Achari chicken or achari murgh is a bold and spicy chicken curry made with Indian pickling spices. Serve it with naan or tandoori roti for a delicious meal. Instant pot recipe included.
If you love dry and spicy Indian curries, see chicken changezi and chicken bhuna masala also.
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About Achari Chicken
I had a lot of fun while coming up with an English translation for chicken achari. The thought popped in my mind that this is literally chicken in a pickle. Silly, but made me laugh no end. Chicken in a pickle that makes you tickle? Ha!
Goofiness aside, achari chicken is a bold, in-your-face kind of dish with strong flavours that will elicit some reaction. Make it when you're in the mood for a spicy chicken curry that you can scoop up with some fresh warm naan bread.
On the other hand, if you're looking for a mild and comforting chicken dish that's packed with flavor, check out my palak chicken (boneless chicken and spinach leaves simmered in a rich but mild gravy). It's full of goodness!
More awesome chicken curries: chicken korma, chicken tikka masala, and butter chicken.
Ingredients
INGREDIENT NOTES
1. Chicken: The best chicken for a curry is a whole bone-in chicken cut into 12-14 pieces and the skin removed. Since I buy my chicken from a Pakistani meat shop, I always ask the butcher to do this for me. It saves a lot of time.
2. Whole spices: You may not have all the individual whole spices listed here. However, it is necessary to add them since these spices contribute largely to the 'achari' flavour and taste. They are available in your local Indian or Pakistani grocery, or even online.
Note: An alternative to buying individual whole spices is to opt for a mixed bag of pickling spices while you are at the grocery store. It will have all of these spices and more to make this recipe.
A note about the powdered red chilli: I like using a variety called Kashmiri red chilli as this is a naturally mild chilli and won't add too much heat. It is also a very pleasing natural red color that makes any curry it is added to quite vibrant. Available in Indian and Pakistani grocery stores.
3. Tomato puree: Store-bought tomato puree works well in this recipe although you can add homemade tomato puree as well. All you have to do is blend 4-5 medium sized red and ripe tomatoes and use this puree. However, one thing to note is that the colour and texture of the resulting curry will be different than if you use store-bought puree.
4. Cooking oil: You can use any neutral oil for making achari chicken. However, achari chicken is traditionally made with mustard oil. If you do opt for mustard oil read the note below.
Cooking with Mustard Oil
Mustard oil has a deep, smoky flavor that enhances the taste of meat or vegetables cooked in it. It has been used for centuries in countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Unfortunately, in Canada, USA and Europe, mustard oil comes with a ‘for external use only’ label. This is because of the presence of a compound called erucic acid which may be harmful for health. If you are not comfortable cooking with it, feel free to use any neutral oil of your choice.
If you decide to cook with mustard oil, you will find brands without the warning label in any Indian or Pakistani grocery in your town. With this oil, however, you need to go one extra step. You need to smoke it before using it. It's a very simple process: heat the oil in a saucepan on medium heat. After a couple minutes, you will see that it starts smoking and its color changes to a pale yellow. Switch off the gas and wait for it to cool down to the required temperature. Now, you can go ahead and use it for cooking.
Preparation
1. Smoke the mustard oil, if using.
2. Slice the onion finely.
3. Crush the coriander and fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle. You can also do this in a spice grinder but be careful not to grind it to a fine powder!
Tip: If you don't have a spice grinder, a coffee grinder would work as well. Just wash it in hot, soapy water before and after if you don't want coffee-flavored curry. Or curry flavored coffee!
Cooking Instructions
1. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat and add the whole spices - dry red chillies, bay leaf, mustard, fenugreek and nigella seeds. Allow them to sizzle for a few seconds.
2. Add the sliced onions and cook until they start to brown. Don't fry them all the way to a dark brown as the resulting curry will be too dark in colour and taste bitter as well.
3. Follow with the crushed coriander and fennel and sauté for a minute.
4. Add the ginger-garlic paste, salt and powdered spices - turmeric and red chilli. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell of the aromatics goes away. You can add a splash of water here if you find the spices sticking to the pan.
5. Add the tomato puree and again sauté this masala for 5 minutes on medium heat.
6. Lastly, add the chicken along with 11/2 - 2 cups water, mix well, and cover the pan. Allow the chicken to simmer in the gravy on low heat for 30 minutes. When you remove the lid, the chicken should be fully cooked and tender and the gravy thickened considerably.
Note: If you find that there is still a lot of liquid when you remove the lid, crank up the heat to medium and let some of the liquid dry up in the open pan.
