Chicken dopyaza is the process of cooking marinated and fried chicken pieces in a thick gravy consisting of onions, tomato paste, yogurt and a variety of aromatic spices. It is slow-cooked to perfection to achieve the rich base. The steps to prepare chicken dopyaza at home are quite easy, as you will realize while reading my recipe.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Chicken dopyaza is a very common and favorite dish in India.
- Serve it hot with steamed rice, plain roti, tandoori roti, any type of naan or paratha.
- Chicken dopiaza tastes slightly spicy, sweet, and creamy.
- Other similar recipes are chicken curry, chicken korma, chicken masala, chicken malai kofta, and chicken bhuna.
The Ingredients:
To marinate the chicken pieces:
- 1 kg chicken (medium pieces)
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
To fry the marinated chicken pieces:
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
To make the gravy for chicken dopiaza:
- ¼ cup mustard oil
- 2 pieces cinnamon stick (inch size)
- 1 piece black cardamom
- 5 pieces green cardamom
- 6 pieces cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 pieces bay leaves (whole)
- 2 pieces onions (medium size, finely chopped)
- 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 cup tomato paste (4 medium-sized tomatoes)
- ½ tsp coriander seed powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin seed powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup yogurt (whisked)
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds (crushed)
- 1 tbsp black pepper (crushed)
- 1 tbsp dried red chilies (crushed)
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
- ½ cup onion (cut into square pieces)
- 5 pieces green chilies
- Coriander leaves (a few, finely chopped)
I came across this recipe on a wall poster during a local cooking contest I attended just to watch. One of the participants had written her recipe on a chart as part of the display. I quickly clicked a picture and tried it at home.
My husband said it looked like a winner, and my sons voted it “contest-worthy.” Now, this is our creative-cooking-day dish. That event reminded me that food does not always need to be tasted to tempt—it can call out to you from across the room, one handwritten chart at a time.
How to Make Chicken Do Pyaza? (Step by Step Guide with Images)
Step 1: To marinate the chicken, take 1 kg of chicken, cut into medium pieces, in a mixing bowl. Add 2 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder and 1 tsp of salt to it. Mix the chicken pieces nicely with these two ingredients only. Cover the bowl and keep it aside for about 30 minutes to set properly.
Step 2: In the meantime, take 2 pieces of cinnamon stick (inch size), 1 piece of black cardamom, 5 pieces of green cardamom, and 6 pieces of cloves and crush them roughly, preferably in a traditional mortar and pestle, as shown in the image below.
Step 3: After half an hour, heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil in a frying pan on a high flame. When the oil is hot, arrange the marinated pieces of chicken in it nicely and fry them for a minute or two on each side. When one side of the chicken pieces achieves a nice golden color, flip each of the pieces carefully. Transfer these nice and crispy golden pieces of chicken onto a plate and keep them aside.
Step 4: Now, to make the gravy for the chicken dopiaza, heat ¼ cup of mustard oil in a handi in a medium to high flame. When the oil heats up, put in it the crushed spices that you made earlier. Follow it up with 1 tsp of cumin seeds and 3 pieces of bay leaves (whole). Stir them nicely for about 20 seconds until the cumin seeds stop crackling.
Step 5: Now, add 2 pieces of finely chopped medium-sized onions to it and mix them nicely. Let the onions cook until they become soft.
Step 6: Then, add 2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste to it. Mix and cook it nicely for about 2 minutes or so, until the raw smell of the ginger and garlic is gone.
Step 7: Now, add a cup of tomato paste to it. You will need 4 medium-sized tomatoes to make the paste. Follow it with ½ tsp of coriander seed powder, ½ tsp of turmeric powder, ½ tsp of garam masala powder, 1 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tsp of cumin seed powder, and ½ tsp of salt. Mix them all nicely with the ingredients in the kadai, stirring continuously, until the oil separates.
Step 8: Now, reduce the flame of the gas stove to low and add a cup of whisked Dahi or yogurt to it. Mix it nicely. Then, turn the flame to medium and let the masala cook nicely for about 3 to 4 minutes more.
Step 9: Now, add the fried pieces of chicken and mix the masala with them nicely. Let it cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 10: Then, add 1.5 cups of water to it and mix nicely. Let it come to a boil.
Step 11: When the water starts to boil, add 1 tbsp of coriander seeds, 1 tbsp of black pepper, 1 tbsp of dried red chilies, and 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves, all crushed roughly, and mix them all nicely with the chicken. Cover the handi and let the chicken cook on a medium flame for about 15 minutes or so.
