Dhaba style chicken curry recipe is a  rustic punjabi chicken curry served at north Indian dhaba for road side eateries. This chicken curry is oily, spicy and with bold flavours. One of the simplest forms of chicken curry in terms of cooking. Dhaba style chicken curry needs no introduction if you are a dhaba regular.

So, I am telling you this chicken curry recipe is the best for all Indian tourist parties and roadside eateries.

So, we visited quite a few dhaba tucked on the highways quite regularly and love to have this curry with this tandoori roti, rice, nun, porata.

About Dhaba Chicken Curry

Dhaba style chicken curry is a simple recipe served on almost all the dhabas on North Indian highways.It is spicy, flavourful and comes together quickly using basic Ingredients.

Dhabi’s are roadside eateries , very common on the highways across north India. It is a place for  travellers to stop and have a meal and then they relax.

These juicy marinated chicken pieces are cooked in a simple spicy tomato onion curry flavoured with whole spices, ginger, garlic and yogurt.

So it is just a simple recipe. I love to make this chicken curry recipe for my family get-togethers and house pettier. So to make the entire experience very authentic, this chicken curry served with tandoori roti, nun, rice and Punjabi vinegar onions are a must too.

If you love good chicken curry try some of my other favourite chicken curry recipe

• Chicken Masala curry
• Achari Chicken curry
• Tomato Chicken curry
• Ginger Chicken curry

Main Ingredients

This chicken curry are main ingredients-

For the Marination

• 750 or 500 gm bone – in skinless chicke
• 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon or right amount salt
• 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder

For the Chicken Curry

• 4 or 5 tablespoon mustard oil 
• 2-3 whole cloves
• 3-4 whole black peppercorns
• 1 inch pieces of cinnamon stick
• 2-3 whole dry red chilies
• 1 cup grated onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1 cup grated tomato
• ½ cup plain dahi
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 tablespoon kasuri methi
• 2 tablespoon fresh coriander leaves
• 2 cup water or right amount water

How to make the curry?

Dhaba style chicken curry is an easy -to-make Indian chicken curry and a roadside favorite. It takes hardly 40-45 minutes to cook this delicacy.

So, here’s how you cook dhaba style chicken curry below the page. 

1. First wash and pat dry chicken pieces.
2. Now roughly chopped onions.
3. Make a paste of the tomato
4. Cut green chilies into small pieces
5. Then the chopped coriander leaves
6. Then marinated chicken at least for 15 minutes to a large mixing bowl
7. Marinated chicken with 1 tbsp ginger paste, 1 tbsp garlic paste, 1 tsp red chili powder, 1 tsp 
8. turmeric powder, each of cumin powder and coriander powder, 1 tsp salt and also 2 tbsp oil with 
9. mixed marinated chicken.
10. Heat 5 tbsp oil in a deep bottom pan and then heat the oil.
11. Then temper the oil with bay leaf, dry red chili, cinnamon stick and also green cardamom and cook for a few minutes.
12. Then chop the onion and cook till the onion turns brown in color.
13. Now add ginger and garlic paste and cook for another minute.
14. Then add tomato paste and cook till oil floats on the top.
15. Now add cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, also a little salt and cook for 5 minutes.
16. Then little water in between while cooking.
17. Now add 1 tbsp kasuri methi and cook for a while.
18. Then add marinated chicken and mix well.
19. At this point add chopped green chilies and half of the chopped coriander leaves.
20. Mix again.
21. Now 2 cups of water and mix.
22. Lower the flame and cook for 20 minutes without covering the pan with a lid.
23. Once the chicken is properly cooked and the gravy is rich. Add the remaining kasuri methi and chopped coriander and mix again.
24. Then switch the flame off and wait for 10 minutes before serving dhaba style chicken curry.
25. Then check for salt and add more if needed.
26. Lastly, serve Dhaba chicken Curry hot with your choice of tandoori roti, paratha, nan, rice and pulao.

Serving Suggestions:

When you go to dhaba you order this chicken curry with Tandoori roti, Punjabi dal tadka, Lachha paratha and Lacha onion come along complimentary but you can also serve any Indian bread like Plain nun, Lachha paratha or hand roti with this curry. But I like to serve rice with this chicken curry.

Storage Suggestions:

You can also say this chicken curry will last in the fridge for 2-3 days when stored in an air- tight container. Then reheat it in a pan or microwave until it is nice and warm. Add water and adjust the consistency if the curry has become thick.

My Few Notes:

For the best flavor make sure that you choose good quality chicken. I buy a pack of organic drumsticks or chicken things from trader joes or sprouts.At my store, the guy asks me how many pieces I want.I go for medium or curry cut which is about 10-12 pieces from 1 whole chicken.

I do not recommend using boneless chicken in this recipe. You can try my recipe of methi chicken or achari chicken curry if you wish to cook with boneless chicken. When the chicken is fresh you can make spices better the flavor of chicken curry.

Do not skimp on oil. Dhaba curries are rich and oily and that is the authentic taste.

Here in the US I feel that the chicken cooks so quickly in about 20-25 minutes.However If you are doubtful you can use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the thickest part of the chicken should be 165F for fully cooked chicken. To avoid yogurt from curdling- use room temperature yogurt and as soon as you add it to the curry , continuously stir for at least 2-3 minutes or till yogurt becomes part of the gravy.

You can add a smoky taste then you add drizzle ghee on the charcoal and close the lid for 6-8 minutes.At least the chicken curry rest for 30 minutes. Then the flavors are so much better. So then you can reheat and serve.

Nutrition:

Making of Chicken Lollipop Gravy Recipe

Conclusion:

So, I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as I do. It is one of my favorites, and like all curries, it tastes even better the next day, so no need to worry about leftovers. 

So if you love dhaba style food check out my favorite dhaba chicken curry recipe.