• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Category Index
  • How To

Indian Ambrosia

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Category
  • Recipe Collections
  • Chicken
  • Vegetarian
  • Subscribe
  • Instant Pot
  • Quick & Easy
  • What's New
  • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Category
    • Recipe Collections
    • Chicken
    • Vegetarian
    • Subscribe
    • Instant Pot
    • Quick & Easy
    • What's New
    • About
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    You are here: Home » Chicken

    Published: Nov 26, 2022 by Saima · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases · This blog generates income via ads.

    Murgh Cholay (Chicken and Chickpea Curry)

    1 shares
    Jump to Recipe
    Murgh cholay in a white plate.

    Murgh cholay or chicken cholay is a hearty, dhaba-style chicken curry. Bone-in chicken, tomato paste, chickpeas, and ground spices go into creating the magic of this flavorful one-pot dish. It is best had with breads like naan or tandoori roti. Perfect for potlucks or weekend dinners! 

    Murgh cholay in a bowl.

    The weather has cooled and what better way to spend a weekend evening than to cosy up with a hot bowl of murgh cholay and naan? It is a chunky, warming chicken curry loaded with spiced chickpeas, onions, and tomatoes.

    What I like about this chicken and chickpea curry is that you don't need anything fancy to make it. No premade masala (sorry, Shan!) or bottled curry base. Nope! Just good ol' chicken, regular pantry ingredients, yogurt, and some common Indian spices in the right combination are all you'll need.

    Two more semi-dry chicken curries that are big on flavor are this chicken bhuna masala and this achari chicken. Do see what they are all about:)

    🥘 Ingredients

    Note: exact amounts are mentioned in the recipe card further down.

    Murgh cholaylabelled ingredients.

    Cooking oil - any neutral oil like canola or sunflower can be used. I like using a mild and light-tasting olive oil for all my cooking as it is healthier than seed oils and does not have an after-taste. Don't use extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil though.

    Onions - Red onions sliced fine.

    Wet masala ingredients - onions, ginger and garlic chopped roughly and ground into a paste.

    Chicken - bone-in, skinless chicken is the way to go for South-Asian curries. Don't use boneless chicken breasts as these will not impart the same flavor as bone-in chicken and turn rubbery with all the cooking.

    Ground spices - regular spice powders like coriander, turmeric, red chilli powder and garam masala are all you need.

    Tomato paste - canned tomato paste works best here. You can whiz fresh tomatoes in the blender but usually, the resulting puree is not concentrated enough for this recipe.

    Yogurt - unflavoured, unsweetened Indian yogurt or 'dahi' is what you need. Try not to use Greek yogurt.

    Chickpeas - you need cooked chickpeas here. You can prep your chickpeas from scratch if you want in the instant pot or any other pressure cooker, but if you're in a hurry, canned chickpeas are the way to go. I almost always have a can of chickpeas lying somewhere in my pantry, so I took the easy way out and opened the can while making this recipe!

    Kasuri methi - this is dried fenugreek, and it adds a ton of flavor to the curry. Easily available in Indian or Pakistani groceries or even the international aisle of most supermarkets.

    Green chillies - any kind will do as long as you know the heat level. I used Thai green chillies, but if you are sensitive to heat, use a milder variety. Try not to skip green chillies though as these too add a lot of flavor.

    Chicken with chickpeas in a bowl.

    🔪 How to make murgh cholay

    Preparation

    1. Slice the onion finely.

    2. Put the wet masala ingredients (chopped onions, ginger, and garlic) in a blender with a few tablespoons of water and blend to a smooth paste.

    Cooking

    1. Heat the oil in a deep pan and add the sliced onions. Fry until caramelized.

    Chicken cholay step - frying onions

    2. Add the wet ground masala you prepared earlier and fry for 4-5 minutes on high heat.

    Chicken cholay step - frying the ground masala

    3. Add the chicken and dry ground spices (coriander, turmeric, red chilli, and garam masala). Mix well and fry on high heat for 5 minutes. Add ½ cup water and cover the pan. Turn down the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.

    Chicken cholay step - adding chicken and spices

    4. Add the yogurt and tomato paste and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.

    Chicken cholay step - adding yogurt and tomato paste

    5. Drain the can of chickpeas, rinse, and add to the chicken. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the chickpeas are coated with the masala (curry).

    Chicken cholay step - adding chickepeas to curry

    6. Add slit green chillies and kasuri methi (dried fenugreek). Give the chicken a stir and switch off the heat. Cover the pan again and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot with naan or pita bread.

