Indian Chicken Masala

 

There are meals that linger long after the plates are cleared, not because they were extravagant, but because they struck something deeper. This chicken masala was one of those. It came to us unexpectedly in Hong Kong, tucked inside my cousin's membership at a bustling recreational club dining hall after my boys had a morning to burn off energy in the outdoor courts by themselves with basketball and soccer. 

Having had this dish last year there, I knew my boys would love it- a different non-creamy, not-too-saucy profile from the butter chicken dish their dad often make weeknights at home. Tender chicken bathed in a deeply spiced, velvety semi-gravy, with warm garlic roti on the side to scoop up every last bit. For my boys, it became the standout dish of the trip- one they'll recount when asked "what was one of your favourite eats in HK?" Then for me, it became a challenge I couldn’t resist replicating at home. 

Chicken masala, in its many forms, sits at the heart of Indian cooking. The word “masala” simply means a blend of spices, but it carries far more nuance than that. Each region, each household even, builds its own signature combination, layering aromatics like ginger, garlic, onions, and tomatoes with spices such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, and garam masala. What results is not a single fixed dish, but a spectrum of flavours, ranging from bright and tangy to rich and deeply comforting. Versions like butter chicken and chicken tikka masala have travelled far beyond India, evolving along the way, but at its core, chicken masala remains a celebration of balance, warmth, and depth and one I'll be making again and again.

Indian Chicken Masala

Serves 6

2 lbs. chicken thighs, boneless, cut into bite size pieces

Marinade:

1 tsp. red chili powder (kashmiri or hot paprika) 

1 ½ tsp. garam masala (or chicken masala) 

1 tsp. turmeric

1 ½ tsp ginger garlic paste 

½ tsp. salt or to taste

4 Tbsp. plain yogurt, optional

Gravy:

4 Tbsp. neutral cooking oil 

2 small bay leaf 

4 green cardamoms (optional) 

2 inch cinnamon piece or 1/4 tsp. ground 

4 to 8 cloves

2 small onions, finely chopped 

2 to 4 green chilies, to taste, finely chopped

1 ½ tsp. ginger garlic paste 

1 cup tomato puree (or deseeded fresh tomatoes and finely chopped)

1 tsp. salt, to taste

1 tsp. garam masalam, to taste

lime wedges and chopped cilantro, to serve

Basmati rice (Recipetineats)

Roti, fresh or frozen, cooked according to package directions

Place chicken to a large mixing bowl; add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, yogurt (if using) and garam masala. Cover and refrigerate one hour or overnight. 

Heat oil in a large pan or skillet. Carefully add the whole spices- cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and bay leaf; cook for 30 seconds to release aroma.  Add onions and green chilies. Saute them on a medium high heat for 5 mins. Then reduce the heat and saute for a few more mins. until the onions turn golden.

Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute, then pour the tomato puree. Add salt and garam masala; saute until the mixture begins to smell aromatic and release some oil, about 2 to 3 mins. 

Add marinated chicken and saute for 5 mins. Turn the flame to completely low and cook covered for 5 mins. You can add cilantro at this point, then cover the pan again and continue to cook on a low heat until chicken is completely cooked to soft and tender. 

For a semi-dry chicken masala, you don't need to add water as the chicken gets cooked in its own moisture. To make it with gravy, add a little hot water or cream during the last few mins. Cook until the gravy turns thick and chicken is cooked through. 

Serve hot not only with basmati rice but also alongside pan-fried green onion pancakes, becoming a reflection of our own table, a little South Asia, a little East Asia, and entirely ours.

Make perfect basmati rice with Recipetineats

Enjoy with lime wedges, cilantro, cucumber wedges and yogurt (such as raita) at the table.

What I love most about this dish is its generosity. It invites adaptation, encourages intuition, and rewards patience. It is equally at home in a restaurant dining room halfway across the world as it is in a busy family kitchen on a weeknight. And perhaps that’s the magic of it. A single dish, rooted in tradition, yet endlessly open to interpretation, capable of carrying a memory from one table to another, and turning it into something new.

Full Recipe:

Indian Chicken Masala

Serves 6

2 lbs. chicken thighs, boneless, cut into bite size pieces

Marinade:

1 tsp. red chili powder (kashmiri or hot paprika) 

1 ½ tsp. garam masala (or chicken masala) 

1 tsp. turmeric

1 ½ tsp ginger garlic paste 

½ tsp. salt or to taste

4 Tbsp. plain yogurt, optional

Gravy:

4 Tbsp. neutral cooking oil 

2 small bay leaf 

4 green cardamoms (optional) 

2 inch cinnamon piece or 1/4 tsp. ground 

4 to 8 cloves

2 small onions, finely chopped 

2 to 4 green chilies, to taste, finely chopped

1 ½ tsp. ginger garlic paste 

1 cup tomato puree (or deseeded fresh tomatoes and finely chopped)

1 tsp. salt, to taste

1 tsp. garam masalam, to taste

lime wedges and chopped cilantro, to serve

Basmati rice (recipe follows)

Roti, fresh or frozen, cooked according to package directions

Place chicken to a large mixing bowl; add ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt, yogurt (if using) and garam masala. Cover and refrigerate one hour or overnight. 

Heat oil in a large pan or skillet. Carefully add the whole spices- cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms and bay leaf; cook for 30 seconds to release aroma.  Add onions and green chilies. Saute them on a medium high heat for 5 mins. Then reduce the heat and saute for a few more mins. until the onions turn golden. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute, then pour the tomato puree. Add salt and garam masala; saute until the mixture begins to smell aromatic and release some oil, about 2 to 3 mins. Add marinated chicken and saute for 5 mins. Turn the flame to completely low and cook covered for 5 mins. You can add cilantro at this point, then cover the pan again and continue to cook on a low heat until chicken is completely cooked to soft and tender. 

For a semi-dry chicken masala, you don't need to add water as the chicken gets cooked in its own moisture. To make it with gravy, add a little hot water or cream during the last few mins. Cook until the gravy turns thick and chicken is cooked through. 

Serve hot with rice or roti with lime wedges, cilantro and yogurt (such as raita) at the table.