Your favorite deeply comforting authentic well balanced chicken curry made easier (and faster), a must know for every Pakistani cook!
I write Chicken ka Salan here (because well, Google), but my heart always calls it Murghi ka Salan. I make some version of it weekly and that is part of the reason why this iteration is one of three on my blog.
The first one is this lovely classic (my favorite!), the second is the comforting Kalya, and the third the White Chicken Salan my kids can't get enough of. Also if you are looking for a drier tomato forward dish, then this Chicken Bhuna is on regular rotation at our house!
How do I make a smooth Murghi ka Salan?
Okay folks. let's talk. The "proper" way to make a salan in my family is as follows:-
- Saute your onions until your desired colour
- Add two cups of hot water, bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes
- Dry up the masala and it will be mostly broken down before you even add your protein.
Am I making it the proper way here? No, I am not, but you absolutely can. I cheat a little and use an immersion blender.
Why use an Immersion Blender?
There are two issues I have with the more traditional process.
1.) it takes SO long, I haven't even put my chicken in and the salan has been cooking for over half an hour
2.) more time cooking (admittedly hands off time) means more time for my house to become thoroughly infused with Eau de Salan.
In the interest of avoiding both those things I use an immersion blender like this one. You can use a regular blender if you wish, but then let your salan base cool before blending it.
Mastering a Chicken Curry
Here are some must know tips.
- make sure your oil is hot but not smoking when you start cooking, your spices should sizzle not burn
- onion colour is everything - go for gold here!
- sauté systematically - GG first and then the rest of it otherwise the raw smell of ginger and garlic becomes tough to shake.
- saute the chicken VERY well - this helps build flavor!
- ALWAYS make it your own! taste, adjust, tweak, this is where your tastebuds take over!
Salan and Oil
Okay folks, let's level here. You cannot, I repeat, cannot, make a classic Murghi or Chicken ka Salan as it's intended to taste without what the oil does for the masala.
Do you need to eat all the oil? Of course not. Simply skim it off the top or use a paper towel to gently blot excess.
Made this Pakistani Chicken Curry? Rate it below and leave a comment! I'd also love to see your recreations over on Instagram so tag me @flourandspiceblog. Happy Cooking!
Homestyle Chicken Salan (Chicken Curry)
Equipment
- large deep pot for cooking
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lb bone in chicken (or 1.5 lb boneless)
- ⅓ cup oil
- 1 small piece cinnamon stick
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 5-6 whole black peppers
- 2-3 laung (cloves)
- 3 diced onions approx 350g
- 2 diced tomatoes between 210-220g
- 1.5 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp kashmiri laal mirch (optional, but gives great colour and a mild spice)
- 1 ½ tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
Finishing touches
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- chopped cilantro
- 2-3 sliced green chilies
Instructions
- Heat your oil in a large pot on medium high heat
- When it shimmers then add the whole spices i.e cinnamon, cumin seeds, cloves, and whole black peppers.
- After the cumin seeds start to sizzle and smell delicious then add the onions
- When the edges of the onion turn golden then add the garlic paste and ginger paste and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Now stir in your tomatoes and spices. Cover the pot and turn the heat down a little to medium heat for 2-3 minutes - this speeds up the process of cooking the masala.
- Turn the heat back up, remove the lid and sauté the spice mix until the oil rises above the top.
- Use an immersion blender to make the salan into a mostly smooth paste, you will need to tilt the pot to make this happen.
- Add your chicken pieces to your pot stirring periodically until all of the chicken turns white/opaque
- Now add ½ cup of water to your pot if the masala seems very bring to a boil and simmer on low until the chicken is cooked through, 15-20 minutes.
- Adjust the consistency of the salan to your liking, add the garam masala powder and cumin powder, then adjust seasoning.
- Garnish with cilantro and green chilies and serve.
SH says
How many grams of tomatoes do you recommend for this salan?
Sarah Mir says
Good question, I use Roma tomatoes and those are typically 60g each!
Mary says
Turned out great! I had to adjust onions since I had a large red onion.
Sarah Mir says
happy to hear that it worked out great!!! thank you!
