Chicken Handi Restaurant Style

A delicious, flavorful, aromatic, and easy Chicken Handi recipe that will blow you away! If you want to amaze your family and guests with a dish they will remember, then my simple and quick Chicken Handi recipe is it!

My easy recipe will remind you of your favorite restaurant-style Chicken haandi, with a thick and delicious gravy. Serve this Pakistani Chicken handi gravy with naan, homemade chapati or paratha, or even Basmati rice. Either way, you will be left licking your fingers!

Although you can find various Chicken handi recipes, my recipe is a basic red gravy with many aromatic spices. This recipe has evolved over time, and there may be many other versions of it, too.

But if you follow my recipes, you know that I like to keep things simple and easy. This easy-to-follow Handi chicken masala recipe uses ingredients already in your pantry!

What is Chicken Handi?

Chicken handi is an Asian boneless chicken curry dish with a thick and rich gravy flavored with various spices, onions, tomatoes, and yogurt.

Handi refers to the shape of the pot in which it is cooked. Although the handi is usually a clay pot, it can also be made of copper or stainless steel.

Reasons to Love this Recipe

• A Must-Have Recipe: My Chicken Handi masala recipe is a must-have in your kitchen arsenal. You can make it for every dinner, lunch, or family or friend get-together, and everyone will love it!
• Restaurant-Style Recipe: You can whip this up in under an hour, and the result will be a restaurant-style, mouthwatering chicken handi that your whole family will fall in love with!
• A Great Make-Ahead Dish: If you have a busy day coming up or you are hosting a party, you can make this chicken haandi a day or two in advance. Furthermore, you can store it in the refrigerator or even frozen for later use.
• A Family Favorite: Your family will love the tender chicken, balanced spices, and creamy gravy. As a matter of fact, when you make this recipe, be ready for repeated requests!
• One Pot Recipe: Cooking doesn’t get much easier than a one-pot recipe! There are no difficult or long-drawn steps to this delicious masterpiece! You know I love to break things down and simplify complex recipes, and my step-by-step chicken handi recipe is no exception. The fact that you can make it one pot is a plus.

You can try some of my other traditional chicken recipes or one-pot recipes, like Chicken Karahi or Keema Karahi.

Ingredients

Here’s how you can make my easy Chicken handi recipe even if you’re a beginner. Here is the ingredient list:

• Chicken: Traditional style chicken handi I always made with boneless chicken cut into 1-inch cubes
• Onions: I prefer to use white or golden onions because they are a lighter color when fried, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
• Tomatoes: For this recipe, it’s best to use fresh and ripe tomatoes. In fact, use the reddest, most juiciest tomatoes you can find! If you don’t have ripe tomatoes, you can use tomato paste.
• Spices and aromatics: My chicken handi masala calls for basic spices like red chilli powder, turmeric, and coriander powder.
• Methi or Fenugreek leaves: I love adding dried methi or fenugreek leaves to this recipe. It adds the most delicious aroma and flavor.

For quantities, see the recipe card below.

Instructions

Let’s get started making this delicious traditional Chicken Handi Masala!

Place your handi or pan on the heat and add oil. Add the chopped onions to the oil and start frying them. Once the onions have turned golden brown, remove them from the oil and place them on a paper towel to remove excess oil.

Now, add the chicken cubes to the pan and saute until it changes color to a slight golden brown. Remove the chicken and place aside.

Next, add the ginger and garlic paste to the pan and saute. Add the tomato puree, salt, chili powder, and turmeric powder to the same pan and let it cook for 2 minutes. Then, add the chicken pieces to the pan, cover it, and let it cook for 12 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Once the chicken is fully cooked, add the black pepper powder, roasted and crushed coriander seeds, and zeera or cumin.

With your hands, crush the browned onions that we set aside at the beginning of the recipe and add them to the pan.

Rub the dried methi or fenugreek leaves in the palm of your hand and add them to the pan. Let the chicken curry cook for another 2-3 minutes to let the flavors of the methi and the crushed brown onions combine with the chicken.

Finally, drizzle the cream over the chicken handi masala and let it simmer for a few minutes. When the oil separates from the gravy, your delicious restaurant-style, easy Chicken Handi is ready to serve!

Hint:

Once set aside, the browned onions become crisp. You can easily crush them with your fingers before adding them to the chicken.

Similarly, Crush the methi leaves between your fingers and the palm of your hand to release their aroma.

Variations

Several people think that Chicken handi is a variation of the famous Butter Chicken recipe. However, they are both quite different. Moreover, you can change a few things here and there in this recipe, to create other delicious recipes!

• You can add a tarka or temper the chicken handi once it’s done with ghee, garlic, green chilies, and curry leaves to add extra richness and aroma.
• Likewise, you can give this dish a delicious smokey flavor by heating a piece of coal, placing it in the pan, adding a drop of oil so it starts to smoke, and covering the handi. Let the smoke infuse with the chicken to add another dimension to the gravy.
• Add cashew nut powder to make this dish even richer. Combine the cashew powder with the spices and some water to let it cook with the chicken. The cashew powder gives the chicken a deep, rich, and nutty flavor. Similarly, almonds can be used instead of cashews.
• Finally, to give an intense and deep red color, add Kashimiri red chili powder to the masala.

Equipment

Here’s a list of the kitchen utensils I used to make Chicken handi:

• A large pan or clay handi
• Chopping board and knife to cut the chicken and vegetables
• Measuring spoons

Storage

Chicken handi is a great make-ahead dish. In my opinion, the taste of the handi improves overnight. You can make this a day or two ahead and store it in the refrigerator.

Additionally, chicken handi also freezes well. After cooking, let it cool and store in an air-tight container. You can place it in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. When you want to serve it, let it thaw on the countertop for a few hours and reheat on the stove, or in the microwave.

FAQ

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