Easy Weeknight Punjabi Chicken Curry

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Easy Weeknight Punjabi Chicken Curry

This Easy Homestyle Punjabi Chicken Curry comes together in 45 minutes with pantry spices and an aromatic onion-tomato sauce. Easy, family-friendly, and better than takeout!

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings:

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Vaishali

Equipment

Dutch Oven

Ingredients

1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 bay leaf
4 cloves
3 green cardamoms
1 in cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
0.75 lb white onion chopped fine
½ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne powder
2 teaspoon coriander powder
1.5 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 green chili minced (optional)
½ cup yogurt
1 cup pureed tomatoes about two tomatoes
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon kasoori methi optional
2 tablespoon chopped cilantro for garnish

Instructions

Take the yogurt out of the refrigerator. Trim the fat off of your 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs and cut into bite-sized pieces. I love using kitchen shears for doing this. Sprinkle salt, turmeric powder, and red chili powder on the chicken pieces, mix, and let them marinate until you add them to the masala for the curry. This marination step is optional but highly recommended. Finely chop the 0.75 lb white onions.
Add 2 tablespoon olive oil and 1 bay leaf, 4 cloves, 3 green cardamoms, and 1 in cinnamon stick to a heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven and set it up on medium-high heat. As the pan heats up, the spices will release their aroma and perfume the oil. Once the oil is hot and shiny, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and wait for them to crackle.
Add the chopped onions along with a pinch of salt. Give everything a mix. The salt will help extract the moisture out of the onions, and they will cook faster.
Cook the onion until browned, about 8-10 minutes. Do not rush this step, as the onions form the base of this curry. If the onions begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, loosen them up with a few drops of water and continue cooking until browned. This is called bhoono and is one of my favorite techniques to add flavor to simple curries.
After the onions are browned, lower the heat, add ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, and 2 teaspoon coriander powder along with ginger-garlic paste and 1 green chili (minced or finely chopped, if using). Mix and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes away. Use the bhoono trick here as well if needed.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the chicken pieces. Give everything a big mix.
Lower the heat and add ½ cup yogurt while stirring to avoid curdling. If your yogurt is at room temperature, it will likely be OK. Even if it curdles, do not worry and keep stirring.
Make sure the yogurt is completely mixed with the chicken and the rest of the masala (2-3 minutes). Increase the heat back up to medium-high.
Add the 1 cup pureed tomatoes and Salt. Mix, and once the curry comes to a gentle boil, cover the pot with a lid. Lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, take the lid off, add ½ teaspoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon kasoori methi (if using), and 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro. Mix and turn the heat off. Taste and adjust salt if needed. Serve with rotis (whole wheat flatbreads), homemade dahi, and a salad of red onions and green chilies. You can also serve it over basmati rice or paired with a soft homemade garlic naan.

Notes

1. Protein choices:

Bone-in Chicken: If you want to use bone-in chicken, buy a whole chicken and ask the grocery store butcher to "curry-cut" the chicken. It will yield 8-10 pieces.

Chicken Breast: If using breasts, toss the cubed meat with a pinch of turmeric, salt, and red chili powder. Quickly sear the pieces in warm oil until lightly browned, then transfer them to a plate (they don't need to cook all the way through yet). Build your masala base as directed, then stir the chicken back in during the final 5 minutes of simmering so it stays moist and tender.
Shrimp or Fish: Follow the same method as chicken breast—sear quickly first, set aside, and gently fold them back into the simmering gravy for the last 3–4 minutes until just cooked through.
Lamb: For quick-cooking cuts, dice into bite-sized pieces and follow the chicken breast technique. For tougher stewing cuts, increase the water slightly and simmer covered on low heat until fork-tender.
Vegetables: Sturdy veggies like potatoes, cauliflower florets, paneer or green peas (matar) can be simmered directly in the sauce.

2. As the curry cooks, the chicken will release its juices, making the curry saucy. I do not usually add water to this curry, but if you like more sauce, you can add half a cup of hot water at this step.

3. Nutrition per serving, excluding rice.

4. Bhoono - Slow cooking the chopped onions for 8-10 minutes is the key to the masala base of this curry. If the onions begin to stick to the bottom of the pan, loosen them up with a few drops of water and continue cooking until browned (bhoono).

5. Yogurt - Make sure to take the yogurt out of the refrigerator before you start with this recipe. This will bring the yogurt to room temperature by the time you add it to the masala. Lower the heat before you add the yogurt and continue stirring to prevent it from curdling.

Nutrition