Methi Chicken Recipe

Methi Chicken is one of the dishes from the Indian cuisine that tastes aromatic. Luscious chicken pieces are paired with the pungent yet slightly bitter taste of fenugreek leaves popularly known as methi. Methi is very good for health. Therefore, when this is mixed up with chicken, then this recipe is sure to provide a balance between the two: taste and nutrition. It is richly spiced with luscious gravy that infuses earthy flavor to the chicken.

It is a really simple dish; it is only so yummy and can be enjoyed with steamed rice, roti, or paratha. It is a meal that is easy to be comforted while on a busy weekday dinner or may be awesome for an occasion. It is a flavor nobody can resist. Whether you are an experienced cook in the kitchen or a mere amateur in the cooking, this recipe will teach you how to make this yummy and highly filling dish.

Methi Chicken Ingredients

To prepare Methi Chicken, you’ll require fresh chicken, methi leaves, and other spices that would add richness to the dish. Here is what you need:

**For the Chicken Marinade:**
– 500g boneless chicken cut into pieces
– 2 tbsp yogurt
– 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
– 1 tsp red chili powder according to your desired heat
– ½ tsp turmeric powder
– 1 tsp garam masala
– Salt according to taste
– 1 tbsp lemon juice

**How to make the Curry**
– 2 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
– 1 medium onion chopped
– 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
– 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
– 1 tsp cumin seeds
– ½ tsp turmeric powder
– 1 tsp coriander powder
– 1 tsp cumin powder
– ½ teaspoon red chili powder (optional)
– 1 tsp garam masala
– 1 bunch of fresh methi leaves, washed and chopped or 2 tbsp dried methi leaves, kasuri methi
– Salt to taste
– Fresh coriander leaves for garnish

Methi Chicken recipe preparation guide step by step:

Marinating the Chicken:

The last step, though very important, is marinating the chicken that allows all spices to seep into the meat so that it may be tender and flavored as well. For this purpose, take the boneless pieces of chicken in a large bowl.
Put all those marinades along with the yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt, and lemon juice in a bowl containing the chicken. Mix well and coat the chicken uniformly with marinades.
-Marinating the Chicken:** Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes, up to an hour. Or you can marinate the chicken in the refrigerator for a number of hours or even overnight.
2. Curry preparation:

So let’s make some curry base to take all flavours of methi and spices aboard. Actually any good Methi Chicken curry gonna start with some basic base; say, proper done base starting with onions and ginger-garlic paste from where it gathers in tomatoes also the spices – a saute all in apt ways to deliver those delicious aromatic taste of your curry dish.

Add the ghee or vegetable oil to a large wok or pan and heat them. Ghee is clarified butter, which gives the richness to them. So, if you can use the regular oil which might do equally well.

Roast the cumin seeds: Add the cumin seeds when the oil is very hot; now let the same splutter in the pan for a couple of seconds letting loose their pungent and flavorful oils within the dish.

Chop the onions, chop them small enough to be sautéed: Put in the pan with some oil. Sauté for 7-8 minutes; they should get brownish caramelized onions and that’s quite a major element of this curry. Only sweetness will bring down the bitterness of methi.

Add ginger garlic paste into the pan. Mix well and roast for 1 to 2 minutes. This mixture is complete at that roasting till all the smell disappears and makes fragrant as if it includes an aroma.

Cooking on the Tomatoes: Toss chopped tomatoes into a pan and start to cook for almost 5-7 minutes or until they become mushy.  In this process, liquid extracted while cooking tends to soften the whole mixture, and liberate their natural sweetness.

3. Addition of Spices:

This is the stage where spices come into play, in order to give curry a complex flavor profile.

Add Dry Spices
Add turmeric powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, red chili powder if using, and garam masala in the pan. Mix everything properly so that all spices will be dispersed evenly. Allow spices to cook for another 2 minutes to give out their aromatic oils.

Adding Water to Achieve Consistency:** You can add a little water at this stage to adjust the consistency of the curry base. If you prefer a thicker gravy, you may omit this step and let the curry cook down as the chicken is added.

4. Adding the Chicken:

The curry base is now ready for the addition of the marinated chicken to the pan.

-Cook the Chicken:** Add the pieces of chicken, marinated in this mixture to the curry base. Stir it for even coating of the chicken with the sauce in the curry, allowing it to cook for about 8-10 minutes, while it starts releasing its juices, gets partially cooked. Stir occasionally in between so that it does not stick to the pan.

Brown the Chicken:** Brown the chicken on all sides. Reduce heat and cover it with a lid. Let the chicken cook almost for 10-12 minutes more, or more if required until the chicken becomes soft and very well cooked. The chicken should be soft and juicy, while the curry thick and rich.
5. Methi Leaves:
In go the fresh methi leaves – the real stars of this dish.

Put all the fresh cleaned and chopped methi leaves in the pan. Mix casually. Put fresh leaves in curry. Kasuri or dried methi could also be added to it. But surprisingly, the reality is that methi leaves in fresh taste pretty bitter, however, tastes pretty not bad to the palate here if it were used along with spices, chicken etc.

Let it cook for the remaining 5 minutes till the methi leaves become soft and release its flavors into the curry. Taste it and balance salt, if necessary.

6. Garnish and Serve:

You could garnish Methi Chicken using a few fresh cilantro leaves to garnish, ready to go for the added burst of freshness and colour.

-How to Serve It:** Methi Chicken is excellent served over steamed basmati rice, roti, naan, or paratha. It must also be accompanied with a raita that would cut the richness. It’s good for lunch or dinner as a meal in itself.

Methi Chicken- How to Perfect It:

1. **Use Fresh Methi Leaves :** The fresh leaves of methi add the best flavor to the curry, so try to use fresh leaves if possible. If using dried methi then use kasuri methi, then crush them between your palms and then add to the curry.

2. Balance the Bitterness:** Methi has a little bitterness in it. However, if you hate the taste of bitterness, then you can just decrease the quantity of methi used. Adding a little sugar to the curry will balance the bitterness and will give flavors a rounded feel.

3. Marinate the chicken well: it gives enough time to marinate and truly absorb the flavors of the spices; with yogurt in the marinade, it tenderises the chicken, making it really juicy and soft.

4. Cooking the Spices Properly**: When preparing the spices, allow them to be fried long enough such that the oil and fragrances from them release to add on to a full-bodied flavor of the curry.

5. Thicken or Thin the Curry:** Add more or less water as you like your curry. The gravy will be thick if you allow the curry to cook a little longer while waiting for the sauce to thicken a little.

6. Serve with Yogurt or Raita:** It is advisable if the curry is too rich and spicy. One can eat this curry after diluting the richness by a side of yogurt or raita.

Methi Chicken is a very healthy dish and one of those recipes that never go wrong when it comes to flavor, a soft chicken mixed with slightly bitter methi leaves. It would simply complete any meal because of the right amount of spices, with a very well-cooked curry base. How it impresses in every family dinner or special occasion due to bold flavors and aromatic richness. This is one of those recipes that will make a very mouth-watering, filling dish and is sure to satisfy your palate and give all the comfort that traditional Indian home-cooked food can provide. Enjoy!

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