Looking for a chicken curry different from usual masala, tikka, jalfrezi ? This achari chicken got the answer. This chicken got unique pickle sort of taste and is believed to have originated from northern India. The presence of “achari masala” in this curry is what makes this as “achari chicken”. This achari chicken recipe is hopefully easy to follow and will help you make great tasting chicken curry.
Table of contents
What is achari chicken
“Aachar” in hindi means pickle. A chicken curry made using achari spices is achari chicken. The very image of pickle in Indian food dictionary means tangy, spicy sort of distinctive taste. Credit goes to the spices used to make achari chicken.
Ingredients
Key ingredients for acahri curry are the achari masala, this includes, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds and nigella seeds, also called Kalonji.
Apart from spices, yogurt plays role of side hero, yogurt tenderises the chicken and gives nice look and feel to the curry.
Indian pickles have been my weakness since childhood. I have relished all sorts of pickles, be it mango, chilli, gooseberries, carrot, radish, lime, anything really, and hence no surprises that any achari curry gets my love and attention immediately.
Method of making achari chicken
You can make this chicken in pressure cooker, instant pot or a heavy bottom pan. The duration suggested in this recipe is for pressure cooker, however if you using instant pot, you need to keep water volume less.
- First of all, heat mustard oil in a heavy bottom pressure cooker over medium heat. Once the oil is smoky hot, add asafoetida,cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, nigella seeds and red chillies. Sauté until they start sizzling.
- Now add the chopped onion and saute until they are pinkish brown in colour, add the ginger-garlic paste now and saute again till the raw smell fades away. Add coriander powder, turmeric powder,salt and chilli powder and saute again for a minute. Now, add tomato puree now and cook for 2-3 minutes till the gravy starts leaving oil.
- Add the chicken pieces now and mix well so that they are coated in the gravy nicely. Add 1 cup of water to it and mix again. Put the lid of pressure cooker and let it cook for 3 whistle. After that, switch off the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
- Open the lid and put the cooker on low-medium heat and give it a stir. Add the yoghurt now and stir continuously for a minute, making sure its not splitting and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Switch off the heat now and transfer this to a serving bowl. Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with naan or any bread of your choice.
Pro-Tips for a good achari chicken curry
- Beauty of this recipe lies in the spices used. Do not substitute these spices or cut corners with the spices mentioned here, else it will loose the essence of real achari curry.
- I have used mustard oil in this recipe. Mustard oil offers best taste to achari curry, however if you wish to substitute with other oil, you may do so, though there will be subtle difference in taste from authentic taste if you do so.
- Adding spices in oil when it reaches heating point also is relevant for great taste, let the spices sizzle and do not rush in as well as you must not sauté spices too much as you will get bitter taste.
- I have used chicken legs in this recipe, however, you may use breast or wings too. Best taste comes from chicken on bones. Do not forget to skin off the fat from chicken if watching calories.
- If fetching yogurt from fridge, do not pour cold yogurt, rather let the yogurt be at room temperature or mix a bit of gravy from curry and then pour. Whilst pouring yogurt, keep stirring constantly to avoid curdling.
- Do not use yogurt if its sour.
- Cooking time will vary subject to chicken. I tend to use baby chickens and these are soft and quick to cook, a full grown rooster, will take a few mins more to cook.
This achari chicken is
- Absolutely quirky and delicious in taste
- Suits people on keto diet
- Can be dished up in less than 45 mins
- A yummy twist to normal chicken curry, a great addition to any dinner menu
Storing and serving suggestion
You can serve this chicken under refrigeration for 2 days and is also suitable for home freezing for couple of months. Make sure that its packed in an airtight container.
Serve this chicken hot, along with normal steamed rice or with any Indian bread , such as butter naan.
Other achari recipes
Shall you love achari flavours, you can try
- Achari Gosht (for lamb lovers)
- Achari Paneer (for vegetarians)
- Baingan Achari
Other unique chicken recipes
Recipe Card
Achari Chicken
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 750 grams Chicken on bones
- 1 Onion large, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste
- 2 tbsp Tomato puree
- 1/3 tsp Asafoetida
- 1 tsp Mustard Seeds
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds / methi daana
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 tsp Nigella Seeds / Kalonji
- 2-3 Dry Red Chillies
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp Edible Mustard Oil
- 2 tbsp Yogurt
- 2 tbsp Chopped Coriander Leaves
Instructions
- First of all, heat mustard oil in a heavy bottom pressure cooker over medium heat. Once the oil is smoky hot, add asafoetida,cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, nigella seeds and red chillies. Sauté until they start sizzling.
- Now add the chopped onion and saute until they are pinkish brown in colour, add the ginger-garlic paste now and saute again till the raw smell fades away. Add coriander powder, turmeric powder,salt and chilli powder and saute again for a minute. Add tomato puree now and cook for 2-3 minutes till the gravy starts leaving oil.
- Add the chicken pieces now and mix well so that they are coated in the gravy nicely. Add 1 cup of water to it and mix again. Put the lid of pressure cooker and let it cook for 3 whistle. After that, switch off the heat and let the pressure release naturally.
Video
Notes
- You can make this curry in any heavy bottomed pan/kadhai, if not pressure cooker. Similarly, you can make this in instant pot too. Just adjust the amount of water to half if cooking in instant pot.
- You can replace mustard oil with vegetable oil/sunflower oil, however it tastes authentic achari only when cooked in mustard oil.
- Heating of mustard oil till its smoky point is essential in this recipe.