You know you love a dish when you make it despite your husbands complaints. When I first started cooking Murgh Cholay my husband would ask me what the chickpeas were doing in his Chicken ka Salan. Being delicious, that’s what. Psst if you, like me, love easy Pakistani Chicken Recipes then I have a whole collection including fan favourites like this Chicken Pulao and Chicken Ginger!
The Not-so-Secret to Good Murgh Cholay
Getting this Chana Chicken recipe just right turned out to be trickier than anticipated. Turns out the problem I was having was that I was using similar ratios of spices for the murgh cholay that I would with a regular chicken salan and that just wasn’t right. You see the chickpeas really soak up flavour and so you need to create a strong spice base otherwise there just is not enough to go around. So don’t be shy about the chilli powder and the green chillies at the end. Just remember when we cook the green chillies a lot of the aggressive heat of the chillies cooks out anyway.
Ingredients
Or should I say all the ingredients except the chickpeas? More on those below. Let’s break the Chana Chicken ingredients down into categories shall we? Spices: Coriander Powder, Chili Powder, Turmeric, Salt, Cumin Seeds, Garam Masala and Pepper. All pantry spices, nothing too crazy happening here! Produce: Onion (yellow or red, just not sweet), tomatoes, cilantro/coriander, green chilies, ginger, and garlic. Chicken: You can use boneless or bone in, works well with both!
Chickpeas: Kabuli and Desi
The two kinds of chickpeas you are most likely to see are Kabuli and Desi (South Asian). In this Murgh Cholay and in all my Pakistani dishes my preference is to use the smaller variety of chickpeas. The ones in the ethnic aisles of the grocery store are often your best bet. They are smaller, tenderize faster, have thinner skins and absorb more flavour. In a pinch the other variety works too.
Step by Murgh Cholay
Step One: Saute them onions until the edges are golden/lightly browned. A little diced green chilli never hurt anyone.
Step Two: Add your garlic and ginger, give it a quick saute, then the tomatoes and spices, and cook on medium high heat covered to soften and meld the masala.
Step Three: Add the chicken and sauté well
Step Four: Add the chickpeas and hot water and simmer
Step Five: Finishing Touches
When the chicken is tender adjust consistency to your liking, add the end masalas, adjust seasoning and garnish with chilies and cilantro.
What to Serve with Murgh Cholay
I actually really like it just on it’s own with fresh steaming basmati rice or naan. However, if you are making it for company then here are some menu ideas! Whatttt? Made this recipe - rate it below! Click on the stars and/or leave me a comment!
