Chicken barra or murgh barra. An indian style marinated chicken dish made with fried onions, yogurt, ginger, garlic and aromatic spices. Traditionally, the chicken is cooked in a tandoor or grilled, creating browned or charred edges. The flavorful sauce highlighting the leftover marinade and cream makes this curry even more delicious. Serve it with naan, rice, raita, mint chutney and sliced onions for a complete Indian style meal.
Why I Love This Juicy Indian Spiced Chicken
If you are looking to explore beyond the usual Indian restaurant favorites, this recipe is a delicious place to start. Honestly, the dish is very similar to your favorites, butter chicken and chicken tikka masala. The most important feature is, however, the technique used in the recipe. Marination, grilling, and bringing everything together with a vibrant sauce.
The cooking process starts with marination. Ideally, chicken is left to marinate for several hours in an aromatic mixture of fried onion paste, coriander (cilantro) paste, ginger, garlic, spices, and yogurt. The chicken is then cooked over high heat to encourage browning with charred edges. The marinade contributes substantially to the final texture and flavor of the dish, so each ingredient is extremely important. For home cooking, I highly recommend four to eight hours marination window, while overnight marination is convenient when preparing the dish for the following day.
High heat cooking can make this dish very similar to tandoori chicken, however, murgh barra is usually served with a vibrant sauce. The sauce is a simple combination of leftover marinade and cream to make thick, glossy texture. I also like to stir in a little tomato paste to bring in the beautiful red color. So, what should you serve with this rich and comforting dish? Here’re a few ideas:
- Naan
- Roti
- Basmati rice
- Jeera rice
- Pulao
- Cucumber raita
- Mint chutney
- Shirazi salad
- Kachumber salad
- Lemon wedges
- Sliced onions
- Pappadums
For a lighter everyday meal, serve it with roti or rice and cucumber salad. For a more indulgent dinner, pair it with naan, fragrant rice, raita or salad, onions, papadums and lemon wedges.
Key Ingredients In Chicken Barra
- Chicken - Boneless thighs are an excellent choice.
- Yogurt - Greek yogurt or traditional plain yogurt.
- Onion - Slice and fry until brown.
- Coriander leaves (cilantro) - To make coriander chili paste.
- Spices - Cumin, chili powder, ground coriander, chat masala.
- Cream - To make the sauce.
How To Make Chicken Barra
Step 1 - Make onion paste and green chili paste
Fry onions until they are brown. To make the green chili paste, process coriander leaves (cilantro), green chilies, and cashews to make a smooth paste.
Step 2 - Prep and marinate chicken
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before marinating. Add all the ingredients for the marinade to the chicken including yogurt, fried onion paste, green chili paste, chat masala, garam masala, coriander, cumin, garlic, ginger and lemon juice. Make sure to coat every chicken piece thoroughly. Cover and refrigerte for at least 4 hours.
Step 3 - Cook chicken
I prefer to bake chicken first at about 200ºC (400ºF) and then give it an extra charred finish by placing it under the broiler or grill for the final few minutes.
Step 4 - Make sauce
The beautiful charred chicken is accompanied by a delicious sauce that’s made with the leftover marinade and cream. I have also added a little tomato paste to make the sauce vibrant without any artificial red food coloring.
Step 5 - Serve
Let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes, and finish with fresh coriander (cilantro) and lemon wedges. Serve it with your favorite sides, naan, rice, raita, onions.
Chicken Barra | Easy Indian Yogurt-Marinated Chicken
Ingredients
Fried onion paste:
- 1 large onion sliced
- 3 tablespoon oil, to fry onions
Green chili coriander paste:
- 2 green chilies, chopped
- ½ cup chopped coriander cilantro leaves
- 5 cashew nuts, soaked for 10 minutes (optional)
Chicken:
- 700 g boneless chicken, preferably chicken thighs, cut into 2cm pieces
- ¼ cup yogurt
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon chat masala
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt to taste
- A pinch of red food colouring, optional
Barra curry:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ⅓ cup heavy (thickened) cream
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- ¼ teaspoon chat masala
Garnish:
- Sliced red onions
- Chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
Instructions
Fried onion paste:
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, in batches if needed.
- Stir fry for about 3-4 minutes or until browned.
- Drain on an absorbent paper towel. Cool completely.
- Transfer fried onions to a food processor. Process to a smooth paste. Add a little water if needed.
Green chili coriander paste:
- Place green chilies, coriander (cilantro) leaves and cashew nuts (if using) in a food process. Grind to a smooth paste. Add a little water if needed.
Cook chicken:
- Place chicken in a large bowl. Add yogurt, garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala, red chili powder, chat masala, black pepper, lemon juice, salt and food coloring (if using).
- Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Marinate overnight, if time permits.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Shake off excess marinade and arrange chicken pieces on a baking tray. Reserve the remaining marinade.
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked through.
- For the final 10 minutes of baking, place chicken under the grill or broiler for the extra charred edges.
- Chicken should reach a safe internal temperature of 74ºC (165ºF).
Barra curry:
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Add tomato paste and reserved marinade. Saute, stirring, for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add cream and ¼ cup water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Add baked chicken, dried fenugreek leaves and chat masala. Stir to combine.
- Simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
- Garnish with sliced onions and coriander (cilantro) leaves.
Nutrition
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Frequently asked Questions About Chicken Barra
Can I make chicken barra without a tandoor?
Yes. High heat from an oven, grill or barbecue is particularly useful for creating the browned and slightly charred exterior associated with the dish.
Can I make chicken barra in an air fryer?
Yes. Air frying is obviously a convenient option.
Can I use chicken breast?
Yes. Chicken breast can be used, but chicken thighs are more forgiving and stay juicier during high heat cooking. Take care not to overcook it.
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