During winters, I make this delicious indian chicken recipe using fresh methi or fenugreek leaves. This chicken methi dish is fairly easy and quick to make and does not need marination(my favorite part!). If you enjoy cooking chicken main dish recipes, may I also suggest chicken keema, chicken do pyaza and tawa chicken? Coming back, methi leaves are very popular greens in India, especially when they are in season during the autumn/winter months. The leaves have a unique, bitter sweet taste and aroma which is quite addictive. I love to make differnet kinds of recipe using fresh methi leaves to make methi dal, meth pulao, aloo methi paratha, methi pooris and aloo methi. During the summer months, when methi leaves aren’t that easy to find, you can still make this fenugreek chicken recipe using a combination of frozen methi(if available) and kausri methi which is basically dried fenugreek leaves that are commonly used to flavor a ton of Indian curries like butter chicken and tikka masala. However,using just kasuri methi will not give the same taste. Jump to:How to make Methi Chicken Ingredients Needed for Methi Chicken How to Serve Methi Chicken Some Tips & TricksVariations You Can Try Authentic Methi Murgh (Methi Chicken Recipe)
How to make Methi Chicken
Start by plucking the methi leaves off the stems. The task of cleaning methi leaves is a bit tedious but that is the only thing which is hard in this recipe. Rest of the curry is simple to make and comes together quickly. Once the methi leaves are ready, wash them 3-4 times to remove all the dirt (this is important) and then let them air dry for a couple of hours. Once dry, chop the methi leaves and use them to flavor the onion and tomato masala and cook the chicken in the masala. Detailed Instructions can be found in the recipe card.
Ingredients Needed for Methi Chicken
For making methi chicken you will the following ingredients. Exact quantities are in recipe card.
Fresh Methi Leaves :-Fresh Methi Leaves are the best choice however if you cannot find, you can use frozen methi. Always taste a few different stalks before buying the methi bunch. Sometimes the leaves are too bitter especially if its desi methi and we cannot use them. Second thing to keep in mind is to not use the stems of methi, they are usually more bitter and fibrous so they will spoil the texture of the dish. Boneless Chicken Thighs. I make this dish with boneless chicken thighs but you can use bone in chicken as well. Just adjust the time of cooking as noted in the recipe. In India, it is not common to make chicken curries with chicken breast. Tip :- Always try to use dark meat chicken when making curries.
Spices. I don’t use a lot of whole spices in this methi murgh recipe so that the pleasant bitter sweet taste of fresh methi remains intact. Just a pod of black cardamom and bay leaf is more than enough. For the powdered spices we are just going to use coriander powder. Full Fat Dahi/Curd - Whole greek yogurt is fine as well. Tomatoes :- Using tomatoes is optional. Just don’t use very sour tomatoes.
How to Serve Methi Chicken
Methi Murgh is does not have a lot of gravy, rather a thickish masala and thats why in my opinion it pairs very with flatbreads of all kinds. I like to serve it with roti or naan. You can pair it with these delicious pudina paratha as well.
Some Tips & Tricks
Use dark bone in or boneless chicken in this recipe of fresh methi chicken for a deep flavor. We do not marinate the chicken for hours and chicken thighs or drumsticks will give a very good flavor. Let the methi leaves air dry for a few hours before chopping them. Methi Leaves are added at the very end of cooking and adding wet methi leaves will make the curry watery. Bitter Taste of Methi :- Cooking the dish a couple hours before you are going to serve and resting it not only enhances the flavor of the dish but also brings down the bitterness if any. However sometimes the methi is just too bitter and there is hardly anything you can do to save it, so as I mentioned before, taste a few Methi Leaves from the bunch that you are using a few times beforehand. Fresh Methi + Kasuri Methi- Yes, use both. The methi that we get here in united states is very rarely bitter (which is great) but at the same time, I feel that it is mild in flavor compared to the fresh methi we get in India. Using a combination of fresh and kasuri methi really enhances the taste of the sauce. Mustard Oil:- Methi Murgh is a rustic Punjabi style chicken curry and in my opinion, the taste of this dish is best when cooked in mustard oil, however you can use avocado or grapeseed oil. Use of chilies :- I don’t add red chili powder in this recipe. In fact, if you ask me this dish is not hot rather it has a pleasant bitterness from methi leaves. I do add a few green chilies for the flavor goes really well with the methi. While cooking the chicken, make sure to do so on not too low or high heat. We don’t want to brown the chicken too much on high. Neither we want the chicken to release its water on low. Just fry for 3-4 minutes and proceed to next step outlined in the recipe. Dahi or yogurt is added to indian curries not just for tang but also for richness & creaminess. Hence, I always go for plain, unflavored whole (full fat) yogurt. Pro Tip when using Yogurt in recipes :- When you start cooking, set the yogurt that would need out of the fridge.Meaning avoid using yogurt straight out of the fridge. Second tip is to add the yogurt on low heat and ALWAYS whisk the yogurt before adding to the masala. Immediately when you add the yogurt, start stirring and continue for at least 2-3 minutes until the yogurt that you added is warmed through. Then, change the stove to medium or medium high. Please don’t skip the heavy cream as a finish. It really enhances the taste of the final dish. I won’t recommend making the curry too soupy. It tastes amazing on the sukha(dry) side. That said you can use it as a wrap filling with thinly slices onions- so yummy!
Variations You Can Try
Use Minced Chicken Or Turkey - Instead of bone in chicken, you can use ground chicken or turkey. The recipe instructions remain same. Make it Vegetarian Friendly- The methi murgh recipe can easily be turned into a delicious vegetarian or vegan friendly dish with a few substitutions as below. Use paneer cubes, whole mushrooms or cauliflower in the same sauce. If you want to make it vegan, swap the chicken with extra firm tofu or any plant based meat and use cashew yogurt in place of regular yogurt. Make Malai Methi Chicken by make a slight thickish gravy(not soupy). Add ½ cup water and ¼ cup heavy cream and simmer the curry for about 5-6 minutes on low.
