This Methi Chicken recipe is delicious Indian curry that features tender chicken cooked with fresh fenugreek leaves, yogurt, tomatoes and a medley of warm spices. My recipe is so easy to make and elegant to serve. It's a perfect healthy and comforting weeknight dinner with warm flavors for the whole family to enjoy!
Table of Contents
Why we love this methi chicken?
If you're bored of eating the same old chicken curry, then try my bold and spicy methi chicken recipe with a unique taste. The dish just stands out with its slightly bitter sweet taste(of fenugreek), rich flavors and warm aromatics.
Also known as Methi Murgh, this fenugreek chicken curry is easy to prepare and gets done under 45 minutes. The recipe is pretty simple and made with handy pantry staples of your kitchen.
This recipe of methi chicken is great for meal prep. Like any other delicious meat dish, the longer this curry sits, the tastier it becomes. So make some extra for yourself and store.
Chicken Methi is a satisfying main dish perfect to keep you warm and cozy in winters. Fresh methi grow in plenty during winters, and it is said to have a whole lot of health benefits. We add methi to dals, curry, puri, paratha, rice, beef, keema, mutton, raita, fish and so much more!
We serve this fenugreek chicken with some butter naan or pudina paratha, nice steamed rice and salad on the side for weekend lunch or dinner.
You are going to love this healthy, protein-packed and flavorful dish for the taste and benefits it brings to the table.
*For more easy dinner, try these delicious recipes:
Ingredients you will need
- Chicken: I use bone-in chicken (skinless) pieces for the best taste. Bone adds so much flavor to the curry recipes. Feel free to use boneless chicken thigh pieces though.
- Fresh Methi Leaves: Use fresh fenugreek leaves only. Discard the stalks as they may be more bitter and fibrous. The methi leaves that we get here in Dubai are nice tender and not very bitter, so bitterness was never an issue.
- Yogurt: Full fat works well.
- Tomatoes: Sliced or chopped. I like to peel and use the tomatoes for curries. It gives nice smooth base to the gravies.
- Whole Spices: I use basic few whole spices for this recipe; using too much or too many of them may overpower the pleasant taste and flavor of fenugreek and chicken. So, you will only need, green cardamom, black cardamom, cloves, black peppercorns and cumin seeds, that's it!
- Spice Powders: You will need red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder.
- Other Ingredients: Few other basic ingredients that you will need are garlic paste, ginger paste, chopped or crushed green chilies. You will also need some cream, sugar and lemon juice. Cream adds richness while sugar and lemon juice balances the flavor well.
How to make methi chicken?
1. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil heats up, add cumin seeds, black cardamon, green cardamon, and cloves. Fry for few seconds until the whole spices sizzles the oil.
2. Then, add green chili crushed or paste and fry for few seconds.
3. Add chopped onions and sauté on high heat for 3-4 minutes. The onions should be soft and just start to pick up golden color.
4. Now, add chicken, tomatoes, garlic and ginger paste. Sauté well on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
5. Reduce the heat and add whisked yogurt. Immediately stir until the yogurt combines well.
6. Then, add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium high heat until spices starts to release the oil.
7. Now, add water and stir. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is just tender.
8. Increase the heat to high, add chopped methi leaves, lemon juice and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fresh fenugreek leaves just wilts.
9. Finally, add cream, garam masala powder and sugar (optional). Stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
10. Dish out this delicious Hyderabad chicken methi and serve hot with naan, parathas or rice.
Expert Tips
- Use of fresh fenugreek leaves for this recipe. But if fresh ones are not handy, then you can use dried fenugreek or kasuri methi. I do not recommend using frozen methi leaves.
important tip : Use only 3 tablespoons of kasuri methi for 2.2 lbs chicken measure. Kasuri methi has strong aroma and flavor, adding it too much will overpower the taste of the dish. - To make the recipe dry version, do not add any water to the recipe. Allow chicken to cook in its own juices.
- You can skip adding cream to the recipe. However, adding cream will only do good giving rich flavor to the dish.
- Feel free to add tablespoonful of cashew paste to this recipe. Cream and cashew paste provides extra rich flavor to this chicken methi tasting just like Indian restaurants.
Serving Ideas
Serve this delightful fenugreek chicken with some Jeera rice, Zafrani Pulao, saffron rice or plain steamed rice. The curry tastes perfect with some nice crisp Pudina Lachha Paratha, Tawa Garlic Naan, roti or parathas.
Pair methi murgh with some Veg Pulao and Cucumber Tomato Salad for a hearty meal.
