Dhaba Style Chicken Curry Recipe

Dhaba Style Chicken Curry is cooked all across India at roadside restaurants. The name comes from these roadside restaurants because they are called Dhaba. Dhaba Style Chicken Curry is easy to prepare as it only requires a few ingredients that you will have in your kitchen and it takes very little time to put together.

The Dhaba Chicken Curry recipe originated in Punjab but it spread all throughout India because of its amazing taste. You can also prepare this dish at home in less than an hour by following the recipe accordingly.

Ingredients:

Here is the list of ingredients that will be needed to prepare a hot and spicy dish of Dhaba Style Chicken Curry.

• Chicken, bone-in- 1.5 kg. Chicken curry is typically cooked with bone-in chicken. You can cut the chicken into 8 pieces for cooking easily.
• Fresh lemon juice- 1 ½ tablespoon
• Salt, as needed
• Chili powder- 1 teaspoon
• Plain yogurt- ⅓ cup
• Garam Masala- 1 teaspoon
• Kashmiri Chili Powder or Paprika- ½ teaspoon
• Black Peppercorns- ½ teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds- 1 ½ teaspoon
• Cloves- 2-3
• Black Cardamom- 1-2
• Vegetable oil- ¼ cup. You can use soybean oil, mustard oil, sunflower oil, etc.
• Onion- 1 ½ cup
• Ginger garlic paste- 2 tablespoon
• Tomato- 1-2
• Ghee or butter- 1 tablespoon
• Green Chili- 2-3
• Chopped cilantro to garnish

Cooking method

We can divide the entire cooking process of making delicious Dhaba Chicken Curry into three parts such as marination, cooking, and garnishing. These are all explained in detail below.

Marinating the Chicken

Here are the steps to marinating the chicken to make Dhaba Chicken Curry.

Step 1

Cut the chicken into 8 pieces if the chicken still needs to be cut into pieces. Get rid of the skin and other fatty tissues on the meat. Score the meat lightly with a kitchen knife. This will help the spices to get in the chicken easily.

Step 2

Get the meat in a bowl. Add lemon juice, half a tablespoon of salt, half a tablespoon of chili powder, and turmeric powder to it and mix with your hand. Coat all of the meat with the spice rub properly.

Step 3

Set the bowl aside for 12-15 minutes. You can leave it covered in your fridge overnight as well.

Cooking Process

Step 1

Slice the onion into thinly sliced pieces and set aside. Keep all of the ingredients near the pot for convenience. 

Step 2

Put a pot on the stove and set the heat to medium-high. Put the vegetable oil into the pot and let it get hot.

Step 3

Lightly crush the black peppercorns, cumin seeds, cloves, and black cardamom and add them to the oil. Add the onion slices to the pot when the spices start to release fragrance. Keep stirring until the onions become lightly brown in color.

Step 4

Add the ginger garlic paste, salt, chili powder, Kashmiri chili powder, or paprika to the pot and keep stirring. Add the sliced tomatoes and keep stirring until oil starts to get separated from the spice mixture.

Step 5

Add the marinated chicken to the pot and stir to coat all of the meat with the spice mixture. Add the plain yogurt. Make sure that the yogurt does not have any clumps. Use a spoon to stir it beforehand. Add enough hot water to barely submerge the meat and then cover the pot with a lid. 

Step 6

Cook on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes. You can also use a pressure cooker. Pressure cookers will require two whistles to cook the meat. Use less water if you are using a pressure cooker.

Step 7

Stir occasionally to prevent the cooking from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Step 8

Add the Garam Masala before taking the cooking off the stove. Turn off the heat when the meat has become tender. Add salt or chili powder after checking the taste as necessary.

Finishing Touches

Heat a pan with ghee and butter. Throw in the green chillis and lightly fry them for a minute. Add this butter or ghee and green chilis to the cooking to finish off.

Use cilantro or the greens of your choice to garnish the dish.

Notes

Do not be conservative about the oil, ghee, or butter as it is required to bring out the flavors of this dish. You can adjust the spice to your liking. It is better to use less spice than given in any recipe because you can always add more to turn up the heat but you cannot take the spice out of the cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use a Pressure Cooker to Cook This Dish?

Yes, you can use a pressure cooker to cook this dish as well. This recipe will take about two to three whistles of the pressure cooker. You might need more if the meat is too tough but usually chicken meat cooks within 2-3 whistles. 

Are All of the Spices Necessary?

Yes, the spices mentioned in the recipe are necessary for cooking this dish. However, you can skip one or two if you do not have it in your kitchen.

Can I Use Other Spice Mixes for This Recipe?

Yes, you can add other spice mixtures to this recipe but make sure that the cooking doesn’t get ruined by excessive spices.

Is This Dish Too Spicy?

No, the dish is not too spicy but you can always use less chili powder than recommended to turn down the heat.

How to Check if the Meat Is Tender?

You can check the tenderness of the meat with a fork. The meat should be easily penetrated with a fork but it will not slide off the bone. That will indicate that the meat is at the perfect level.

Where Can I Buy the Spices Mentioned in This Recipe?

You can buy the spices mentioned in this recipe at your nearest Indian store. Regular stores will also have most of the spices mentioned in this recipe.