Instant Pot Instructions
1. Turn on your instant pot to sauté (normal).
2. Follow the instructions up to step 5 above. Once the tomato puree has cooked in the masala for 5 minutes (step 5), add the chicken and 11/2 cups water. Mix well and cancel sauté.
3. Switch to the pressure cooking ('manual' in old models) mode on high. Secure the lid, seal the steam release vent, and set the timer to 5 minutes.
3. Once the timer beeps, release the pressure after 5 minutes and open the pot. Chicken achari curry is ready to be served with some warm naan.
Note: If you find that there is still some liquid when you open the pot, press sauté again (medium) and dry the excess liquid until you get a thick sauce.
Top Tips
1. Cook the chicken in a heavy bottomed pan or karahi if cooking it on the stovetop.
2. Whether cooking on the stovetop or in the instant pot, sauté the ingredients very well, using a little water only to bring out all the flavours. This is a technique known as 'bhunai' and it is the reason why Indian curries are so tasty. If the masala is still raw and pale looking when it is cooked, it will not taste good, whatever the ingredients. The test for a well-roasted curry is that it will have a pleasant aroma and the oil will have separated from the sides and float on top.
3. Again, if cooking on the stovetop, don't forget to cover the pan and lower the heat after adding the chicken. This way, the chicken will cook in its own juices and turn out soft yet succulent, and falling-off- the-bone tender.
Best side dishes for achari chicken
1. Cumin Rice - Basmati rice flavored with cumin and other whole spices.
2. Bombay Potatoes - Crispy baby potatoes with soft insides.
3. Maash Dal - Split and skinned black gram lentils with a warm, nutty taste.
4. Dahi Baingan - Lightly fried eggplant, onions, garlic, and cilantro in cold yogurt.
These are just a few possibilities. Find a lot more ideas for what to serve with chicken curry in this post: 20+ Best Side Dishes for Chicken Curry.
📖 Recipe
Achari Chicken
Equipment
- Spice grinder OR mortar and pestle
- Medium-sized pan or karahi OR 6-quart instant pot
Ingredients
- 2.4 lbs chicken bone-in, skinless, and cut into 12-14 pieces
- ⅓ cup cooking oil or mustard oil. See note #1 below
- 4 dried red chillies round whole chillies
- ½ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
- ½ teaspoon nigella seeds
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 red onion medium-sized, sliced finely
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 3 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste heaped
- 1 tsp sea salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder Kashmiri chill for less hot
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 cup tomato puree or 5 medium-sized tomatoes blended to a puree.
Instructions
Preparation
- Smoke the mustard oil if using.
- Chop the onion finely.
- Crush the coriander and fennel seeds coarsely in a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Be carful not to turn it into a fine powder if using a grinder.
Cooking Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan and add the whole spices (dried red chillies through bay leaf). Let the spices sizzle in the hot oil for a few seconds.
- Add the sliced onions and cook until they start to brown. Don't fry them all the way to a dark brown as the resulting curry will be too dark in colour and taste bitter as well.
- Add the crushed coriander and fennel and sauté for a minute.
- Add the ginger-garlic paste, salt and powdered spices - turmeric and red chilli. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the raw smell of the aromatics goes away. You can add a splash of water here if you find the spices sticking to the pan.
- Add the tomato puree and again sauté this masala for 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Finally, add the chicken along with 11/2 - 2 cups water, mix well, and cover the pan. Allow the chicken to simmer in the gravy on low heat for 30 minutes. When you remove the lid, the chicken should be fully cooked and tender and the gravy thickened considerably.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Turn on your instant pot to sauté (normal).
- Follow the instructions up to step 5 above. Once the tomato puree has cooked in the masala for 5 minutes (step 5), add the chicken and 11/2 cups water. Mix well and cancel sauté.
- Switch to the pressure cooking mode on high. Secure the lid, seal the steam release vent, and set the timer to 5 minutes.
- Once the timer beeps, release the pressure after 5 minutes and open the pot. Chicken achari is ready to be served with some warm naan.
Notes
- If using mustard oil, smoke it before using it. Add the required quantity to a saucepan and heat it on medium heat until it just starts giving off fumes and turns pale (2-3 minutes). Let it cool down and use in the recipe.
- The sign of a well-roasted gravy is that it should smell pleasant and aromatic and not raw. The oil should separate and float on the top. To achieve this, sauté the gravy well with minimal water for some time before adding the chicken.
- If the curry is still thin after cooking the chicken (stovetop or instant pot), cook off the excess liquid until you get a thick enough consistency.
Radhika says
How many pounds of chicken
Saima says
Radhika, about 2.2 pounds
Leila says
So amazing my whole family loved thus dish