Quick & Easy Chicken Masala Recipe to Prepare at Home in Less than 1 Hour

A lot of people who want to prepare chicken masala at home are put off by the long ingredients list; as you probably know the usual chicken masala recipe requires various spices and herbs, a pestle, and a mortar. Even though this is the most authentic method to cook curry, there’s an easier way in which you can prepare this dish at home in less than one hour and this chicken masala recipe will show you how to do it!

For this chicken masala recipe, we used this curry powder because it nearly cuts the preparation time by half. All other ingredients can be procured from various local markets.

With that being said, let’s start with the actual steps!

1. Skin-on, Bone-in

Chicken masala always tastes better with bones and skin on. The chicken chunks get an extra layer of juiciness and tenderness from cooking together with the bone and the skin. Also, the flavor from the bone adds body to the gravy while the fat ads more grease, making the gravy look even more delicious.

2. Marinate

Marinate the meat with 1 tbsp. of chili powder, paprika, black pepper, and garam masala/curry powder and mix. Let it prep for 10 mins. In the meantime, you can…

3. Prepare the Curry Paste

The triumvirate of onion, chili, and ginger creates the body and texture of the curry. Slice the ginger and garlic in tiny pieces and cut large chunks of onions. Prep the chili peppers (remove the seeds if you don’t want it to be too hot) and cut them into tiny pieces.

4. Blend the Fresh Ingredients

Next, pour half a cup of oil in the pan (moderate heat level), add some cumin seeds in the pan, add the minced ginger and garlic to the pan. Stir the mix and let it cook for 5 mins. After this, add the large pieces of chopped onion, chillis, and pieces of tomato into the mix.

5. Cook the Chicken

After 5 minutes, add the chicken, as well as the rest of the spices (salt, 1 tbsp. turmeric, some coriander, 1 tbsp. chicken powder, and ½ tsp. of garam masala/curry powder). Stir everything, cover the lid and let the pan sit for 10 mins. Once the chicken starts getting brown, pour ½ tomato puree, and 2 tbsp. curd/ unflavored yogurt. Mix it all well. Cover the lid and cook it for at least another 30 mins but don’t forget to stir up the mix from time to time; some of the ingredients might get stuck on the bottom if you don’t do this.

How Long Should You Cook the Curry?

This depends on several different factors. If you want a thicker curry, you can cook 10-15 minutes longer. Since the chicken pieces are large and attached to the bone, it takes at least 30 minutes for the internal temperature to reach 70°C/160°F. You can use a kitchen thermometer to measure the temperature a few times before turning the heat off.  

6. Serving the Chicken Masala

Before serving, garnish the curry with fresh coriander leaves and squeezed lemon juice for an additional flavor. This popular Indian dish is usually coupled with either Indian bread or Basmati rice. And if you get too full or your stomach struggles to digest Indian food, chew some paan after eating. It does wonders when it comes to digestion.

Chicken Masala Recipe – A Few Words For the End

Since you probably won’t find authentic Indian spices you should find the next best available option and be generous with it.

The authentic way to prepare this curry includes grinding all fresh spices with mortar and pestle but obviously, this isn’t always an option. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t find some good alternatives.

Did you like this chicken masala recipe? Let us know in the comments and don’t forget to leave us a rating.

Did you like this recipe? Then you’ll probably love this one where we show you how to make mushroom masala in less than 30 minutes or our Indian kappa recipe.

Like it? Pin it.