Step 12: After 15 minutes, remove the cover. The chicken will be cooked nicely by now. At this stage, put in ½ cup of onion (cut into square pieces) and about 4 to 5 whole green chilies. Mix them all nicely with the chicken. Cover the handi again and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes more on a low flame.
Step 13: After 5 minutes, remove the cover and add a few finely chopped coriander leaves to it. Give it a nice final mix and switch off the flame of the gas stove. Transfer the chicken dopyaza to a serving bowl.
Step 14: Your tasty and spicy homemade chicken dopyaza is now ready to enjoy. Serve it with steamed rice or roti.
Recipe Card
Chicken Dopyaza | Murg Do Pyaza
Ingredients
To marinate the chicken pieces:
- 1 kg chicken medium pieces
- 2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
To fry the marinated chicken pieces:
- 2 tbsp mustard oil
To make the gravy for chicken dopiaza:
- ¼ cup mustard oil
- 2 pieces cinnamon stick inch size
- 1 piece black cardamom
- 5 pieces green cardamoms
- 6 pieces cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 pieces bay leaves whole
- 2 pieces onions medium size, finely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 cup tomato paste 4 medium-sized tomatoes
- ½ tsp coriander seeds powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp garam masala powder
- 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup yogurt whisked
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds crushed
- 1 tbsp black pepper crushed
- 1 tbsp dried red chilies crushed
- 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
- ½ cup onion cut into square pieces
- 5 pieces green chilies
- Coriander leaves a few, finely chopped
Instructions
- To marinate the chicken, take 1 kg of chicken, cut into medium pieces, in a mixing bowl. Add 2 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder and 1 tsp of salt to it. Mix the chicken pieces nicely with these two ingredients only. Cover the bowl and keep it aside for about 30 minutes to set properly.
- In the meantime, take 2 pieces of cinnamon stick (inch size), 1 piece of black cardamom, 5 pieces of green cardamoms, and 6 pieces of cloves and crush them roughly, preferably in a traditional mortar and pestle, as shown in the image below.
- After half an hour, heat 2 tbsp of mustard oil in a frying pan on a high flame. When the oil is hot, arrange the marinated pieces of chicken in it nicely and fry them for a minute or two on each side. When one side of the chicken pieces achieves a nice golden color, flip each of the pieces carefully. Transfer these nice and crispy golden pieces of chicken onto a plate and keep them aside.
- Now, to make the gravy for the chicken dopiaza, heat ¼ cup of mustard oil in a handi in a medium to high flame. When the oil heats up, put in it the crushed spices that you made earlier. Follow it up with 1 tsp of cumin seeds and 3 pieces of bay leaves (whole). Stir them nicely for about 20 seconds until the cumin seeds stop crackling.
- Now, add 2 pieces of finely chopped medium-sized onions to it and mix them nicely. Let the onions cook until they become soft.
- Then, add 2 tsp of ginger-garlic paste to it. Mix and cook it nicely for about 2 minutes or so, until the raw smell of the ginger and garlic is gone.
- Now, add a cup of tomato paste to it. You will need 4 medium-sized tomatoes to make the paste. Follow it with ½ tsp of coriander seeds powder, ½ tsp of turmeric powder, ½ tsp of garam masala powder, 1 tsp of Kashmiri red chili powder, 1 tsp of cumin seeds powder, and ½ tsp of salt. Mix them all nicely with the ingredients in the kadai, stirring continuously, until the oil separates.
- Now, reduce the flame of the gas stove to low and add a cup of whisked Dahi or yogurt to it. Mix it nicely. Then, turn the flame to medium and let the masala cook nicely for about 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Now, add the fried pieces of chicken and mix the masala with them nicely. Let it cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.
- Then, add 1.5 cups of water to it and mix nicely. Let it come to a boil.
- When the water starts to boil, add 1 tbsp of coriander seeds, 1 tbsp of black pepper, 1 tbsp of dried red chilies, and 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves, all crushed roughly, and mix them all nicely with the chicken. Cover the handi and let the chicken cook on a medium flame for about 15 minutes or so.
- After 15 minutes, remove the cover. The chicken will be cooked nicely by now. At this stage, put in ½ cup of onion (cut into square pieces) and about 4 to 5 pieces whole green chilies. Mix them all nicely with the chicken. Cover the handi again and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes more in a low flame.
- After 5 minutes, remove the cover and add a few finely chopped coriander leaves to it. Give it a nice final mix and switch off the flame of the gas stove. Transfer the chicken dopyaza to a serving bowl.
- Your tasty and spicy homemade chicken dopyaza is now ready to enjoy. Serve it with steamed rice or roti.
