CHICKEN BHUNA MASALA

This easy, healthy chicken curry is great for a weekend treat and is guaranteed crowd-pleaser. No one could refuse a plate of this indulgent chicken bhuna masala. Bhuna Chicken is originated from Bengal and West Bangladesh. Like this Mutton Bhuna / Bhuna Gosht and Veg Bhuna also are the most famous and delicious recipes. Bhuna is a cooking process rather than a sauce the spices are gently fried in plenty of oil to bring out their flavour.  

The cooking process is completed when the meats are added to cooking their own juice to produce a deep intense rich coating sauce. The resulting dish is flavoursome rather than hot and often served garnished with fried onions. There are two very important things that set the chicken bhuna recipe apart. First, it’s the quantity of the onions used, which is equal to the weight of the chicken. I know, those are a lot of onions. Secondly, it’s the lengthy the roasting process. Chicken Bhuna Masala, the word ‘BHUNA’ means something which is completely roasted for a long time until it gets fully caramelized and gets nice golden colour. The slow cooking makes the flavors go deep within the chicken. The onions vanish to form a delicious, flavorful gravy. You get a desirable sweetness from the caramelized onions, which is a characteristic of this Chicken Bhuna Recipe.    

📌📌 Watch the full video recipe here 📌📌

INGREDIENTS:

½ kg Chicken

½ Cup Curd

3-4 tablespoon Oil

2-3 Dry Red Chillies

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

3 Onions

3 Tomatoes [puree/chopped]

1 tablespoon Ginger-Garlic Paste

Coriander, chopped

1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi

Spice Powders Needed:

¼ teaspoon Turmeric Powder

½ teaspoon Cumin Powder

¼ teaspoon Cardamom Powder

1- ½ teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

1 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder[optional]

1 tablespoon Coriander Powder

1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder

Salt as needed

Whole Spices Needed:

3-4 Cloves

2-3 Green Cardamom

1 Black Cardamom

1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds

1 teaspoon Black Peppercorns

½” Cinnamon Stick

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash chicken pieces and keep aside.

STEP 2 – Mix ginger-garlic paste, curd, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, cardamom powder, garam masala in a mixing bowl. Marinate chicken pieces with this mixture.

STEP 3 – Cover it and keep this aside for 15-20 minutes.

STEP 4 – Now, heat a pan on low flame and whole spices one-by-one and roast for 1 minute. Cool them.

STEP 5 – Add them to mixer pot and blend to make a fine powder. Keep this fresh masala powder aside.

STEP 6 – Heat oil in a pan, add dry red chillies, cumin seeds and then add chopped onion. Mix and sauté well until onion turns light golden brown in colour.

STEP 7 – Now add chopped tomato in it and mix well.

STEP 8 – Cook for 4-5 minutes till tomato turn mushy.

STEP 9 – Then add marinated chicken pieces and mix well.

STEP 10 – Cook it for 4-5 minutes stirring well.

STEP 11 – Add freshly ground dry masala powder and mix well.

STEP 12 – Cover the pan with lid and cook for next 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked properly. [see notes]Stir it in between once or twice.

STEP 13 - When chicken is cooked properly, switch off the flame and ready to serve.

STEP 14 - Garnish with chopped coriander and 

serve with any Indian Flatbread and enjoy.

NOTES: * Adjust spices according to your taste buds.

*Do not add too much water while cooking the chicken. Chicken will cook in curd mixture.

* You can make it in pressure cooker as I have shown in the video.