This Chicken masala recipe (masala is defined as a mixture of spices) is a dish originating from the Indian subcontinent. Chicken Masala is also popular in Southeast Asia, Great Britain as well as in the Caribbean with regional variations typically in the choice of spices. It consists of chicken stewed in an onion and tomato based sauce flavored with ginger, garlic, tomatoes, chili peppers and a variety of spices. In the Indian subcontinent, the spices often include tumeric, cumin, coriander, cardamom and so on. Chicken masala is usually garnished with cilantro and served with rice or flat bread such as a naan.
This dish can be found in several small shops as well as five star restaurants. My family loves to eat chicken masala at breakfast time with freshly home baked bread and their choice of eggs!
When I am cooking the chicken my grandson never fails to run up to me and say yum it smells delicious but don’t make it spicy! It can be had for lunch or dinner and the butter in the curry adds the extra flavor. Enjoy!
Chicken Masala
Ingredients
- 2 lbs cut up chicken with bone in
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic
- 1/4 cup julienne ginger
- 2 serrano peppers sliced you can use jalapeno or any other peppers of your choice
- 1 medium sized onion sliced
- 2 large Roma tomatoes skinned
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 green cardamoms
- 7 cloves
- 1 teaspoon crushed chili
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/4 teaspoon tumeric powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons oil
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients
- Take a heated kadai ( style of thick, circular and deep cooking pot ). You can also use a heavy bottomed pot
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter
- When the butter melts add the bay leaves, cardamoms and cloves stir till it crackles
- Add to it the sliced onions and cook them on medium heat
- Cook till they are a light golden brown
- Stir in the garlic, ginger and green chilis
- Mix well and fry for a couple of minutes
- Throw in the chicken and stir well
- Cook the chicken till it’s no longer pink
- Add the tomatoes and blend them with the chicken
- Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes
- Stir in all the dry spices and mix well
- Cook for another 10 minutes
- Add the yogurt and mix well
- Add cilantro and 2 tablespoons of oil
- Cook for another 5 minutes till the chicken is done and you see the oil on the top
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with bread, rice or roti
This was absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing