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Murgh Cholay and Chawal
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Murgh Cholay or Chana Chicken

Course Main Course
Cuisine Pakistani
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 4
Author Sarah Mir

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless chicken or 1.25-1.5 pounds chicken bone in
  • 1 17-19 fl oz can chickpeas drained and rinsed through
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 onion diced
  • 2 tomatoes diced
  • 1 ½ teaspoon garlic paste
  • 1 ½ teaspoon ginger paste
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons red chilli powder
  • ¾ teaspoon garam masala powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ cup cilantro
  • 3 green chillies finely sliced

Instructions

  • Take a stockpot sized pot and put it on medium high heat, wait a few minutes, and then add the oil. When the oil is hot then add in the onions and the cumin seeds & cook until the onions start to turn golden brown at the edges. Highly recommend adding one of your green chilies (diced) in at this point.
    onions in a pot, diced and golden edges
  • Add the garlic and ginger pastes and saute for 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder. Cover and keep it on medium high heat and then uncover, the tomatoes should have broken down and become jammy.
    Side-by-side images showing a cooking pot with chopped tomatoes and onions on the left, and a pot of simmered, blended tomato sauce on the right, capturing the rich transformation essential for dishes like Murgh Cholay.
  • Stir your chicken pieces in and saute until the colour changes.
    A black pot filled with Chana chicken—tender pieces simmering in a chunky orange tomato and onion sauce, with fresh cilantro, chickpeas, and a small bowl of spices in the background.
  • Now in goes a cup of hot water, the chickpeas, and a pinch of baking soda (for touch chickpeas), bring it to a boil, and then let it cook covered on low heat for another 25-30 minutes. 
    A hand pours chickpeas from a bowl into a pot containing a chunky, orange-colored Chana chicken stew, also known as Murgh Cholay.
  • When the chicken is tender then adjust consistency of your gravy by adding water then add the garam masala, the black pepper, the green chillies and cilantro. Cook for 2 minutes then taste and adjust seasoning. 
    Murgh Cholay

Video

Notes

Chicken breast tends to overcook quickly, the best way to ensure a super tender chicken is to simmer for longer (35 minutes) than with bone in chicken pieces. For a longer simmer omit the baking soda.