Methi Chicken – chickenloversrecipe

Chicken: I use bone-in chicken (skinless) pieces for the best taste. Bone adds so much flavor to the curry recipes. Feel free to use boneless chicken thigh pieces though.
Fresh Methi Leaves: Use fresh fenugreek leaves only. Discard the stalks as they may be more bitter and fibrous. The methi leaves that we get here in Dubai are nice tender and not very bitter, so bitterness was never an issue.
Onion: I like to use red onion here for this recipe. We want finely chopped onion here, large bits of onion in this is a big “No” for me . You can even use food processor to chop them or grind them coarse. Feel free to use yellow onion instead of red.
Yogurt: Full fat works well.
Tomatoes: Sliced or chopped. I like to peel and use the tomatoes for curries. It gives nice smooth base to the gravies.
Whole Spices: I use basic few whole spices for this recipe; using too much or too many of them may overpower the pleasant taste and flavor of fenugreek and chicken. So, you will only need, green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns and cumin seeds, that’s it!
Spice Powders: You will need red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder.
Other Ingredients: Few other basic ingredients that you will need are garlic paste, ginger paste, chopped or crushed green chilies. You will also need some cream, sugar and lemon juice. Cream adds richness while sugar and lemon juice balances the flavor well.

How to make methi chicken?

1. I start off by heating 6 tablespoons oil in a pan. Once the oil heats up, add :

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 green cardamon
4-5 cloves
1 black cardamon
8-10 black peppercorns

Then, fry for few seconds until the whole spices sizzles the oil.

2. Now, add 1 teaspoon green chili crushed/chopped or paste and fry for few seconds.

3. Add 2 cups chopped onions and sauté on high heat for 3-4 minutes. The onions should be soft and just start to pick up golden color.

Subscribe to Cubes n Juliennes!

Get updates on the latest posts and more from Cubes n Juliennes straight to your inbox.Subscribe

We use your personal data for interest-based advertising, as outlined in our Privacy Notice.

4. Now, add 2.2 lbs chicken on-bone pieces, 1 tablespoon garlic, ¾ ginger paste, and 1½ cup tomatoes (sliced/chopped). Sauté well on high heat for 3-4 minutes.

5. Reduce the heat and add 1 cup whisked yogurt. Immediately stir until the yogurt combines well. I always ensure that yogurt is at room temperature and whisked well as this will keep it from splitting when added to the pan.

6. Then, add:

2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chilli powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
¾ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder, and salt as per taste.

Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium high heat until spices starts to release the oil.