Pepper Chicken Recipe (Kali Mirch Chicken Recipe)

A pepper chicken recipe that’s made with just five ingredients besides chicken and cooking oil: onions, black pepper, green chillies, yogurt and ginger-garlic paste. No muss, no fuss!

Not in the mood for cooking something that takes hours to make and has an ingredient list a mile long? Try my pepper chicken recipe for a meal that’s healthy, easy and super-tasty. It’s also called murgh kali mirch or kali mirch chicken (kali mirch – black pepper, murgh – chicken).

Every time I cook pepper chicken, it gives me pleasure to think that a very vibrant dish with such interesting flavors can be made so quickly and easily.

Yes, ginger-garlic paste is something you’ll need to make or buy if you don’t already have a batch in your fridge (it is one of the staples of Indian cooking). But apart from that, the other ingredients are ones that most people already have.

The point is that you don’t have to go grocery shopping for special ingredients just to make it. It’s that straightforward!

One simple hack to make chicken kali mirch very flavorful

I have noticed that pepper chicken tastes much better with freshly ground, coarse black pepper. You can do this in two ways:

1. Use a pepper mill and turn it a few times on the coarse setting.

2. Grind some peppercorns in a spice or coffee grinder. Just a few seconds because, remember, you want coarse granules.

So, if you’re planning to use the tired, spent black pepper that’s been lying around in your kitchen cabinet for the last few months, ditch it, and get grinding fresh, black peppercorns while making this recipe.

Your pepper chicken will be punchier with this simple hack, I promise you that!

How to make pepper chicken

Preparation (5 minutes)

1. Chop the onion roughly into cubes.
2. Make the ginger garlic paste if using homemade paste -Put equal quantities of peeled ginger and garlic in a blender along with a few tablespoons water and blend to get a smooth puree. Use as required and store the rest in a sealed glass bottle in the refrigerator.
3. Make the marinade – take a deep bowl and add yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, black pepper and salt. Whisk well.

Note: You can rest the marinated chicken for 10 minutes if you want to, but I have found that it doesn’t make a difference if you cook it instantly.

Cooking (25 minutes)

Step 1 – Heat the oil in a medium-sized frypan and add the onion.

Step 2 – Add the marinated chicken to the frypan and cook on high heat for about 2 minutes.

Step 3 – Lower the heat, cover the pan and cook for 25 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Step 4 – Add the green chilli and cook for 2 minutes.

Serve hot with warm naan.

Why this pepper chicken recipe works

1. It is a truly easy recipe – no complicated steps and no degree in cooking required!

2. It is quick – 30 minutes is all it takes to put this dish on the table. Not bad, don’t you think?

3. It has a few readily available ingredients – no difficult to find stuff that you’ll use once in a while.

4. It is made using tools and equipment every home has – a frypan, a grinder and a blender if you’re making your own ginger garlic paste is all that’s required.

5. It is super tasty – there’s something about chicken cooked in yogurt and seasoned with freshly ground pepper and green chillies that’s totally out of this world!

6. It’s healthy – there are no artificial colors or flavors in this recipe. Just lots of good protein and wholesomeness!

Other chicken recipes you might like

pepper chicken

★★★★★

5 from 9 reviews

A pepper chicken recipe that’s made with just five ingredients besides chicken: onions, black pepper, green chillies, yogurt and ginger-garlic paste. No muss, no fuss!

• Author: Saima Zaidi
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop Cooking
• Cuisine: Indian

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 small chicken on the bone, cut into 14 pieces
• 1 medium onion, cut thickly into 4 or 5 pieces
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1.5 tsp coarse black pepper powder
• 1 or 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• sea salt

Instructions

1. Take the yoghurt in a bowl and add ginger-garlic paste, black pepper and salt.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions. When they turn pink, add the marinated chicken and cook on  high for 3 minutes.
3. Cover the pan, lower the heat and cook until the gravy reduces and the oil separates (25 minutes). Stir once or twice.
4. Add the green chillies, cook for 2 minutes more and turn off the heat. Serve with warm naan bread.

Notes

1. Ginger-garlic paste is easily available in Indian stores or even big chain supermarkets like Walmart. It is very easy to make at home too. Put equal quantities of peeled ginger and garlic in a blender along with a few tablespoons water and blend to get a smooth puree. Store in a sealed glass bottle in the refrigerator and use as required.

Nutrition

• Calories: 215
• Sugar: 2.5 g
• Sodium: 610.1 mg
• Fat: 11.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 6.7 g
• Carbohydrates: 6.9 g
• Protein: 20.9 g
• Cholesterol: 62.9 mg

Keywords: pepper chicken, Indian chicken recipe

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