Chicken Bhuna Masala
Chicken Bhuna Masala is a north indian chicken dish prepared by frying chicken with bhuna masala (spices), onions and yogurt.
Ingredients
Whole Spices for the Bhuna Masala Powder
- 4-6 whole dry kashmiri chillies we will grind seeds and all, please adjust quantity to taste
- 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 6 cloves
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 small black cardamom pods seeds only, or use green cardamom if your black cardamom is big in size, use only 1
- 15-18 black peppercorn
- ¼ piece nutmeg
To Marinate the Chicken
- 2 lb (~900g) chicken skinned, 7-8 pieces, use bone in thigh/drumsticks or dark meat portions
- 1.5 teaspoon salt please adjust quantity to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For The Bhuna Sauce
- 5 tablespoon oil
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 220 g onion chopped
- 2 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder (medium hot), I use degi mirch, please adjust quantity to taste
- 1 (~80g) tomato pureed in a blender
- ½ cup plain yogurt I use whole greek yogurt
To Finish & Garnish
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- Ginger Julinnes
- Green Chillies (Thai bird or serrano) slit
- Chopped Cilantro
Instructions
Make The Bhuna Masala
- In a small sauce pan, add all the listed spices. Dry roast the spices on low heat while continuously stirring them, so that they dont burn.
- Cool down slightly, and using a spice grinder or coffee grinder, grind to a medium texture using a spice or coffee grinder.
Marinate The Chicken
- Make sure that the chicken pieces are dry. Place them in a large bowl.
- Sprinkle 1.5 tablespoon of homemade bhuna masala powder, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt.
- Coat the chicken thoroughly with the spices and salt. Cover, and let it marinate for at least 1-2 hours (overnight for best results!).
Sear The Chicken
- Heat a heavy-bottomed, wide pot—one that fits the chicken in a single layer is ideal. Unless specified otherwise, keep the heat on medium.
- Add 2 tablespoon mustard oil to the pot and let heat up until slightly smoky.
- Layer the chicken over hot oil and sear for 3-4 minutes. Flip and sear the other side, then stir to brown all sides until no pink remains. Remove the chicken pieces with tongs or a cooking spoon and set aside on a plate.
Make Chicken Bhuna Masala
- Add the remaining mustard oil to the cooking pot and let heat up.
- Temper the hot oil with bay leaf and cinnamon sticks to temper the hot oil, followed immediately by the chopped onions.
- Cook the onions, stirring regularly, until they turn golden brown (but not too dark), about 6-8 minutes.
- Next, add the ginger paste, garlic paste, pureed tomato, red chili powder and turmeric powder.
- Mix and cook the tomatoes for 3-4 minutes or until you see the oil beginning to seperate.
- Lower the heat to low medium and wait for a minute. Sprinkle the remaining bhuna masala powder over the cooked tomatoes. Then, add the marinated chicken, making sure to scrape any remaining marinade from the bowl into the pot.
- Toss the chicken to combine it well with the onions & tomato masala. For the next 5-7 minutes, bhuno the chicken with the masala on medium heat. You will see that the chicken starts releasing its juices.
- Reduce heat to low and add the whisked yogurt. Immediately stir the chicken to mix with yogurt and keep stirring continously for next 2-3 minutes or until the yogurt has warmed through. This prevents the yogurt from curdling.
- Bump up the heat to medium. Keeping it on low will cause the chicken to release excess moisture, preventing a proper bhunai (sautéing) and the sauce getting watery.
- In about 3-4 minutes, the yogurt will start releasing its water. When you see that there is enough liquid in the cooking pot, cover it with a lid. Reduce heat to low medium once you cover.
- As the chicken will cook,it will release its own juices plus water from yogurt will is enough to cook it. Do not add water. You will need to check and stir in between once or twice. It takes about 12-15 minutes for the chicken to cook fully (cooking time depends on cut and variety of chicken, please adjust as needed).
- Uncover once the chicken is fully cooked. A visual indicator of chicken doneness is that the chicken flesh will pull away from the drumsticks.
- Bhuno (fry) the chicken on medium heat for another 5-6 minutes to dry out the liquid further and bring out the best bhuna flavor. You will see a layer of oil and a thick masala in the cooking pot.
Finish Chicken Bhuna
- Add ghee, slit green chilies(if using) and ginger juliennes, keep the stove on medium and carefully keep moving around the chicken using a spatula or flat wooden spoon making sure that it doesn't stick.
- In about 3 minutes, you will notice that the chicken looks shiny and the masala looks nicely fried. Don't dry out the masala. It will thicken as the dish cools down.
- Switch off the stove, add cilantro. It is best if you let the chicken bhuna masala rest for 20 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Cooking Pot - Use a wide shallow heavy bottom pan (12 inch or larger). If using a kadai (indian wok), I use a 12 inch or larger. If the pan is not heavy, the masala will burn and stick. Additionally a heavy pan helps in bhunai or searing the chicken.
- Heat Setting - Except when adding yogurt, the heat should be medium or medium high. We don't want the chicken to boil. We want to bhuno it.
- Don't skimp the oil. For bhunai- you need optimum oil. The taste of bhuna dishes comes through best with that extra oil. Else the chicken tastes boiled and flavorless.
- At any point you feel that the chicken or the masala is burning add a light handed splash of water.
- If you are using boneless chicken thighs to make this recipe, half them. They will be 95% cooked in about 10-12 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 323kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 16gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 674mgPotassium: 333mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 218IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 82mgIron: 2mg
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