    Chicken cholay - adding green chillies and kauri methi to curry

    💭 Top tips

    1. This is a semi-dry curry, so there's enough sauce to mop up with the bread, but it should not be too thin. Don't be tempted to add lots of water!

    2. Most subcontinental curries make use of a whole bone-in, skinless chicken cut into 14 pieces. The butcher usually does this for you, but if you are buying your chicken from a supermarket, for example, bone-in chicken thighs, that should work too. Just remove the skins.

    3. The chickpeas absorb a lot of the spices and masala, so don't be stingy with these. If you add less than the amounts mentioned, your curry will not taste as good.

    🥗 Side dishes

    1. With any kind of chicken curry, some kind of bread is a must. Try this whole wheat naan for the perfect combination.

    2. You can, of course, have it with rice too if that's what you like. Plain white basmati rice works well, but if you want to take things up a notch, check out this cumin rice recipe.

    3. Want to make things even fancier? Try chicken cholay with a side of potatoes, like these Bombay Potatoes.

    For more options for side dishes, do see this post - 20+ Best Side Dishes for Chicken Curry. You will be spoiled for choice!

    Murgh cholay in a white plate.

    More chicken curry recipes to try

    • White chicken karahi
    • Chicken kali mirch (pepper chicken)
    • Boneless chicken handi
    • Madras chicken
    • Palak chicken (spinach chicken curry)
    Murgh cholay in a white plate.

    Murgh Cholay (Chicken and Chickpea Curry)

    Saima Zaidi
    Murgh cholay is a hearty, dhaba-style chicken curry made with bone-in chicken and chickpeas. Perfect for potlucks or weekend dinners! 
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 55 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Indian
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 483 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 Blender
    • 1 large and deep pan

    Ingredients
     
     

    • ½ cup cooking oil
    • 1 red onion medium-sized, sliced fine
    • 1 red onion medium-sized, chopped roughly
    • 8 garlic cloves chopped
    • 2" piece ginger chopped
    • 1 whole chicken medium-sized, bone-in, skinless, cut into 14 pieces
    • 1 ½ tablespoon coriander powder
    • ½ tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
    • ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
    • 2 tbsp tomato paste canned
    • 2 tablespoon yogurt
    • 1 can chickpeas
    • 4 green chillies slit lengthwise
    • 1 tablespoon kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves

    Instructions
     

    Preparation

    • Slice one red onion finely.
    • Put the wet masala ingredients (chopped onions, ginger, and garlic) in a blender with a few tablespoons of water and blend to a smooth paste.

    Cooking

    • Heat the oil in a deep pan and add the sliced onions. Fry until caramelized.
    • Add the wet ground masala you prepared earlier and fry for 4-5 minutes on high heat.
    • Add the chicken and dry ground spices (coriander, turmeric, red chilli, and garam masala). Mix well and fry on high heat for 5 minutes. Add ½ cup water and cover the pan. Turn down the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes.
    • Add tomato paste and yogurt cook uncovered for 15 minutes. 
    • Drain the can of chickpeas, rinse, and add to the chicken. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the chickpeas are coated with the masala (curry).
    • Add slit green chillies and kasuri methi (dried fenugreek). Give the chicken a stir and switch off the heat. Cover the pan again and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve hot with naan or pita bread.

    Notes

    1. Kasuri methi or dried fenugreek is easily available in any Indian or Pakistani grocery or the international aisle of a big supermarket. 
    2. Don't add a lot of water as the sauce will become too thin. You want a thick sauce for this recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 483kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 25gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 242mgPotassium: 411mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 366IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword chicken cholay, stovetop chicken curry
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
    « Chicken Bhuna Masala (Bhuna Murgh)
    Arbi Fry (Colocasia Fry) »
    1 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think: Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    headshot of Saima

    Hi, I'm Saima! I live in Alberta, Canada with my husband and twin boys. Here, you'll find Indian recipes with fresh, natural ingredients and easy, no-fuss cooking techniques. Welcome to my blog!

    More about me →

    Popular Posts

    • Chicken Malai Tikka
    • Crispy and Fluffy Puri Recipe (Fried Indian Poori Bread)
    • Lamb Karahi Gosht (Indian Lamb Curry)
    • Beetroot Sabzi (Chukandar Sabzi)

    Web Stories

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy

    Newsletter

    • Subscribe for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Indian Ambrosia

    Indian Ambrosia uses cookies to improve your experience. If you continue to use this site, we will assume you're okay with the terms:) GOT IT Read More
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    SAVE & ACCEPT