Storage
To store: Store the leftovers in a clean airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
To reheat: Reheat the curry in pan on stovetop until warm through. you may add a splash of water if needed. You can also reheat in a microwave and serve.
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📖 Recipe
Methi Chicken Recipe (Fenugreek Chicken)
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons Oil
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 4 Green Cardamom
- 4-5 Cloves
- 1 Black Cardamom
- 8-10 Black Pepper corns
- 1 teaspoon Green Chilies (crushed or chopped)
- 2 cups Onion (finely chopped)
- 2.2 lbs Chicken (bone-in cut into medium sized pieces)
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Paste
- ¾ tablespoon Ginger Paste
- 1½ cup Tomatoes (sliced or chopped)
- 1 cup Yogurt ( whisked well)
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chili Powder
- 2 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Roasted Cumin Powder
- Salt ( to taste)
- ½ -¾ cup Water (or as required)
- 2 Cups Fresh Methi Leaves (fresh fenugreek leaves - chopped)
- 2 teaspoons Lemon juice
- ⅓ cup Cream
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon Sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan. When the oil heats up, add cumin seeds, black cardamon, green cardamon, and cloves. Fry for few seconds until the whole spices sizzles the oil.
- Then, add green chili paste and fry for few seconds.
- Add chopped onions and sauté on high heat for 3-4 minutes. The onions should be soft and just start to pick up golden color.
- Now, add chicken, tomatoes, garlic and ginger paste. Sauté well on high heat for 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and add whisked yogurt. Immediately stir until the yogurt combines well.
- Then, add red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, and salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium high heat until spices starts to release the oil.
- Now, add water and stir. Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 minutes or until the chicken is just tender.
- Increase the heat to high, add chopped methi leaves, lemon juice and mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fresh fenugreek leaves just wilts.
- Finally, add cream, garam masala powder and sugar (optional). Stir and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Dish out this delicious Hyderabad chicken methi and serve hot with naan, parathas or rice.
Notes
-
- Use of fresh fenugreek leaves for this recipe. If fresh ones are not handy, then you can use dried fenugreek or kasuri methi. I do not recommend using frozen methi leaves.
- Use only 3 tablespoons of kasuri methi for 2.2 lbs chicken measure.
- To make the recipe dry version, do not add any water to the recipe. Allow chicken to cook in its own juices.
- You can skip adding cream to the recipe. However, adding cream will only do good giving rich flavor to the dish.
- Feel free to add tablespoonful of cashew paste to this recipe. Cream and cashew paste provides extra rich flavor to this dish tasting just like Indian restaurants.
- Store the leftovers in a clean airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Century Foods
Loved your recipe instructions on the fresh methi chicken recipe. Thanks for such amazing words.
Qandeel Ahsan
Can we use dry fenugreek leaves?
ST
Hi! Thank you for such detailed recipe. We made this last night and it turned out so fantastic! We did not have to change a single detail in the recipe. This is going to be a regular for a while.
The flavors were scintillating to the sense, the mix of cream really added just a rich taste to it.
Thank you!
Karina DSouza
Thank-you very much Farrukh. The chicken was quite tasty even though I left out cream. My family enjoyed it.
Farrukh Aziz
Thank you Karina, am glad you and your family loved it 🙂
banazer noor
I TRY LAST NIGHT MY KIDS SAY YUMMY.
Mani
Hi reader
This is a good website with a good content, I found this website when I was searching for something for my best caterers in Hyderabad. I saved it to read later. Keep adding content,
Samantha Bartlett
HI there, so excited to try this today. We have young people eating this, I am always too scared to put in all the chilies, If I want it mild, can I cut down the chilies and will it still work? Thanks so much for sharing this!
Farrukh Aziz
Hi Samantha,
You are welcome to my blog. 🙂
Yes, sure thing, you can reduce the chilies to suit to your taste or you can also use the milder ones.
Good Luck 🙂
Regards
Farrukh
Tanya
The whole spices aren’t mentioned in the ingredients list, I identified them through the picture.
Farrukh Aziz
Hi Tanya,
Kindly check through again, it has clearly been mentioned in the content as well as the recipe card. 🙂
Thanks.
Regards
Farrukh
Saima Qureshi
This is just perfect and the way we want it..
Anusuya Datta
Hi,
Sounds a simple and straightforward recipe. Perfect for Sunday Lunch. Can I use VInegar if I don't have lemon.? And milk instead of cream?
Thank you