Murgh Methi Malai Chicken is a creamy and flavorful chicken dish. While it’s easy enough to make, it tastes like something special you’d like to order at a good Indian restaurant!
The beautiful fragrance has to do with how the ghee used in cooking acts as a solvent for the essential oils in the spices. The fenugreek leaves called for in the recipe lend an amazing, earthy flavor to this recipe, which goes very well with freshly prepared Naan or Chapatis.
What do you need
- 1 kg of chicken pieces, skin removed and marinated with …
- For the marinade: 12-15 cloves of garlic
- 3 “piece of fresh ginger
- 8 whole dried red chillies
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of freshly ground black pepper powder
- For the powdered Masala spices: 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
- 3 teaspoons of black pepper
- 2-star anise
- 2 x 1 “cinnamon sticks
- 6 green cardamoms
- 3 black cardamoms
- 12 cloves
- A large pinch of grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds
- 5 bay leaves
- Other: 3 large onions, to be transformed into large pasta
- 3 tablespoons vegetable / rapeseed / sunflower / ghee oil
- 1 and 1/2 cups of skim milk
- 5 tablespoons of heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons dried Kasoori methi (or 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh fenugreek leaves)
- Salt to taste
How to do it
- Use a food processor to make a fine paste of ginger, garlic, and dried red chilies. When the pasta is ready, add salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken pieces and set them aside in the fridge to marinate for 3 to 4 hours.
- Now to make dry masala powder: Lightly toast the coriander seeds and bay leaves and grind to a powder.
- Make a powder of the remaining spices without roasting and keep them aside.
- Heat a non-stick flat-bottomed skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and brown it lightly, adding a little salt to cook the onion first and caramelizing it easily.
- When the onion paste darkens, add the marinade and chicken, stir and cook over medium heat until the chicken paste and masala mixture begins to release its own fat.
- Now add the ghee / vegetable / canola / sunflower oil. Stir to mix well.
- Then add the powdered spices and continue stir-frying for another 3-5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat slightly, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is ready.
- Then pour in the milk, adjust the seasoning according to taste and bring the pot to a boil.
- Then, pour in the cream and follow with the crushed kasoori methi.
- Mix well, cover, and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the aroma of fenugreek is absorbed into the gravy.
- Serve hot with freshly made Naan or Chapatis.
Some suggestions:
You can add as much fenugreek leaves as you like, but be careful that the gravy doesn’t turn bitter.
You can adjust the seasoning by adding a little lime juice or even yogurt.
A little more cream will make the dish even tastier.