I cook chicken dishes throughtout the week and this tawa Chicken is perfect for weeknight dinners or at times when you want to cook chicken in a in hurry. Quickly make the tawa masala (spice powder) or use store bought spice blend if you prefer, chop some vegetables and cook everything together on a heavy griddle. Serve as a chicken starter, tuck it inside wraps or as a meal with parathas or naan (flatbread) and yogurt.
What is a Tawa Dish
Tawa = Iron Griddle. In Indian kitchens, tawa is most commonly used for making flatbreads such as rotis or tawa kulcha, or for pan frying as well as for making high heat stir fries like tawa eggs or tawa pulao or this chicken recipe. You will typically find tawa of many sizes in Indian homes each dedicated to a certain cooking task.
Indian cuisine has a lot of tawa dishes closely comparable to asian style high heat wok stir frying. Stir frying on a high heat on a heavy cast iron tawa gives a charred taste to the meats or vegetables or paneer and we all know how delicious anything charred is, right?
Recipe Inspiration
The soul of this recipe is the tawa masala based on the tawa recipe by the famous Indian Chef Ranveer Brar. Fresh ground masala elevates the taste of any dish and the same is true here as well. For the tawa masala, use woody spices like cumin, coriander, bay leaf, peppercorns, black cardamom and cinnamon. Sometimes I add 1-2 dried chillies as well.
Which cut of Chicken to use
I prefer to use dark chicken cuts in indian dishes. Dark chicken meat stays moist and has really good flavor. Cut the chicken thighs in strips for quick cooking. Cutting into strips makes them cook quickly and at the same time the chicken won’t dry out from the high heat of the tawa. Bone-in Chicken- You can use bone-in chicken pieces depending on your preference. Bone-in pieces often add more flavor but the cooking time will be longer. I suggest adding little bit of yogurt (about ⅓ cup) while marinating if you are using bone in chicken so that we have extra moisture while the bone in chicken cooks.
How to make Tawa Chicken
Preperation
Prepare everything you will need beforehand since the cooking is stir-fry style meaning once we start cooking, we need to work quickly.
Make Tawa Chicken
Consistency and Texture
This recipe yields a dryish tawa chicken. If you want it saucy, you can increase the quantity of the tomato puree a little bit. However, please keep in mind that the sauce isn’t velvety smooth. The masala coats the chicken and there is a lot of texture from the onions, ginger and green chilies.
Serving
Tawa Chicken is a perfect dish to serve as a chicken starter with drinks. You can make wraps out of by tucking it inside indian flatbreads like paratha and a fresh salad like kachumber. Dice the chicken small and you may use in tacos. Or use it as a filling while making burritos and quesadillas.
Recipe Tips
Skip the ketchup if you wish. You won’t taste the ketchup, it adds a bit of sweetness. However, if you don’t want to use it, use canned tomato sauce and ½ teaspoon of sugar to the recipe. Use a large flat and heavy tawa (griddle) for uniform cooking and to prevent the chicken from sticking. A large tawa ensure that the chicken doesnt start boiling. Cast iron or non-stick tawas work well. Don’t skimp on oil. Else the chicken will start sticking. Adjust the spice levels according to your preference. If you prefer it spicier, you can add more green chilies. For a dairy free version, skip the butter.
