Chicken kalya
4 to 6
Medium
1 1/2 hours, plus 6–8 hours’ marinating time
30 minutes
A lot of people love chicken curry, and I’m not against it, but I would slide chicken curry off the table for a hearty bowl of chicken kalya. I don’t know what it is that just makes me smile. It’s probably because it’s so rich and creamy. Chicken kalya is not chicken curry’s bougier cousin, it’s chicken curry’s ROYAL cousin. It should be eaten with hot puri or freshly baked naan. It’s the perfect dish for every Eid table this year, and it can lend itself to brunch, lunch or dinner. It may seem like it’s a recipe with a few steps but don’t overthink it. I like to prep all the small things so that when I’m finally making it, it feels like I’m building an easy five-piece puzzle – a delicious one!
Ingredients
Method
- 1 kg free-range chicken pieces
- 3/4 cup fried onions (or use Woolworths baked onion sprinkle)
- ¾ cup plain yoghurt yoghurt or buttermilk
- 1 T red ginger garlic masala
- ½ t ground turmeric
- 1 t ground cumin
- 1 t ground coriander
- 1 t red chilli powder
- ½ t garam masala
- 1 t ground green chilli
- 1 t sugar
- 3 tomatoes, peeled and blended
- 1 t salt
- 3 free-range eggs
- 2 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 50 g ghee
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 3–4 cloves
- 40 g roasted cashew nuts (optional)
- A pinch of saffron
- 2 T iced water
- 20 g coriander, roughly chopped, to garnish
- puri or garlic naan, for serving
Method
Ingredients
1. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and add the fried onions, crushing them with your fingers. Add the yoghurt, ginger garlic masala, turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilli powder, garam masala, green chilli, sugar, tomatoes and salt. Leave to marinate for at least 6–8 hours, but preferably overnight
2. Boil the eggs to your preference, then cool, peel, halve and set aside.
3. Fry the potatoes for 7-10 minutes in oil until cooked and slightly crispy on the outside, then set aside.
4. Heat the ghee in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the whole spices and cashew nuts if using and cook until fragrant. Add the marinated chicken and cook over a medium-low heat for 12 minutes or until done and a thick gravy forms. You will know when it’s ready when the oil rises to the top. Add the fried potatoes.
5. Bloom the saffron in the water and pour over the chicken in the last few minutes of cooking time. Stir through well.
6. Garnish with coriander and the boiled eggs. Serve with puri or hot garlic naan.
Find more chicken recipes here
Videographer: Romy Wilson
Photographer: Jan Ras
Food Assistant: Bianca Jones
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