Achari Chicken
Achari Chicken is an authentic Indian chicken curry that can be made as a one-pot dish in just 45 minutes. The pickling "achari" spices, such as nigella seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek, and mustard seeds, add a punch of spicy and tangy flavors to this achari curry.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon Mustard oil or any vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds (Methi dana)
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds (Rai)
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
- 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
- 1 teaspoon Nigella seeds (Kalonji)
- 3 Dried Red Chili Whole
- 1 1/2 cup Onion finely diced
- 1 inch Ginger grated
- 5 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Tomato pureed or finely diced, I used roma tomatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds Chicken thighs boneless and skinless, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces*
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/4 cup Yogurt whisked, I used full-fat yogurt at room temperature*
- 1 tablespoon Lime or Lemon juice adjust to taste
- Cilantro leaves chopped, for garnish
- 1-2 teaspoon Ginger julienned, for garnish
Spices
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder mild, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste
Instructions
Stovetop Method:
- Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium-high heat. Add oil to it, and let it heat. If using mustard oil, heat the oil till it smokes, then lower the heat.
- Add the fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, and whole dried red chili. Sauté for about 30 seconds so they release thier aroma.
- Add chopped onions. Sauté for about 8 minutes until the onions are golden on medium-high heat.
- Add ginger and garlic. Sauté for another one minute while stirring frequently.
- Add tomato puree and spices. Stir and saute for 3-4 minutes until the oil leaves the sides of the pan.
- Add chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes until the chicken pieces are all white on the outside.
- Add 1/4 cup water and stir it. Cover and cook the chicken on low heat for about 10-12 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Stir a few times in between. Then, remove the lid.
- Now, add the whisked yogurt. Cook on low heat for around 2-3 minutes while stirring continuously.
- Stir in the lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and julienned ginger. Enjoy Achari Chicken with naan, roti or rice.
Instant Pot Method:
- Follow the instructions to cook the curry base of onions and tomatoes. Then add the chicken and saute for 3-4 minutes until the chicken turns white on the outside.
- Then add 2 tablespoons of water and deglaze the pot, making sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Pressure cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Then, quick release the pressure.
- Then follow the steps to add whisked yogurt while stirring the curry continuously for 2 minutes.
- Add lime juice and garnish with cilantro and julienned ginger. Enjoy the Achari chicken with naan, roti, or rice.
Video
Notes
Yogurt: Use full-fat whisked yogurt at room temperature. Make sure the curry is on low heat when adding the yogurt. Keep stirring while adding the yogurt until it is incorporated well into the curry.
Chicken: I used boneless chicken for this curry. You can also use bone-in chicken cut into small pieces (curry cut) or drumsticks. The cooking time will be 2-3 minutes extra for bone-in chicken.
Nutrition
Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 692mg | Potassium: 533mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 858IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg