Methi is one of the most common used ingredient in Indian cooking. Surprisingly meethi aka fenugreek is less heard in western part of world. So when I recently made methi paneer, my hubby asked if he can also make methi chicken. My answer was, “why not?”. Here is this methi chicken recipe for all the chicken curry lovers out there.
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What is Methi Chicken curry
Methi = Fenugreek and Chicken everyone knows. Combination of methi with chicken yields a great flavour. You make methi chicken curry with methi and chicken. This curry is mild in flavour. Add yogurt to mellow down the flavours. In my recipe I have added green chillies as my hubby loves little spice, however adding chillies is absolutely optional.
What is Methi or Fenugreek
Methi or fenugreek is a plant from Fabaceae family. People use methi seeds and leaves, either in cooking or as medicine. Fresh methi is also used as vegetable. Methi has numerous health benefits and is common in an Indian kitchen. Incidentally, India is the biggest producer of methi.
I do try to grow methi in my kitchen garden during British summer. At the same time, I also keep “Kasuri Methi” which is dried methi in my kitchen cupboard.
Method of making Methi Chicken
- First of all, grind the tomatoes and onions separately and beat the yogurt to make it smooth and keep them aside.
- In a pan heat oil over medium heat. Now add butter and once it’s melted, add cumin seeds, bay leaves and cinnamon stick and sauté for a minute.
- Add ground onion paste to it and sauté till it turns pink. After this add ginger garlic paste and sauté again till the raw smell fades away. Add all the spices except salt now and sauté again for a minute.
- Add puréed tomatoes and sauté till all the moisture is evaporated. You can add chopped green chillies now. Add yogurt and 1/3 cup of water and continuously stir it till it starts boiling. Add 2 tablespoon of Kasuri methi and salt now and mix. Cover the pan with lid and let it cook for 6-7 minutes.
- Open the lid and add chicken pieces and 1 cup of water to it and mix well. Cover the lid again and let it cook for 30-35 minutes over low medium heat.
- Remove the lid and add the rest 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi to the curry by crushing them in between your palms. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and switch off the heat.
This methi chicken is
- Brings a good change from usual chicken curries
- Does not require great expertise to make
- Is gluten-free
- Can be kept refrigerated for 2-3 days
- Is fabulous in taste
If using fresh methi leaves
In case you have access to fresh methi leaves, for the recipe, wash the leaves. Then chop the leaves into small pieces and use it in place of kasuri methi in this recipe.
Pro tips for methi chicken
- Always use fresh chicken. In case using frozen chicken, completely thaw the chicken before using it.
- I have used bay leaves and cinnamon stick. These add to the flavour, but you may skip them.
- Make sure yogurt is not sour, else it will make the curry tangy. Yogurt is used here in this recipe to mellow down spices and not to make it sour.
- Continuously churn with a ladle when adding yogurt to yogurt from curdling.
- If using fresh fenugreek, use only leaves. If leaves are bitter, reduce the quantity of leaves.
Serving suggestion
Serve this methi chicken hot with Indian bread, like chapatti or naan, or can serve with steamed rice too.
Other Methi Recipes
If you like methi fragrance and taste, you may like to try out
Methi Paneer
Fenugreek – Methi Poori
Methi Paratha
Methi Thepla
Recipe Card
Methi Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Kg Chicken
- 3 Onion Medium size
- 4 Tomatoes Medium size
- 2 Tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1/2 Cup Yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt As per taste
- 1 Teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2 Bayleaves
- 1 Inch Cinnamon stick
- 3 Tablespoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves / Kasuri Methi You can use fresh leaves too
- 2 Teaspoon Oil
- 2 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 Green chilli Optional
Instructions
- First of all, grind the tomatoes and onions separately and beat the yogurt to make it smooth and keep them aside.
- In a pan heat oil over medium heat. Add butter and once it’s melted, add cumin seeds, bay leaves and cinnamon stick and sauté for a minute.
- Add ground onion paste to it and sauté till it turns pink. Add ginger garlic paste and sauté again till the raw smell fades away. Add all the spices except salt now and sauté again for a minute.
- Add puréed tomatoes and sauté till all the moisture is evaporated. You can add chopped green chillies now. Add yogurt and 1/3 cup of water and continuously stir it till it starts boiling. Add 2 tablespoon of Kasuri methi and salt now and mix. Cover the pan with lid and let it cook for 6-7 minutes.
- Open the lid and add chicken pieces and 1 cup of water to it and mix well. Cover the lid again and let it cook for 30-35 minutes over low medium heat.
- Remove the lid and add the rest 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi to the curry by crushing them in between your palms. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and switch off the heat.
- Transfer it to a serving bowl and enjoy it with parantha, naan or bread of your choice.
Video
Notes
- You can add/reduce the amount of Kasuri methi to it, I used 3 tablespoon as that was the right quantity for my family’s taste.
- Use fresh methi if you can get it, that will give more fragrance and taste.
- Slow cooking this dish gives you perfectly cooked and juicy chicken.
Thank you so much for this recipe, I made this methi chicken last Saturday and my wife and I agreed it to be the best flavoursome curry that I have made. Have you any other curry recipes I could try?
Paul
Hi Paul, there are a lot of other curry recipes you will find on this blog. If you have specific choices, like, veg, chicken, lamb etc, please let me know and I can share specifics with you.