Authentic Methi Murgh (Methi Chicken Recipe)
Chicken in a fragrant sauce made with fresh fenugreek leaves, yogurt and spices. Serve with rice or rotis for a delicious meal.
Ingredients
- 500 g boneless skinless chicken thighs cut in 2 inch pieces
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 to 1.25 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- ¼ cup (45g) whole plain yogurt make sure its not sour or watery
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi crushed between palms
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder can go up or down depending on warmth of your garam masala
- 3 tablespoon mustard oil or use ghee
- 1 large (150g) onions thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoon garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste
- 3-4 thai bird green chilies slit halved or chopped (very hot, these contribute to main heat in this recipe), adjust quantity to taste
- 1 (100-120g) tomato crushed in a food processor
- 2 cups (100-120gg) fresh methi leaves (tightly packed) depending on the intensity of your methi (bitterness), measured after separating from stems
- 1- 2 tablespoon heavy cream optional
Whole Spices
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 black cardamom skip if not available
Ground Spices
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder adjust to taste, I use degi mirch
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Instructions
- Add chicken pieces to a bowl. Sprinkle the black pepper powder and salt. Mix well to coat the chicken. Let stand.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, garam masala powder and kasuri methi. Keep near.
- Add oil to a heavy wide kadai or cooking pot. Warm up the oil till its slightly smoky. Add cardamom & bay leaf along with green chillies. Fry for 5-7 seconds.
- Add the sliced onions next. Brown them till golden in color on medium heat. Takes about 8-10 minutes.
- Once the onions are browned, add the ginger paste and garlic paste. Pour 2-3 tablespoon water into the kadai, there will be spluttering.Cook ginger garlic for 5-6 seconds until the raw smell is gone.
- Immediately add the chicken. Stir to coat the chicken with onions and fry for 5-6 minutes untill the chicken is no more pink.
- Now, sprinkle the ground spices - coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder and cumin powder.
- Coat the chicken with spices and bhuno(fry) spices on low medium heat for next 5-6 minutes.
- Next add the crushed tomatoes. As you mix you will see that the sauce is getting watery. Fry the tomatoes and chicken while stirring intermittently for 4-5 minutes on medium heat till you start seeing tiny oil bubbles. (If you are using bone in chicken, cover and let the chicken cook until 90 % doneness for about 15-18 minutes in its own and juices from tomatoes. Check once midway to make sure that the masala is not drying up)
- When the chicken is about 90 percent done, reduce the heat to low and add the whisked yogurt. Immediately start mixing and continue for at least 2-3 minutes after you add yogurt to avoid curdling.
- One yogurt us warmed through,bump up the heat to medium and chicken cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the water of yogurt dries out. You will again notice that tiny oil bubbles re appear and a thickish gravy.
- Add the chopped methi leaves. Mix well and cook everything till the methi has completely wilted and turns dark green. About 3-5 minutes.
- Finish methi murgh with heavy cream. Mix the cream, and simmer for a minute and turn off the stove. Let rest for at least 10 -20 minutes if possible. Reheat and serve warm with flatbreads or rice.
Video
Notes
- Always taste your methi first. A little bitterness is normal and actually nice, but sometimes it can be too bitter. If that happens, it’s best not to use it because there’s no fixing the curry later.
- Skip watery methi. Wash the methi to remove dirt and let air dry or with a kitchen towel fully. If the leaves are wet, they’ll thin out the gravy and mute the flavor.
- Use both fresh methi and kasuri methi. Fresh methi in the U.S. is usually mild, which is great, but it lacks that deep methi punch. Kasuri methi fills that gap and really rounds out the sauce.
- Mustard oil - This is a rustic Punjabi chicken curry, and mustard oil gives it that authentic taste. If you don’t have it, ghee or a neutral oil works too.
- Keep the spice and heat gentle. Methi Chicken isn’t meant to be fiery. Let the methi be the star. Add just enough chillies (red and green) for warmth and flavor.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!