Chicken dishes from the land of hot curries and spices, India has an assortment of chicken fare. It is served in buffet dinners, restaurants, parties, as street food and also cooked in Indian homes. The best thing about chicken is that you can give it different flavors â spicy, succulent, creamy, crispy and even crunchy. Indian spices like ginger, garlic, garam masala and coriander are used in most dishes. Some of them are stewed in pots while other are grilled or baked. Here is a list of delectable chicken dishes from India:
1. Chicken do piazza
Onions are a hot favorite in Indian curries and this dish uses all basic spices that are a staple in Indian kitchens. The thick slurpy brown gravy gets its zest from generous sprinkling of garam masala, ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander and cumin. As lots of onions are used, it has been dubbed dopiaza literally meaning double the onion. The glazy onions and browned chicken are to die for.
2. Chicken Saagwala
Leafy green spinach combined with chicken is heavenly. In most recipes, the spinach is churned in a mixer to make a sloppy green gravy. Some yogurt and milk are also added to make it creamy. Spices mixed in are garam masala, coriander, turmeric, pepper, and garlic.
3. Reshmi kebab
Succulent and juicy, these kebabs have a light creamy texture. The creamy moistness is due to the marinade chicken is soaked in. The marinade has yogurt, cream, milk, and almonds – the exact proportions differ from place to place. Lightly spiced with some ginger and garlic, this fare is skewered and served hot.
4. Chicken with lentils
Chicken is often cooked with savory yellow or black lentils. All traditional spices are added along with tomatoes and onions to give the dish a full flavor. Season it with lime juice and coriander leaves. Dole it out with rice or hot rotis, i.e. Indian flatbreads.
5. Tandoori chicken/ Chicken tikka
The spicy tandoori masala is much loved in India and for the marinade it is mixed with garlic and yogurt. Chicken is doused in this generously and then grilled which gives it a smoldering smokey flavor. You can add a hint of chaat masala on the top and then sprinkle some lime juice, lemon wedges and onion rings.
6. Chicken chettinad
A typical recipe from south India that uses coconut. A whole range of spices are used to cook this delicious curry like poppy seeds, cumin, coriander, anise, cardamom, cloves, aniseed, red chillies, ginger and garlic. Just garnish it with chopped coriander and serve it with hot rotis and boiled rice.
7. Butter chicken
Buttery, creamy, and velvety – this is one of the richest chicken dishes. The curry is drenched with oodles of oil and butter, hence the name. Many spices along with butter, almonds and yogurt give this dish a unique creamy and spicy flavor. It goes best with hot Naan, an Indian flatbread that is baked in an oven or tandoor. Serve it with green salad and kali daal or curried black lentils.
