Chicken Kali Mirch (Black Pepper Chicken Curry)
on Jan 13, 2023
Chicken Kali Mirch (Black Pepper Chicken Curry) is a delicious chicken curry loaded with black pepper. Serve this rich and creamy curry with Lachha Paratha or Naan for an indulgent meal.
Here are a few more chicken curry recipes that you may like: Restaurant Style Kadai Chicken, Malai Chicken Curry, North Indian Boneless Chicken Curry, Doi Murgi, and Bengali Chicken Rezala.
About Chicken Kali Mirch
Chicken kali mirch (Black Pepper Chicken Curry, murgh kali mirch) is a popular chicken curry in North India and Pakistan. It consists of juicy and succulent chicken pieces cooked in a hot curry with lots of black pepper (kali mirch).
It is one of the first few recipes I posted on Whiskaffair. It received so much love from the readers that I decided to redo the post with new, better pictures and clearer instructions and post it again with a fresh date.
This gluten-free curry is easy to make and comes together in under an hour using a few basic pantry ingredients. It is rich and creamy and my all-time favorite for festivals or special occasions.
Serve it with flaky lachha paratha or naan for a comforting meal. You can also try it with steamed rice or jeera rice.
Ingredients
Chicken – I like to make this curry using bone-in skinless chicken pieces, as the bones add a lot of flavor. If you are not a bone-in chicken person, use boneless chicken cut into bite-sized pieces.
Black Peppercorns (Kali Mirch) is the star ingredient of this chicken kali mirch curry. They give the curry a nice heat, a spicy kick, and a distinct flavor.
Use freshly ground black peppercorns for the best taste.
Whole Spices – You will need a few basic whole spices such as cloves (laung), green cardamoms (hari elaichi), and cinnamon (dalchini).
Spice Powders – To flavor the curry, you will need coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, black pepper powder, and garam masala powder.
Cashew Nuts makes the curry rich and creamy. You can replace them with almonds or melon seeds.
Plain Yogurt (Dahi, Curd) makes the base of the curry. If using homemade yogurt, make sure it is not sour.
Unsweetened Heavy Cream – It makes the curry creamier. If you make chicken curry for your everyday meal, you can skip adding it or replace it with milk.
Honey – Adds a slight hint of sweetness and balances the spices.
Others – You will also need red onions, green chilies, oil, ginger-garlic paste, freshly squeezed lime juice, and Kasuri methi.
How To Make Chicken Kali Mirch
Crush The Peppercorns
Add 1 tablespoon of whole peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and grind to make a coarse powder. Keep it aside.
Make The Onion Cashew Paste
Heat 4 cups water in a pan over medium-high heat.
Once it comes to a rolling boil, add the following ingredients to the pan and boil for 6-8 minutes.
- 1 cup of chopped onions
- 2 teaspoon chopped green chilies
- 10-12 whole cashew nuts
Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool down for 5 minutes.
Strain the water and add the cooked onions and cashew nuts to a blender along with ¼ cup of water.
Blend to make a fine paste.
Make The Curry
Heat 3 tablespoon oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the following spices and saute for 4-5 seconds.
- 3-4 cloves
- 3-4 green cardamoms
- 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
Add the onion paste and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Scrape the bottom of the pan at regular intervals while cooking to prevent the onion paste from sticking at the bottom and burning.
Now add 2 teaspoon of ginger-garlic paste and cook for another minute.
Add 1 pound (500 g) of bone-in skinless chicken (cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces) to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the following ingredients and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- ¼ cup of whisked yogurt
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Now add 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of black pepper powder and mix well.
Reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pan and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked well, stirring a few times.
Add the following ingredients and mix well.
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi
- ¼ cup unsweetened heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- crushed black pepper
Add some hot water if the curry looks thick, and bring it to a boil.
Check for salt and add more if required. Serve hot.
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Chicken Kali Mirch Recipe (Black Pepper Chicken Curry)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 2 teaspoons chopped green chilies
- 10-12 cashew nuts
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 3-4 cloves (laung)
- 3-4 green cardamoms (hari elaichi)
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick (dalchini)
- 2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- 1 pound bone-in skinless chicken (500 g, cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces)
- ¼ cup whisked yogurt (curd, dahi)
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi
- ¼ cup unsweetened heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
Instructions
Crush The Peppercorns
- Add peppercorns to a mortar and pestle and grind to make a coarse powder. Keep it aside.
Make The Onion Cashew Paste
- Heat 4 cups of water in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once it comes to a rolling boil, add onions, green chilies, and cashew nuts to the pan and boil for 6-8 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool down for 5 minutes.
- Strain the water and add the cooked onions and cashew nuts to a blender along with ¼cup of water.
- Blend to make a fine paste.
Make The Curry
- Heat oil in a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add cloves, green cardamoms, and cinnamon stick and saute for 4-5 seconds.
- Add the onion paste and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Scrape the bottom of the pan at regular intervals while cooking to prevent the onion paste from sticking at the bottom and burning.
- Now add ginger-garlic paste and cook for another minute.
- Add chicken to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add yogurt, coriander powder, cumin powder, and salt, and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Now add 1 cup of water and black pepper powder and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pan and cook for 35-40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked well. Stir a few times while cooking.
- Add lime juice, honey, Kasuri methi, heavy cream, garam masala powder, and crushed black pepper and mix well.
- Add some hot water if the curry looks thick and bring it to a boil.
- Check for salt and add more if needed.
- Serve hot.
Video
wonderful recipe..turns out yummy..
best part is no marination and frying of chicken that takes a lot of time…
Thank you so much for this recipe. It turned out great 🙏🏼
so delicious 😋
It’s good…
Very nice recipe.
A delicious recipe. Tops my menu for tomorrow.
I followed every instruction step by step an in the outcome was absolutely delicious. I highly reccomend you try it .
Missed to rate it while commenting! 🙂
Thanks a lot 🙂
Amazing recipe very easy to follow and the outcome is super!!!
Nice to know Monisha 🙂
Amazing recipe. Tried it today and everybody loved it. Thanks! 🙂
Good to know!