Kym Buckley says
I made this at weekend and it was lovely. I want to double the recipe would I double all the spices? Thanks.
Sarah Mir says
Hey Kym! Glad you enjoyed it! Totally good to double everything for doubling the recipe!
Jennie says
The flavor was good but mine came out more watery. I also noticed in your video in mentions flour but the ingredients not the directions mention flour. So my questions are did you use flour or how do you make thicker like curry?
Sarah Mir says
Hey Jennie! Glad you enjoyed the flavour! You can just crank up the heat and dry out the water to preferred consistency! In the video I believe it’s my site name showing at the bottom and not flour itself!
Kelly says
Could I add potatoes? When and where in the recipe can I add them? How many?
Sarah Mir says
Kelly, if the question is potatoes then the answer is ALWAYS yes! To answer your other questions, I would take two medium sized potatoes and cut them into fat chunks, and add those in when you are simmering the chicken. keep me posted on how it goes!
Jeanette Berrett says
Thank you for giving us a fantastic meal this evening.
It was as good or even better than takeout or restaurant quality
I added half a teaspoon of raw honey and 1 cup of coconut milk because my girl and my hubby like it slightly sweet and saucy. It was perfect. The rest I adhered to all your recommendations x
Sarah Mir says
Hey Jeanette! What brilliant additions! I am so glad you enjoyed it, thank you for sharing your review!
Sara says
Delicious recipe that will make you over eat 🫣
Nashmia Rashid says
I’m someone who follows recipes a2z. And I’m nervous everytime I cook because I am never comfortable with my cooking. Husband loved the masala he said. Will be saving and using this recipe in the future! Thank you for your detailed steps and pictures. Love your quirky sense of humor and your tips. I used the immersion blender and drained out the oil in the end.
Sarah Mir says
Nashmia! Thank you for leaving this wonderful review - and for appreciating the weirdness that is me hehe
This made my day!
Namra khalil says
Such a wonderful recipe
Sarah Mir says
thanks so much Namra!
Isbah Khurram says
Best recipe! Very easy to follow and tastes just like home.
Zahra Tiwana Ahmmed says
I just made this today with whole chicken and omg it was delicious! Thank you for an easy chicken curry recipe.
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
WOOHOO! thanks for sharing that!
Jillian says
Hi I see that you posted this recipe almost a year ago but I have just discovered it today! I have a question about the spices on the ingredients list it states you need 3-4 cardamom pods but no where in the recipe I see it being used and you actually say to use chopped coriander towards the end of the recipe. So which should I use cardamom or coriander? Or both? And when should I add it to the curry. Thanks so much!
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
both! and thank you so much for catching this! will edit the recipe immediately so it is clearer - thank you so much for reaching out with your question! keep me posted on how it turns out 🙂
sarahjmir@gmail.com says
I just updated it, the cardamom pods go in right when you are going to bring the curry to a boil. If you don't have them handy then feel free to skip them, but definitely use the cilantro/coriander!
maryam says
Hi! I don’t see how many cardamom pods should I add? Should they be added when the chicken is cooking? Pls let me know. Thanks!
Sarah Mir says
Hi Maryam! I am a HUGE green cardamom fan so I do like to add them here sometimes. You can add a few before adding the ginger and garlic or lightly crush 2-3 pods and add them when you are cooking the chicken for a softer aroma. Let me know how it turns out!
Maryam says
All your recipes that I have tried turn out great including this one!
Sarah says
Hi,
I made this recipe and it tasted beautiful. My husband could not believe I made it. Will be cooking this on all dinner events that I host. Thank you!
sarahjmir says
That is absolutely wonderful to hear! Thanks for letting me know!
Driving Ms.Desi says
omg so delicious. best chicken salan I have ever made or had even! i used chicken with bones and tomato paste. awesome recipe sarah! thanks 🙂
sarahjmir says
woohooooo! 🙂 🙂 🙂 (I am incredibly eloquent)
s says
i used onions that are already fried and come in a packet so that got rid of the browning step as well as the puree step. did everything else exactly as the recipe said. turned out great!
sarahjmir says
Ooh I am so glad it turned out well!!!! Thanks for letting me know 🙂