Restaurant Style Malai Chicken
Make restaurant-style malai chicken at home with this simple recipe featuring tender chicken in creamy, mildly spiced marinade. Perfect for family dinners and special occasions.
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Servings
Ingredients
Marinate chicken:
- 700 g boneless chicken, preferably thighs, cut into cubes
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
Onion paste:
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- 2 green chilies, sliced
- 10 cashew nuts
Curry:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 5 black peppercorns
- 3 cardamom pods
- 3 cloves
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cm ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ⅓ cup yogurt
- ¼ cup heavy (thickened) cream
- 1 green chili, sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
- Water
- Salt to taste
Garnish:
- Chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
To serve:
- Rice, naan, paratha, fried rice
Instructions
Marinate chicken:
- Place chicken in a large bowl.
- Squeeze in lemon juice. Toss to coat.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Onion paste:
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Add onions. Saute, stirring occasionally, for about 3-4 minutes or until onions are soft and translucent.
- Add green chilies and cashew nuts. Saute, stirring, for about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Cool completely.
- Transfer the onions to a food processor, and process to a smooth paste.
Make curry:
- To the same pan, add butter and oil. Place the pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add black peppercorns, cardamom and cloves. Saute, stirring, for about 30 seconds.
- Add garlic and ginger. Saute, stirring, for about 1 minute or until fragrant.
- Add chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes.
- Add cumin, coriander, and garam masala. Saute, stirring, for about 30 seconds or until aromatic. Season with salt.
- Add yogurt and ½ cup water. Stir to combine. Cook, covered, for about 7-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in cream. Add green chilies and dried fenugreek leaves. Stir to combine. Heat through.
- Garnish with chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.
- Serve with rice, fried rice, naan or paratha.
Video
Notes
- Onions - Don’t let onions turn brown.
Nutrition
Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 112mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 1mg