding green chilies, as we have marinated the chicken in red chili powder.
Whole Spices and Spice Powders – For whole spices, I have used cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom, and dry red chilies and for spice powders, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, and fennel powder are required.
When the whole spices are added to the hot oil, they release a delicious aroma along with making the curry flavourful. Crushing the spices slightly before adding in the oil is best to release their flavors.
How to make Chicken Masala?
Wash 500 g chicken well with water and transfer it to a large glass bowl. Add 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, and 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder to the chicken and mix well using your fingers.
Cover the bowl with a lid and keep it in the refrigerator for the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour.
Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a pressure cooker. If you don’t have mustard oil, you can cook the curry in any oil of your choice.
Once the oil is hot, add 3-4 cloves, 5-6 peppercorns, 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, 2 green cardamom, and 2-3 dry red chilies and fry them for a few seconds. Slightly crush the whole spices in a mortar for the best flavor.
Add 1 cup chopped onion and fry on medium-high heat until it turns golden brown. Keep stirring at regular intervals while frying.
Add 2 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, and ½ tsp fennel powder and fry until oil starts to separate from the sides. Add 2 tbsp of water if the masala starts to burn.
Now add the marinated chicken along with the marinade and fry on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Keep stirring it frequently.
Add 1 cup grated tomato, 2-3 green chili (slit into half), and salt to taste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add ½ cup of water and close the lid of the pressure cooker. Pressure cook the chicken for two whistles on high heat. Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Once the pressure has released, open the lid of the cooker. If the liquid is too much for your liking, cook the curry until it thickens. Add ½ tsp garam masala powder and 2 tbsp fresh coriander and mix well.
Serve hot with Naan or Phulka.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Chicken Masala, Chicken is marinated with limited ingredients and then cooked in a tomato-onion masala curry, whereas in Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken is marinated and grilled to make Tikkas and then added to the Curry.
While Chicken Masala is a one-pot dish recipe and has a homely touch to it, Chicken Tikka Masala is more of a restaurant-style curry.
Amritsari version is very similar to the classic recipe, the only difference is the use of yogurt in the marination. It is also slightly sweet in taste because of the addition of a little sugar.
Yes, you can even use Mutton instead of Chicken in this recipe, but it takes more time to cook too.
So if you are making this recipe using Mutton, make sure that your mutton is properly cooked.
Marinating it for an hour is enough, but if you have time on your hands you can marinate for about 2-3 hours too.
Pro Tips by Neha
You can add some cashew paste, almond paste, sesame seeds paste, poppy seed paste, or coconut paste for a taste change.
Add a little yogurt whisked with 1 tsp of all purpose flour for a slightly different gravy. Flour is added to prevent the yogurt from splitting while cooking. It also makes the gravy creamier.
You can keep this chicken dry, semi dry or with thin gravy as per your requirement.
Bone-in chicken gives the best flavor but you can make the curry using boneless chicken too.
Adjust the chili according to your taste.
You can make the curry in a pan as well. Just cover the pan and cook on low heat until the chicken is tender. It will take approximately 40-45 minutes for the chicken to cook in a pan.
Add some heavy cream at the end of the cooking to make the curry richer.
Make a paste of ½ cup fresh coriander, ¼ cup mint, and 2 green chilies, and add it along with tomatoes to make a green masala chicken.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve this Chicken Masala Curry with any Indian Bread such as Phulka, Tawa Paratha, Laccha Paratha, Naan, Missi Roti, Rumali Roti, or any other bread you prefer.
It also tastes great along with Steamed Rice or Jeera Rice.
Storage Suggestions
You can store this Chicken Masala in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 2 days.
You can also freeze it for later use. Once the chicken curry is ready, let it cool down completely. Next, place it into an airtight container, plastic zip-lock bags, or freezable glass meal prep bowls. Place the containers in the freezer and it stays good for about 2 months.
You can either reheat it in the pan or in the microwave. Thaw the chicken for 2-3 hours over the counter. Then add it to a pan, add a little water, and heat it for about 5 to 8 minutes. Make sure that you stir it occasionally in between.
In the microwave, place the curry in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it for 3 minutes. Take it out, stir it using a spoon, and place it back in the microwave. Heat it again for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the chicken is heated properly.
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Recipe Card
Chicken Masala Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500 g chicken (bone-in)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 3-4 whole cloves
- 5-6 while black peppercorns
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon
- 2 whole green cardamom
- 2-3 whole dry red chilies
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp roasted cumin powder
- ½ tsp fennel powder
- 1 cup grated tomato
- 2-3 green chilies (slit in half)
- salt (to taste)
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- Wash 500 g chicken well with water and transfer it to a large glass bowl. Add 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, and 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder to the chicken and mix well using your fingers.
- Cover the bowl with a lid and keep it in the refrigerator for the chicken to marinate for at least 1 hour.
- Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil in a pressure cooker. If you don’t have mustard oil, you can cook the curry in any oil of your choice.
- Once the oil is hot, add 3-4 cloves, 5-6 peppercorns, 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick, 2 green cardamom, and 2-3 dry red chilies and fry them for a few seconds. Slightly crush the whole spices in a mortar for the best flavor.
- Add 1 cup chopped onion and fry on medium-high heat until it turns golden brown. Keep stirring at regular intervals while frying.
- Add 2 tsp coriander powder, ½ tsp turmeric powder, ½ tsp cumin powder, and ½ tsp fennel powder and fry until oil starts to separate from the sides. Add 2 tbsp of water if the masala starts to burn.
- Now add the marinated chicken along with the marinade and fry on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Keep stirring it frequently.
- Add 1 cup grated tomato, 2-3 green chili (slit into half), and salt to taste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add ½ cup of water and close the lid of the pressure cooker. Pressure cook the chicken for two whistles on high heat. Remove the pressure cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally.
- Once the pressure has released, open the lid of the cooker. If the liquid is too much for your liking, cook the curry until it thickens. Add ½ tsp garam masala powder and 2 tbsp fresh coriander and mix well.
- Serve hot with Naan or Phulka.
