Dhaba Style Chicken Curry is one of the most delicious recipes one can try in the dhabas or the roadside restaurants. While you drive along the highway, you see the dhabas on the roadside are completely different from sophisticated restaurants. The dhabas use rope and wooden cots and a wooden plank used for the table. The ambience you get at a restaurant is totally different from the dhabas we see while travelling to the countryside. Their food is different and unique from restaurants. In a nutshell, the experience you feel is very different, unique and awesome. These dhabas are often visited by truck drivers, travellers who are looking for budget-friendly food that reminds them of their homes. And people who are going for road trips, a visit to the dhaba to enjoy spicy, hot dishes is a must. My family and I went to our granny’s house last Saturday and while travelling by car, we got to see many roadside restaurants or dhabas. And we felt so tempted by the aromas of the dishes from the dhabas. So, we stopped there and got down to have food in a dhaba. We ordered a Dhaba Style Chicken Curry which was finger-licking and scrumptious. I personally found it so delicious that I ended up asking for the recipe from the cook.
Today, I’m going to share with you the Dhaba Style Chicken Curry recipe and I’m sure you will find it yummy, too. This recipe is not only for the foodie people who enjoy spicy mouth-watering food but for the health-conscious people as well who love food to relish on their cheat days! People of all ages will fall in love with this recipe because of its yummy and delicious taste. Without further ado, let us see the ingredients required to make this recipe. For more yummy non-veg recipes, visit my Chicken Chaap Recipe.
The ingredients we need to prepare this recipe are as follows:
Ingredients:
- 1 kg chicken (skinless, bone-in medium sized pieces)
- 1 large tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste used for cooking
- 3 tsp lemon juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cardamoms
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 5-6 black peppercorns
- 4 cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 2 medium-sized onions (chopped)
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes (chopped)
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp garam masala powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- 3 tbsp mustard oil
- 3 tsp ghee
- Salt to taste
- 2 sliced green chillies
- Chopped coriander leaves and ginger juliennes
Instructions:
How to prepare the Dhaba Style Chicken Curry:
At first, you need to thoroughly clean the chicken pieces and drain out the water. Next, marinate the chicken pieces with ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice and salt. Keep it marinated for at least one hour. The longer you keep it marinated, the tastier it will be as it will help the chicken to absorb the juice and the paste. But if you have less time and cannot keep it marinated for long, you can keep it for an hour. In the next step, heat mustard oil in a kadai. Tear bay leaves to pieces and break the cinnamon. Crush cardamoms and add to the kadai. Add black peppercorns, cloves and cumin seeds. Allow the seeds to pop. Add the chopped onions and saute. Next, add the garam masala and saute till it is aromatic and the onions are slightly softened and have turned into golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the strong aroma goes away. Next, add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they turn mushy and soft. Add the marinated chicken pieces and toss them. Cook for about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken pieces to make sure that both sides of the chicken are cooked properly. Now, add Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder. Add salt to taste. Next, add garam masala powder and black pepper powder. Stir through. Cook for 10 minutes covering the lid. Add a little water if required or if the consistency of the gravy has turned too thick. Stir again and cook for a while. Open and turn up the heat to reduce the gravy to desired thickness. Taste the gravy to check if any of the spices or the salt is needed or not.
How to prepare the tadka:
Heat a frying pan and add ghee to it. Next, add ginger juliennes and sliced green chillies and stir for a while. Then add the prepared tadka to the kadai. Let it boil for some time. This tadka enhances the flavour of the chicken curry and makes it more delicious. Finally, turn off the stove and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti or naan and onion rings.