Methi chicken is one of the classic chicken curries flavored with Indian spices and lots of Fenugreek i.e. methi leaves! It has got the sensational combination of pungent methi leaves with creamy curry!
A restaurant classic, this delicious methi chicken should have appeared here long back! Meth chicken is that quintessential chicken curry which you will always find in every Indian restaurant’s menu and is undoubtedly one of the frequently ordered items.
If you haven’t tried this delish methi chicken curry yet, you are definitely missing something in life and depriving your taste buds from a delightful experience. Methi chicken is a creamy chicken curry which is flavored with lots of fresh methi leaves which are nothing but fenugreek leaves.
Methi leaves are very commonly used in many Indian preparations and is a regular ingredient in our home too. With ample methi at my disposal, I often make this methi chicken curry for our lunch/dinner, but have always missed to share it.
Today I am here to rectify my mistake and gonna share my guaranteed recipe of methi chicken which will definitely let you make the restaurant style methi chicken at home. You would definitely need a large bunch of very fresh methi leaves.
Methi or fenugreek leaves have a strong taste which is sometimes bitter too, but when used in the right way, it lends beautiful flavor to the methi chicken curry. Your methi chicken will not be bitter at all and will have a freshness which is just one of a kind and can be hardly achieved otherwise.
The strong flavor of methi leaves is perfectly complemented by fresh cream which is added at the very end of cooking. If you have had enough of your regular chicken curry, try this methi chicken which will not only break monotony but will also be very pleasing to your senses.
Before going to the recipe, let me just share a life update with you all. We have recently moved to a new apartment as our earlier lease agreement expired. We had to find a new abode in a hurry and finally we moved.
One down side of this newly rented apartment is that my kitchen is much smaller here than the previous one. So, I have to apply all the tips and tricks to make this tiny kitchen functionable to its fullest and continue creating my favorite dishes without any compromise.
At the same time while we are trying to settle down at the new place, we are planning our own dream house! Yes! Our own house! The thought itself is so pleasing that it makes all the difficulties hush away instantly.
I have already started designing my dream kitchen and my better half is busy in planning his garden! Though there is still some time for this dream home to materialize, but there is no harm to virtually start living in our dream world, isn’t it?
While you wish us luck in finding our ultimate dream house, let me focus back on methi chicken recipe. This classic chicken curry is best enjoyed with freshly made phulkas. But if you find it difficult to make phulkas at home as much as I do, you can surely savor your methi chicken with plain white rice which is exactly what I did.
I have always had tough time with making phulkas and after repeated failed trials, I have now stopped trying too. Not being able to make phulkas cannot stop me from enjoying good food, right?
I’m sure you are already tempted to give this methi chicken a try and I can bet that you won’t be disappointed. This creamy curry is rounded up with a generous sprinkle of kasoori methi at the very end which is the Midas touch to this methi chicken and you must not skip it.
Kasoori methi is nothing but dried fenugreek leaves which has a different category of flavor of its own and is very different from fresh methi leaves. This methi chicken curry has somewhat complex flavors but is a must-try!
- Whole chicken– 1, around 800 gms
- Fresh fenugreek leaves – 2 cups firmly packed
- Plain yogurt – 1 cup, whisked
- Ginger – 4 inch
- Onion – 2, large, chopped
- Garlic cloves – 20, chopped
- Green chilies – 3, seeded and chopped
- Tomatoes – 2, medium, chopped
- Green cardamom – 6 to 8
- Black cardamom – 1
- Cloves – 6 to 8
- Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
- Bay leaf – 1
- Mace – 3 to 4 blades
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
- Red chili powder – ½ tsp
- Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi) – 2 tbsp
- Chopped fresh coriander leaves – ½ cup
- Oil – 4 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Cut the whole chicken into medium pieces. Get rid of any excess fat.
- Mix together yogurt and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces and coat well. Marinate for half an hour or more.
- Chop half of the ginger and cut the rest into thin strips.
- Heat the oil in a skillet; add the green and black cardamoms, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf and mace. Sauté for a minute.
- Tip in the chopped onion and sauté till they are soft. Add the chopped ginger, garlic and green chilies. Cook till the onions turn brown.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté till they are melted.
- In a small bowl, make a smooth paste of turmeric powder, coriander powder and red chili powder with one-fourth cup of water and add it to the skillet. Cook for a minute or two.
- Now add the marinated chicken along with the marinade and fenugreek leaves. Stir to mix everything well.
- Cover and cook over medium heat till the chicken is tender. Keep stirring in between to prevent it from sticking. Do not add extra water at this stage since the chicken will also leave a lot of water. Add water only if you see that the chicken is sticking to the bottom of the pan and tends to burn or if you feel the gravy is too dry. Make the consistency as you desire.
- Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly, sprinkle the ginger strips, fried fenugreek leaves and chopped coriander leaves over the chicken. Cover and leave it to stand for about five minutes before serving.
- Serve the warm methi chicken curry and enjoy with phulkas, butter naan or basmati rice.
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