Mughlai Chicken Recipe

Mughlai Chicken garnished with coriander and boiled eggs.

Mughlai Chicken is a restaurant style, north Indian recipe with a creamy, dark brown onion gravy that will have you licking the plate! Serve it with parathas, biryani or jeera rice, and feel free to substitute paneer if you are vegetarian.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Indian, Mughlai, North Indian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Total Time 55

Servings Portions

Calories 226kcal

Author Richa

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Ghee
10 Cashewnuts
4 Onions finely chopped (large)
6 Garlic Cloves peeled
1 inch Ginger peeled
3 Green Chillies
2 Cardamom Pods
1 Bayleaf
3 Cloves
1 inch Cinnamon stick
½ kg Chicken cut into medium sized pieces
½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
½ teaspoon Chilli Powder
½ teaspoon Garam Masala
2 tablespoons Cream
Salt to taste

Instructions

To start with, soak cashewnuts in hot water for 10 minutes. Also rub turmeric powder all over the chicken. Set both things aside.
Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a pan, and add the onions. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt over the onions and mix. Reduce the flame, cover and cook the onions till they are deep brown in color. During the process of browning the onions, stir them around every 5-6 minutes to prevent them from sticking to the bottom and burning. This whole process of caramelizing the onions should take about 20 minutes.
Once the onions are brown, transfer them to a food processor along with the soaked cashew nuts, garlic cloves, ginger, green chilies and ¼ cup water. Grind to a smooth paste.
Heat the remaining ghee in the same pan, and add cardamom pods, bayleaf, cloves and cinnamon. Saute for a minute or two and add the onion paste. Cook the onion paste on medium high heat, while stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes. Add coriander powder, chili powder, garam masala powder and salt and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
Add chicken to the pan along with ¼ cup water. Cover and cook the chicken for 20 minutes or till cooked through, while stirring the curry occasionally. This will be a thick gravy, but if you like your thinner, feel free to add a little water and bring the curry to a boil.
Taste for seasoning, and finish it up by stirring in the cream. Switch off the flame. Let the curry sit for 10 minutes before serving with parathas and jeera rice.

Video

Notes

Brown onions till they reach a deep brown colour. This caramelisation adds depth to the flavour so do not skip this step.
Grind browned onions, ginger, garlic, cashew nuts and green chilli along with water to a smooth puree. Keep in mind that this forms the texture of the dish so keep it as smooth as possible.
Cook the onion paste till it turns light brown in colour. Remember to stir frequently as it can easily stick to the bottom and burn. Once it turns light brown in colour, the raw aroma also goes away.
Cook the paste until the oil separates i.e., there is a thin layer of oil on top. The oil separating is an indicator that the spices have combined and are cooked through. It also indicated that the excess moisture has evaporated.
Before you start, soak your cashew nuts in hot water. Using hot water, softens them faster so that when you grind them along with everything else, you'll have a smooth, creamy curry without any stubborn cashew bits.
Use bone-in chicken for this recipe. Bone-in chicken is more flavorful and definitely more juicy and has less chances of being overcooked.
This mughlai chicken recipe tastes much better when it's left to sit for a couple of hours or even overnight, which makes it perfect when you want to plan ahead for a party!

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