Make this restaurant style Kadai Chicken for a hearty Indian meal. Chicken is cooked with a special spice blend known as kadai masala for a flavorsome dish. Serve it with any flatbreads or basmati rice or jeera rice.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 35 minutes
  • Total time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: North Indian

Ingredients

  • ½ kg (1.1 lbs) boneless chicken ((1 inch pieces or ¾ kg (1.6 lbs) bone-in chicken, curry-cut))
  • ¾ cup (100 grams) onions (chopped finely)
  • 1¼ cup (300 grams) tomato (puree (2 medium tomatoes pureed))
  • ¾ tablespoon ginger garlic paste
  • 2½ tablespoons oil (or ghee)
  • 1 Kashmiri dried red chili (broken)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (/jeera (optional))
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt ((adjust to taste))
  • ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder ((use up to 1 teaspoon for heat))
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ to 1 teaspoon garam masala ((adjust to taste, I use ¾ tsp))
  • 1 teaspoon kasuri methi ((dried fenugreek leaves))
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream/ yogurt ((or 10 cashews pureed, read notes))
  • 2 tablespoons coriander leaves ((cilantro finely chopped))
  • 1 tablespoon butter or ghee
  • ½ cup onions ((cubed & layers separated) (optional))
  • ½ cup capsicums ((bell peppers cubed) (optional))
  • 1½ tablespoons coriander seeds ((I use 2 tbsps))
  • 1 dried Kashmiri red chili
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 2 cloves
  • ½ inch cinnamon
  • 3 green cardamoms
  • 2 to 3 black pepper corn ((or ⅛ teaspoon crushed pepper))

Method

Preparation

  1. On a medium heat, dry roast red chili and coriander seeds for 2 minutes. Add cloves, cardamoms, fennel seeds and cinnamon. Roast until they smell aromatic, for 1 to 2 mins.
  2. Cool this and make a fine powder. Keep this aside.

How to Make Kadai Chicken

  1. On a medium flame, heat ghee/oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and red chili.
  2. When the seeds begin to sizzle, add the onions and saute until golden for 4 to 5 mins.
  3. Stir in ginger garlic paste and saute for 30 to 60 seconds.
  4. Add chicken and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until the chicken turns pale. Lower the heat and stir in turmeric, red chili powder, salt and kadai masala.
  5. Mix well and pour the pureed tomatoes. Cook on a medium heat until the tomato puree turns slightly thick & loses its raw flavor, for 3 to 4 mins.
  6. Partially cover the pan and cook further until the chicken is tender and fully cooked through. The gravy should be thick at this stage.
  7. Optional: Meanwhile melt butter in a wok. Add the bell peppers and onions, stir fry on a high heat until the capsicum is slightly blistered, for 2 to 3 mins, Avoid overcooking, keep them crunchy. Add this to the kadai chicken.
  8. Taste test and add more salt if needed along with garam masala and kasuri methi.
  9. Stir in the cashew puree. If using heavy cream or yogurt, pour it to a small bowl. Take a portion of the gravy and mix with it. Add back the tempered cream/yogurt to the kadai chicken.
  10. Simmer for 2 mins & avoid overcooking to retain the crunch of bell peppers. Garnish with coriander leaves or ginger juliennes and slit green chilies.
  11. Serve kadai chicken with flatbreads or basmati rice.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.