Chana chicken masala is a tasty one-pot meal featuring juicy chicken and hearty chickpeas simmered in a fragrant tomato-based curry. Serve the chicken and chickpea curry with warm naan or fluffy basmati rice.
What is Chicken Chana Masala?
Chana chicken or murgh chole is a flavorful Indian and Pakistani dish made by braising chicken and chickpeas in a tomato masala. The easy chicken chana recipe comes together in an hour, making it an excellent choice for lunch or dinner.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ghee: Ghee develops a deep, nutty base for the dish.
- Whole Spices: Toasting cumin and kalonji seeds pronounce their flavor.
- Chiles: Slit lengthwise, the green chilies add heat that doesn’t overwhelm.
- Onion: Use a medium onion, red or yellow, to flavor the curry.
- Garlic: I suggest using three garlic cloves, but measure with your heart
- Ginger: Enjoy flavorful chicken chana with fresh ginger.
- Spices: Bring the curry to life with aromatic spices like Kashmiri chili powder (or red chili powder if you prefer a spicy curry), turmeric powder, garam masala, and coriander powder.
- Tomato: Fresh tomatoes create a rich, flavorful masala for the chicken and chickpeas to simmer.
- Chicken: Prepare chana chicken with a whole, broken-down chicken pieces, or use skinless, bone-in chicken legs and thighs. If you like using boneless chicken, I recommend chicken thighs. They will take less time to cook than bone-in chicken, so adjust the cooking time accordingly; the safe temperature for chicken is 165°F (74°C).
- Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas are convenient, but you can use dried chickpeas if you don’t mind the extra work. Soak the chickpeas for 24 hours beforehand and increase the cooking time to 1-2 hours.
- Cilantro: Cilantro brightens and flavors the dish.
Tools You’ll Need
All you need to make this recipe is a heavy-bottomed pan. I use a large saute pan, but you can also use a Dutch oven, stockpot, or wok. If you prefer a smoother curry, use an immersion blender to process the masala, or transfer the curry to a blender in batches.
How to Make Chana Chicken
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Warm the ghee in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of kalonji seeds, cumin seeds, and green chiles. Cook until they sputter.
Step 2: Lower to medium heat and add the onion. Saute until the onions are golden brown. Then, add garlic and ginger.
Step 3: Stir in the Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and ground coriander. Cook for another 30 seconds and add the tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
Preparation Tip
It’s optional, but you can remove the green chiles and use an immersion blender to process the masala if you prefer a smoother curry.
Step 4: Nestle the chicken into the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the chickpeas, cilantro, and 1 cup of water.
Step 5: Sprinkle with kalonji seeds and cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar. Maintain a gentle simmer for 20-30 minutes until the mixture reduces.
Step 6: Season with salt and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Expert Tips
- If the liquid evaporates before the chicken cooks and the chana becomes tender, you may need to add more water. Add 1- 1 1/2 cups of water, but don’t forget to taste and season with salt afterward for the best results.
If you enjoy flavorful chana chicken, try more Indian recipes!
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy the tender pieces of chicken and protein-rich chickpeas with fluffy basmati rice, jeera rice, or bread like naan, roti, or chapati. The curry also pairs nicely with a light salad like avocado cucumber tomato salad or kachumber salad and cooling sauces such as chutney or raita.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: This recipe tastes even better the next day! Store the leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Let the dish cool and transfer it to a freezer-safe container or bag. Chana chicken freezes for up to 2 months.
- Thaw: Defrost the chicken in the refrigerator overnight.
- Reheat: Warm leftovers on the stovetop, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chicken chana spicy?
Adjust the spice level to suit your taste buds by controlling how much or how little Kashmiri chili powder to use. You can also use red chili powder or cayenne pepper if you prefer a spicier dish.
Whether or not you leave the green peppers whole, slit them, or dice them before add them to the masala, they can alter the heat of the dish.
More Chicken Recipes:
Chana Chicken
- 2 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon kalonji seeds, plus more to garnish
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1-3 green chiles split lengthwise
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 -inch knob of ginger, minced
- 2-3 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder or paprika
- 1½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1½ teaspoon garam masala
- 1½ teaspoon coriander powder
- 2-3 medium Roma tomatoes, chopped, use more if you prefer more gravy or curry
- 1½ pounds chicken pieces, bone-in or boneless
- 2 cans (15 ounce) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, plus more to garnish
- 1 cup water
- kosher salt, to taste
- Warm the ghee in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add a teaspoon of kalonji seeds, cumin seeds, and green chiles. Cook until they sputter.
- Lower to medium heat and add the onion. Saute until the onions are golden brown. Then, add garlic and ginger.
- Stir in the Kashmiri chili powder, turmeric, garam masala, and ground coriander. Cook for another 30 seconds and add the tomatoes. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.Tip: Remove the green chiles and use an immersion blender to process the masala until smooth.
- Nestle the chicken into the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Then add the chickpeas, cilantro, and 1 cup of water.
- Sprinkle with kalonji seeds and cover the pan with the lid slightly ajar. Maintain a gentle simmer for 20-30 minutes until the mixture reduces. Season with salt and garnish with fresh cilantro.
- If the liquid evaporates before the chicken cooks and the chana becomes tender, you may need to add more water. Add 1- 1 1/2 cups of water, but don’t forget to taste and season with salt afterward for the best results.