Restaurant Style Kadai Chicken | Authentic Chicken Karahi Recipe:
Kadai chicken, the flagship dish from Indian cuisine cannot get better than this. Try making this yourself at home and you will forget the restaurant version forever!
You may think I am boasting but I can’t help it! I really can’t help but say that this Kadai chicken is the best ever chicken I ever have had in my life. And it has to be true because it has no other choice! When you are creating your own Kadai spice blend from scratch using the best spices available, then there is simply no way that your hard work won’t reap its result! I am really a sucker for making spice blends or sauces from scratch at home and give those store jars a big miss and remain as happy as ever for doing so.

Prep time:30 mins   Cook time:1 hour  Total time:1 hour 30 mins

Author: Kajal & Preeti
Cuisine: Indian
Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients-

Chicken – 1 kg, bone-in, skin-off pieces of medium size

Green bell pepper – 2, cut into 1-inch piece

Onion – 3, large, finely chopped

Ginger paste – 2 tbsp

Garlic paste – 2 tbsp

Tomato – 4, large

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Kashmiri Red chili powder – 2 tsp

Garam masala – 1 tsp

Sugar – 1 tsp

Vegetable or mustard oil – ¼ cup

Salt to taste

Fresh coriander leaves – 1 cup, chopped

Kadai Spice Blend –

Whole dry red chili – 2

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp

Green cardamom – 6 to 8

Cloves – 6 to 8

Cinnamon – 2-inch piece

Black cardamom – 2

Whole black peppercorn – 8 to 10

Mace – 1 tsp

Instructions:

>First make the Kadai spice. Dry roast all the spices listed under Kadai spice blend for a couple of minutes until fragrant. Then grind them into a powder. Set aside.

>Peel and cut each of the tomatoes into half. Deseed them and then chop them finely. Deseeding the tomatoes will get rid of extra water and tartness.

>Wash and pat dry the chicken. Add some salt and half a teaspoon of turmeric powder to the chicken and mix well.

>Heat a large pot and add the oil to it. Once the oil is medium hot, add the sugar, stir and let it caramelize, keeping the heat on medium. Adding sugar at the beginning will add a bright red color to the final dish.

>Add chopped onion and saute for a couple of minutes until it starts to soften. Then add ginger and garlic paste. >Saute them on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes until the onion turns golden.

>Now add the chopped tomatoes and salt. Let the tomatoes cook for 10 minutes.

>Then add all the spices – turmeric powder, red chili powder, and the Kadai spice blend. In case the skillet is too dry add a couple of splashes of water and saute the spices for 2 minutes.

>Then add the chicken pieces. Stir well so that all chicken pieces are coated with the spices generously.

>Cover and cook the chicken on low heat stirring after every 5 minutes so that they do not stick to the bottom of the pot. No need to add water at this stage as the chicken will release water of its own.

>Saute the chicken for good 20 minutes until all the pieces are nicely browned. Add the green bell pepper and give a quick stir. I like the crunch of the capsicum to be retained which is why I add them at this stage of the cooking.

>Now add about a cup of water or more depending on the consistency you desire and let the liquid come to boil on high heat.

>Once the gravy starts boiling, cover and let it cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through.

>Uncover and give a stir. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed. Boil-off any excess water until you get your desired consistency.

>Sprinkle garam masala and some freshly chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with plain white rice or butter naan!

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