Restaurant Style Kadai Chicken

5 from 9 votes

Restaurant Style Kadai Chicken

Kadai Chicken is a beloved North Indian restaurant-style curry made with tender chicken, freshly ground spices, and sautéed onions and bell peppers. This well-tested recipe makes it surprisingly easy to recreate those bold, dhaba-style flavors at home. Serve with naan or rice and get ready for a truly irresistible meal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: kadai chicken, murgh kadhai

Diet: Gluten-free, Nut-free

Method: Stovetop

Servings:

Author: Meeta Arora

Ingredients

750 grams Chicken with bones cut into small pieces, skinless
3 tablespoon Oil divided
3/4 cup Onion cubed into 1 inch pieces and petals separated, can also use pearl onions
3/4 cup Green Bell Pepper cubed into 1 inch pieces
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
3 Dried Red Chili Whole
1 1/2 cup Onions finely chopped, I used yellow onions
5 cloves Garlic minced
1 inch Ginger grated
3 Tomato medium, pureed, about 1.5 cups puree
1/4 cup Yogurt whisked
1/2 cup Water (1/3 cup for instant pot method)
1-2 Green Chili Pepper slit vertically into 2*
1/2 teaspoon Garam masala
Cilantro leaves to garnish

Kadai Masala

Spices

1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric (Haldi powder)
1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder adjust to taste
2 teaspoon Coriander powder (Dhaniya powder)
1 teaspoon Salt adjust to taste

Instructions

Make Kadai Masala

Take a pan & dry roast all the ingredients mentioned for Kadai Masala on low heat for 2-3 mins. Cool & rough grind the masala. Take out 4 teaspoons of this masala for the chicken. You can store the balance for future use.

Saute Onions & Bell Peppers

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a pan on medium heat. Sauté the capsicum & onion petals in the pan for 2-3 minutes until they look blistered. Remove & set aside.

Make the gravy

In the same pan, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil.
Add the cumin seeds and dry red chilies. Sauté for 30 seconds until the cumin changes color.
Add the chopped onions. Sauté for around 7-8 mins on medium heat till the onions are light brown.
Add the ginger and garlic, and fry for 1-2 minutes till the raw smell is gone. Add the tomato purée & fry on high to medium for 2-3 minutes till the purée is cooked.
Add all the spices - turmeric, Kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder & salt. Stir and sauté for 2-3 mins till the masalas are cooked & oil separates.
Add the chicken pieces and mix well. Cook the chicken pieces on medium for another 5 minutes so that they are browned & coated with the masala.
Turn the heat to low & add the whisked yogurt while stirring continuously. Cook for 2-3 minutes till the yogurt is cooked.
Add the 4 teaspoons of the Kadai Masala, stir, and saute for 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of water, cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes till the chicken is tender.
Add the sautéed onion and capsicum we had set aside. Give a gentle stir.
Add garam masala and green chili. Stir & cook for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Garnish the curry with cilantro leaves. Kadai chicken is ready to be served with naan or roti.

Instant Pot Method

Follow the steps to dry roast the spices on saute mode in the instant pot and grind them to make kadai masala in a spice grinder.
Follow the steps to saute the onions and bell peppers. Save to add them at the end.
Follow the steps to make the gravy using the saute mode of the Instant Pot. The main change here is to add 1/3 cup of water. Once all the ingredients, including chicken, spices, and water, are added. Then press cancel and close the lid of the Instant Pot. Pressure cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Then let the pressure release naturally for 5 minutes and open the lid.
Add the sauteed onions and bell peppers we kept aside. If there is any excess liquid in the curry, you can put it on saute mode for a few minutes to thicken the gravy. Add the finishing ingredients of garam masala, green chili, and cilantro leaves. Kadai chicken is ready to be served. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Green Chili Pepper: I typically use Thai, Bird's Eye, or Serrano Chili Pepper in my recipes. Don't forget to adjust to your taste.
Adjust the spice levels to your taste by varying the amounts of red chili powder and green chili peppers.
I did not marinate the chicken for this curry. However, if you prefer, you can marinate the chicken in the yogurt and spices listed in the ingredients, and use it when making the curry.

Nutrition