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)
- Chop the onion roughly into cubes.
- 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.
- 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
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!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop Cooking
- Cuisine: Indian
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
- Take the yoghurt in a bowl and add ginger-garlic paste, black pepper and salt.
- 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.
- Cover the pan, lower the heat and cook until the gravy reduces and the oil separates (25 minutes). Stir once or twice.
- Add the green chillies, cook for 2 minutes more and turn off the heat. Serve with warm naan bread.
Notes
- 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
Did you make this kali mirch chicken recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Jyothi (Jo) says
Pepper chicken looks so yumm. With rotis these would be amazing
★★★★★
aditi bahl says
Pepper chicken with yogurt sounds just so right. Especially in summer, when you want something less rich but flavorful.Well this recipe has it all. Thanks for sharing.
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
I agree. Freshly ground pepper is the way to go! I am drooling over this chicken!
★★★★★
Elaine @ Dishes Delish says
I love pepper with anything. Hubby doesn’t like it but he doesn’t know I sneak it in everything I make. I’m going to have to make this for this weekend’s BBQ so everyone can enjoy it without me feeling guilty about sneaking it as it is pretty obvious! 🙂 This looks so delicious!!
★★★★★
Saima says
Haha! You can’t ‘sneak’ in pepper in pepper chicken, for sure!
Whitney Bond says
I love how easy the prep looks! Can’t wait to try, seems like it will be perfectly creamy yet flavorful and light!
★★★★★
Saima says
Yes, it’s a cinch to make this, Whitney. And it’s super creamy because of the yoghurt. Do try it.
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
“No muss … no fuss!” Perfect – that’s my kinda recipe for busy nights! And great explanation about using fresh ground pepper instead of those tired, spent little granules from an old spice bottle – seriously makes such a difference! Terrific post – thank you!
★★★★★
Saima says
You got it! That’s THE secret to making a punchy pepper chicken.
Veena Azmanov says
Oh!! You know I haven’t made pepper chicken is years! It used to be my absolute favorite dish and looking at this now makes me wanna go make some. Looks so yum.
★★★★★
prasanna hede says
Wow this pepper chicken looks real good.I have been wanting to try pepper chicken for long.
Kim @ Berly's Kitchen says
This sounds fantastic! Green chiles are a great addition to any dish. This is a really easy dish and would make a great dinner option.
★★★★★
Jessica (Swanky Recipes) says
With summer here, I hardly want to set foot in the kitchen and cook a big meal for the family. I’d much rather cook something easy and tasty and this recipe is something that won’t take a long time prepare. It’s also perfect for meal planning for lunches throughout the week!
★★★★★
Saima says
I agree wholeheartedly, Jessica! Who wants to spend time in the kitchen cooking elaborate meals in the summer heat?
Veronika's Kitchen says
Oh, this recipes sounds amazing) I make a lot of chicken recipes during the summer and this one will be a hit!)
★★★★★
Anne says
yum! This sounds so good and easy to make too!