Murgh Kari, literally “chicken curry” in Hindi and Urdu, is a classic style of North Indian home cooking. Unlike the richer cream- and butter-based curries that often dominate Indian restaurant menus in the West, Murgh Kari is everyday cooking—chicken simmered in a deeply flavored gravy built from browned onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and warm spices.
There really isn’t one definitive recipe. Like so many dishes cooked in homes throughout North India, the ingredients and proportions change from family to family. Some versions are quite dry, while others have considerably more gravy; the spices vary as well. What they generally share is the technique of patiently cooking the onions and aromatics, frying the spices and tomatoes until the mixture becomes concentrated, and then cooking the chicken directly in that flavorful base.
My version is deliberately straightforward. I use whole spices to perfume the ghee/oil at the beginning, plenty of well-browned onion for body, tomatoes, green chilies and a fairly simple mixture of ground spices. I usually make it with boneless chicken thighs, although I’ll often add a few drumsticks if I have them—the bones add wonderful richness to the gravy.
This isn’t an elaborate restaurant curry. It’s the sort of comforting, deeply seasoned chicken curry that is meant to be eaten with rice or warm flatbread, with enough gravy to make sure very little is left behind.
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs, cut into large pieces; a few skinless drumsticks may be added if desired
3 Tbsp Ghee or Vegetable oil. I like avocado.
1 Bay Leaf — traditionally Indian bay leaf (tej patta), but I use bay leaves from my own garden
1 inch Cinnamon Stick
1 Black cardamom Pod
3 Green Cardamom Pods
4 whole Cloves
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 large Onion, very finely minced.
2 Tbsp Ginger and Garlic paste, equal parts, puréed
5 fresh green/red Chilies, slit lengthwise
2 medium Tomatoes, finely grated or pureed. You can also substitute cherry tomatoes, cut in quarters.
1.5 tsp ground Coriander
1 tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder
1 tsp ground Cumin
1 tsp Black Peppercorns, ground
1 tsp ground Turmeric
1 tsp Salt, or to taste
3/4 cup Water
1 tsp freshly ground Garam Masala
3 Tbsp chopped fresh Cilantro leaves and tender stems.
Preparation:
Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium heat. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves, and cumin seeds. Sizzle for 30 to 45 seconds until the whole spices swell and perfume the oil.
Add the finely minced onions. Cook slowly over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 15 to 18 minutes until the onions turn a deep, uniform golden brown. Proper caramelization here is essential for the body, color, and natural sweetness of the gravy.
Add the ginger and garlic paste and slit green chilies. Sauté for 2 minutes until the raw aroma dissipates.
Stir in the ground coriander, Kashmiri chili powder, ground cumin, turmeric, black pepper and salt. Stir constantly for 30 seconds to bloom the ground spices in the warm fat without scorching them.
Pour in the pureed tomatoes. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly, for 6 to 8 minutes until the moisture cooks off, the paste darkens, and small beads of oil begin to separate from the edges of the base.
Add the chicken pieces to the pot. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning frequently, until the chicken is thoroughly coated and the masala begins to cling to the pieces.
Note: This process of cooking and frying the ingredients together in the concentrated masala is known as bhunao, an important technique for developing the depth of flavor in the curry.
Pour in 3/4 cup of water, scraping the bottom of the pot to incorporate any browned spice fond. Bring the liquid to a soft boil.
Lower the heat to medium-low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes until the chicken is tender and the juices run clear.
Uncover the pot and let simmer uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes to reduce. Stir in the garam masala and chopped cilantro, then remove the pot from the heat.
Let the curry rest covered for 5 minutes so the spiced oils rise to the surface before serving with basmati rice.
Home-Style Northern Indian Chicken Curry-Murgh Kari
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium heat. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, green cardamoms, cloves, and cumin seeds. Sizzle for 30 to 45 seconds until the whole spices swell and perfume the oil.
- Add the finely minced onions. Cook slowly over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 15 to 18 minutes until the onions turn a deep, uniform golden brown. Proper caramelization here is essential for the body, color, and natural sweetness of the gravy.
- Add the ginger and garlic paste and slit green chilies. Sauté for 2 minutes until the raw aroma dissipates.
- Stir in the ground coriander, Kashmiri chili powder, ground cumin, turmeric, black pepper and salt. Stir constantly for 30 seconds to bloom the ground spices in the warm fat without scorching them.
- Pour in the pureed tomatoes. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring regularly, for 6 to 8 minutes until the moisture cooks off, the paste darkens, and small beads of oil begin to separate from the edges of the base.Add the chicken pieces to the pot.
- Raise the heat to medium-high and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, turning frequently, until the chicken is thoroughly coated and the masala begins to cling to the pieces.
- Pour in 3/4 cup of water, scraping the bottom of the pot to incorporate any browned spice fond. Bring the liquid to a soft boil.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes until the chicken is tender and the juices run clear.
- Uncover the pot and let simmer uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes to reduce. Stir in the garam masala and chopped cilantro, then remove the pot from the heat.
- Let the curry rest covered for 5 minutes so the spiced oils rise to the surface before serving with basmati rice.