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Dhaba Style Chicken Curry

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This Dhaba Style Chicken Curry stands for every road trip we’ve had with our families. It stands for all the stop-overs and midway cravings. It is hot and fragrant and is made with ground spices, onions and tomatoes. Its perfect for a family lunch or dinner over which you can reminisce!

I think I’ve finally nailed it. This Dhaba Style Chicken Curry is the BOMB we’ve all been waiting for. It took some time, but this awesomeness is totally happening in my house right now!

Dhabas, for the uninitiated are roadside restaurants scattered all over the country, and their food is unique. Hell, the experience is unique and is one you must have. Small mud shacks, with only chaarpai’s (rope and wooden cots) and a wooden plank for a table, you’ll find them as you drive along the highway. They are usually patronized by truck drivers and budget travellers who are looking for food which reminds them of home. Growing up, the highlight of any road trip was a stopover at a dhaba for steaming hot, spicy dhaba style chicken curry, dal fry and tandoori roti’s fresh from the oven to mop it all up. These soul satisfying meals will always be etched on to my heart!

Even today, visiting home is accompanied by a trip to the local dhaba. Since I’ve moved to Bangalore, food from dhaba’s is something I miss a lot. And I’ve been trying very hard to replicate the dhaba style chicken curry I remember. It took some time, but this recipe comes pretty close to the real thing.

Unlike my other recipes, this one’s slightly time consuming because masala is ground and cooked till it’s color changes. This is characteristic of most Indian curries, and the slow cooking process is what lends dishes a unique flavor.

Is there a dish that’s close to your heart that you miss? I’d love to hear all about it on facebook or twitter

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The chicken curry plated the Dhaba way with a side of onions, roti and rice!

Dhaba Style Chicken Curry

★★★★★ 4.8 from 5 reviews
  • Author: Richa
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 6 serving 1x
  • Category: main course, Main Dish
  • Cuisine: indian
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Description

The best dhaba style chicken curry recipe! Spicy, hot, fragrant curry made with ground spices, onions and tomatoes, and perfect for a family lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

  • 1 kg chicken (Skinless, cleaned and cut into medium sized pieces)

For the marinade:

  • 2 tablespoons ginger garlic (Paste)
  • 1 lemon (Juice of)
  • 1 tablespoon salt

For the curry:

  • 4 Onions (medium sized , chopped)
  • 10 cloves garlic
  • 1½ inches ginger (piece of)
  • 3 – 4 Chilies, Green (Adjust the spice as required)
  • 1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ cinnamon (Stick)
  • 4 – 5 Cardamoms
  • 8 – 10 Peppercorns
  • 4 – 5 Cloves
  • 4 Tomatoes (medium sized, chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric (Powder)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder, Red (optional; adjust the spice as required)
  • 2 tablespoons coriander (Powder)
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala (Powder)
  • to taste salt

For tempering:

  • 1 tablespoon ghee (heaping or clarified butter)
  • 2 Chilies ,Green  (slit lengthwise)
  • ½ inch ginger (piece , julienned)
  • coriander (for garnishing)

Instructions

  1. Marinate the chicken pieces with ginger garlic paste, lime juice and salt. Cover and set aside for 30 mins.
  2. Grind onions, ginger, garlic and green chilies to a fine paste. Set aside.
  3. Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a large heavy bottomed pan. Add cumin seeds. Roughly pound all the whole spices (bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns and cloves) and add to the oil. Once they start to splutter, add the onion paste. Cook the onion paste on a low flame, stirring occasionally, till it is reduced to a golden, brown paste and the oil starts to surface.
  4. Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder (if using) and coriander powder. Cook till the tomatoes start melting, and almost form a paste.
  5. Add the chicken, garam masala and ½ cup water.
  6. Pressure Cooker:
  7. At this stage, if you are using a pressure cooker, place the lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles.
  8. Switch off the flame and let the steam escape before opening the cooker.
  9. Simmer for 5-10 mins on high flame, if required, to thicken the curry (Chicken leaves a lot of water). I didn’t need to do this.
  10. Pan Method:
  11. If you are using a heavy bottomed pan, bring the curry to a boil, reduce the heat, cover with a lid and let it cook on medium heat for 20-25 minutes.
  12. Uncover the pan, and cook for another 15-20 minutes till the water evaporates and the curry starts to thicken.
  13. Once the curry is ready, switch off the flame.
  14. In another small pan, heat ghee and add green chilies and ginger. Once they start to splutter and become slightly crisp, switch off the flame and mix the tadka (or tempering) into the curry. Top with coriander.
  15. Let the curry sit for 10-15 minutes before serving. Tastes best with rotis or rice.

Notes

More Dhaba Style Recipes

Dhaba Style Dal Tadka

A super easy Indian lentil curry or soup which has smoky, spicy, garlicky flavours. This kind of vegetarian dal tadka is only available at dhabas or street restaurants in India and is irresistible! Perfect holiday and winter food.

