Try this easy-to-make, homestyle recipe of Chicken Bhuna, where chicken is cooked with fried onions and basic masala without using any water. This Chicken dish is mildly spicy with thick gravy. Enjoy with Paratha, Phulka or Rice.
Table of contents
1. About the recipe
2. Ingredients
3. Step-by-step method
4. Tips
1. About the recipe
Term Bhuna refers to the cooking method of this dish, and it means fried in its own gravy (not deep fried). This dish doesn’t come in thin gravy; usually, it is a thick sauce, which is enough to cling to the meat. I made this Chicken Bhuna very frequently at my home because of so many reasons. First, it doesn’t need any previous marination, Doesn’t need any specific masala, No tomato or yoghurt is needed, and last, it is very Tasty 😋. My recipe is thick and rich, but you can make it saucy by adding a little water.
You can adjust the spiciness of the curry according to your preference. If you prefer no heat, use Kashmiri red chilli powder; it will give the curry a bright red colour without any heat. If you like more heat, use some chopped green chillies and black pepper powder. It’s a super rich and flavourful chicken curry that you will love.
Let’s start cooking!
Serving Suggestion: 4
Preparation Time:10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
2. Ingredients
- 500 gm chicken curry cut
- 1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
- 3 onion thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons of red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon of garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon of coriander powder
- 2 bay leaves
- Cinnamon sticks
- 1 star-anise
- 3 tablespoons of mustard oil or Refined oil
- Salt
3. Step by step method
- For the best-tasting curry, use bone in a skinless chicken curry cut. Bones add a lot of flavour to the dish. But if you are not a bone-in chicken fan, you can also use boneless pieces.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of mustard oil in a kadhai or deep pan. Here, I am using mustard oil because mustard oil will give a lovely flavour to the dish; if you don’t want to add mustard oil, then refined oil is also fine.
- When the oil is hot, add whole garam masala, which is bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks, and cardamom. Fry for a few seconds.
- Add sliced onions and fry until golden brown ( 8 to 10 minutes). Stirring frequently.
- When the onion turns slightly brown, add chicken pieces.
- At this stage, add ginger garlic paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, black pepper powder, and coriander powder.
- Mix all the spices well. Add salt according to your taste. Cover the pan or kadhai with a lid.
- Lower the flame and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes. This chicken dish should cook only on low flame for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Keep stirring a few times while cooking. You will notice onion slices turn into thick gravy, and oil is separating from the gravy.
- At this stage, Chicken Bhuna is ready to be served.
- Served it with Paratha, Poori, Roti or Dal Chawal.
4. Tips
- Keep stirring so it doesn’t get burnt while cooking
- If you want a little gravy, add warm water at the end and cook on low flame for another 5 minutes.
- This dish can be stored in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reheat in a pan or microwave until it is nice and warm.
- Frying the chicken in oil for a few minutes, along with a good amount of ginger garlic, gives a rich flavour and taste.
- Simmering the chicken gravy for the final few minutes takes the dish to the next level. So, I recommend sticking with it to achieve rich flavour and taste.
