Unique Murgh Masala Recipe

Murgh Masala recipe with naan or roti is the right chicken recipe for all the masala loving foodies all over the world and if you are making it by the method defined by Kooking Mania you are surely going to have the best of it. Murgh Masala is a fragrant combination of chicken, tomato, yogurt, and a plethora of aromatics and spices. A classic Pakistani curry as you may call it. It is a combination of words ‘murgh’ which means chicken meat and ‘masala’ which means spice or spices so this recipe can be translated into “spicy chicken” or “chicken in spices” and is arguably one of the spiciest dishes on my blog.

FYI, Chicken meat has been there from 2,200 years age when it was eaten by people inhabiting Palestine, it has been in central and southern Asia for centuries and is believed to be a good source of protein especially the desi ones. The red jungle fowl along with gray jungle fowl of the Indian jungles are said to be the forerunners of the modern chicken that we see today.

A Mughlai recipe, it is said to originate from the Punjab region of the Western Indian subcontinent as hot and spicy food generally belongs to the Punjabi genre and style of cooking. Ibn Battuta also states the dish to be the most favorite of Muhammad bin Tughluq, ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. It is a huge advantage in this recipe’s method that it requires chicken meat which is easily available as well as can be cooked easily whereas compared to lamb, mutton or beef which are not only a little expensive but also require skill and mastery in cooking.

Murgh Masala is lightly spiced and uses thick yogurt to create a creamy constancy. A good addition for spice lovers can be the grounded chili powder, but even without added heat, this curry is really delicious. The unique colour of the gravy comes from the tomato puree. The process of cooking the chicken slowly is a great way to get the finger licking juicy taste in every bite of chicken.

The method starts with an onion-tomato base sauce. If you don’t have ripe tomatoes than you can also add some canned crushed ones into it but still, nothing can challenge nature so I recommend you to filter all vegetable stores before adding canned crushed tomatoes.

Well, using boneless chicken can be used for the ease of eating but I personally prefer chicken-with-bones. Even though I use breast meat, it doesn’t dry out because it soaks in the sweet-scented masala sauce while cooking. Boneless thighs work really well too if you prefer dark meat in making this Murgh Masala.

This Murgh Masala is very easy to make and cooks rather quickly for a stewed recipe. You can also give it some smoke to enhance the taste, I also do this and the taste turns out to be the best you can yield from this recipe. homemade kulcha (naan) are the finest partner for this recipe but you can also eat it with Basmati Boiled Rice or tarke wale chawal.

You can also try some other yummy chicken recipes I have shared before, Tikka Biryani, Charsi Karahi, Murgh Cholay are few to mention. There is a whole list over there so go, see, cook and enjoy!

Murgh Masala step-by-step

Wash and soak the chicken. Take a skillet and add ghee in it. Add sliced onions afterwards.

When light-golden then add garlic and ginger in it to fry.

Add in a blender.

Add red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt to blend.

Blend the mixture well.

Add the mixture and roast it in the same ghee.

Add tomatoes and all the spices in it.

Roast it a little more and add chicken in it. 

After cooking, add yogurt and fry. Cover the lid for it to cook.

After 10 minutes, uncover the lid and see whether the water of the curry has dried or not. Then cook it until the ghee starts to separate. Your Murgh Masala is ready to be eaten!