Dhaba Style Dal Fry

Dhabas are Indian roadside restaurants and this spicy, smoky lentil soup or dhal is inspired by them. This is a quick 30 minute dhaba style dal fry recipe which is wholesome and healthy. Food Photography and Styling by Richa Gupta. Vegetarian and Gluten Free.

The best North Indian chicken curry recipe, inspired by roadside dhabas in India which are famous for their home style cooking. Made with ground spices, onions and tomatoes and cooked slowly for a really hot, spicy curry. Can be made in an electric pressure cooker or Instant Pot if you are in a hurry. #myfoodstory #recipe #indian #authentic #dhabastyle #spicy #traditional #chicken #curry #slowcooker
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Comments

  1. Greetings from north of Europe Finland! We(me and my twinsister) are indian food enthusiastics and this chicken recipe was very lovely indeed! We had it with potato and cauliflower curry(Aloo gobi masala) along with fresh rotis. The first time we made ‘chicken curry’ was about 23 years ago with the help of our friend from India. This recipe somehow reminded us about it. It had the same good elements. Thank you dear!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Thanks so much Arja! I’m so happy this brought back old memories and I really hope you try some more Indian recipes from the blog. I have another friend in Finland and he loves Indian food too 🙂 I hope to visit someday

      Reply

  2. I tried it first time due to availability of time and required things. It is amazing as I was marinating first time myself. Easy to cook and great taste

    ★★★★

    Reply

  5. I want to Bhoono the chicken in masala then put water to cook..to me putting the marinated chicken straight in the curry is sounding raw chicken..

    Reply

    • It won’t be raw by the time its cooked. The pressure cooker will do all the work. However, if you like you can bhuno the chicken in a little oil first.

      Reply

  6. Hi there, college student here! Big fan of your recipes! Thanks for helping me impress my girlfriend with my cooking skills! Love your recipes specially because then don’t really take much time to cook! And they always turn out to be so wonderfully awesome! 😀

    Reply

  7. Hi I tried your recipe with exact instructions…. I added little chicken Everest masala and at the end to get the smoky favor I burned coal to get the fragrance of it. It turned out amazing. Thank you.

    Reply

  10. Made the Dhaba Chicken Curry with a couple of changes. I used my coffee grinder to grind the whole spices and added to the chicken marinade. Also topped the finished product with some saffron soaked in two ounces of heavy whipping cream to give it a rich texture. Absolutely delicious.

    Reply

  12. I am a vegetarian but made this curry for my family and they loved it. I sautèd the chicken before adding it to the gravy. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply

  13. Awesome !!!
    I blend all whole gram spices except Bay leaves ,along with onion ginger chilli to paste .My kids like this very much .

    Reply

  14. Awesome !!!
    Instead of whole gram masala spices except Bay, remaining all I blend along with the onion paste it came out well for my kids

    Reply

  18. Made it. And it was pretty good.
    Would have been better if I had boiled the chicken first on its own and then cooked it as it was a mess trying to get the chicken cooked all the way.

    Reply

  23. Hey Amelle! So glad you liked it 🙂 The color difference could be because every house has different spices and masalas, or it could be because I like to brown my onions till they are a very dark brown.

    Reply

  25. I just made this awesome chicken curry now and even though it took a bit of time, it was truly well worth the wait! I loved the aroma as it was cooking and it tastes amazing and slightly different from the curries I’ve had before, Will be coming back to this recipe again from now on. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  26. Thanks for trying it out Sushma. I love it when readers come back and say they liked something. It really makes all the effort worthwhile 😀

    Reply

  27. I tried the Dhaba Style Chicken curry last night. My oh my, by far one of the best home-made chicken curries I’ve had. Got a big thumbs-up from the husband too 😀 I’m a beginner and your step-by-step recipe was so simple and easy to follow. Thanks for this great recipe!

    Reply

  40. Oooh! I’ve been looking for a great curry recipe for awhile now! Thanks for posting this!

    Reply

  41. Super Richa. Love the experience at the road side dhabas. You have explained it so beautifully. And pictures … OMG! 🙂

    Reply

  43. This looks absolutely delicious! I am DROOLING! And you know what? I took out chicken drumsticks for dinner tonight. This just might make tonight’s menu!

    Reply

  44. It looks SO GOOD! I’ll give it a try, I’m always looking for recipes like this one and I’m never really convinced to do them. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply

  48. This curry looks so perfect! I’m such a lover of curry dishes, and I could easily eat them all day every day. I’ve never tried a Dhaba curry before, but it sounds so delicious with all of those spices. Mmm, the photos are stunning too. I will definitely be trying this!

    Reply

  52. What a hearty meal! It has awakened all my tastebuds! Love all the images, especially the second one. Have pinned it!

    Reply

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