Chicken
चिकनچکن
chikan
Bone-in, skinless thighs and drumsticks.
Its job: The protein.
Science-backed recipe
From the MedRise Food Science kitchenPublished
Punjabi Chicken Curry, the Everyday Classic
Also called Desi Chicken Curry · Murgh Curry · चिकन करी · چکن کری
Bone-in chicken simmered in a deep, glossy onion-tomato masala, finished with garam masala and cilantro.
From the MedRise Food Science kitchenPublished - Active
- 50 min
- Prep
- 15 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
Why this recipe works
- ✓Deep colorOnions browned properly.
- ✓Bone-in flavorPressure cooked tender.
- ✓The Indian baseIn order.
- ✓High proteinChicken thighs.
What is Punjabi chicken curry?
The home-style chicken curry of Punjab on both sides of the border: chicken in an onion-tomato masala, without cream, eaten with rice or roti.
Meet the ingredients
The main ingredients, with their English, Hindi and Urdu names.
Grow it yourself: Tomatoes, Cilantro (dhania), Garlic, Ginger
The lab notes
The science behind every step
Restaurant cooks do these things by habit. Here’s what each step is actually doing to the food, so you can cook by understanding instead of guesswork.
Lab note01
The Indian base order
Cumin, then onions, ginger-garlic, salt and powdered spices, tomatoes, and garam masala last.
Each step cooks in the order its flavor needs: whole cumin blooms in hot fat, onions brown and sweeten, ginger-garlic loses its raw edge, ground spices toast for seconds without burning, tomatoes cook down until the oil separates, and garam masala goes in last so its aroma survives.
Lab note02
Brown the onions deeply
Cook the onions until deep golden, not just soft.
Browning caramelizes the onions’ sugars and creates Maillard compounds, which give the curry its dark color and savory sweetness.
How to peel tomatoes, the food-science way
Score, blanch for 30–60 seconds, chill in ice water, and the skins slip right off. Peeled tomatoes cook into a smoother, silkier masala with no chewy flecks of skin.
1. ScoreCut a shallow X through the skin on the bottom of each tomato.
2. BlanchLower the tomatoes into rolling boiling water (a saucepan, or the Instant Pot on Sauté, More/High) for 30–60 seconds, just until the skin at the X starts to split.
3. ChillLift them straight into a bowl of ice water for about 1 minute.
4. PeelStarting at the X, slip the skins off with your fingers. Cut out the core, then chop or blend.
Why peel at all?
Tomato skin is a tough, waxy layer that doesn’t break down with cooking; in a long-cooked masala it curls into chewy flecks. The skin is also where almost all of a tomato’s flavonoids sit, mainly naringenin chalcone and rutin, the kind of plant compounds that can taste faintly bitter or astringent. Texture is the bigger, better-proven reason, but peeled tomatoes give the smoothest, cleanest-tasting gravy.
Why the boiling water works
A short plunge heats only the outer layer. The heat weakens the pectin that glues the skin to the flesh, and steam forming underneath pushes the skin away, so it splits and curls back at the X while the flesh inside stays raw and firm.
Why the ice bath
Ice water stops the cooking at once, so the flesh doesn’t turn soft and mushy, and makes the tomatoes cool enough to peel right away. More than about a minute in the boiling water starts to cook the flesh.
Sources: National Center for Home Food Preservation: Put It Up! Boiling Water Canning · Muir et al., Nature Biotechnology (2001): flavonoids in tomato peel
How to make it, at a glance
- Season the chickenMix the chicken with the yogurt and salt.
- Cumin and onionsSelect Sauté (More). Heat the ghee, add the cumin seeds until they sizzle, then the onions until deep golden, 8–10 minutes.
- Ginger-garlic, then spicesAdd the ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute, then the salt, chili, turmeric and coriander for 30 seconds.
- TomatoesAdd the tomatoes and cook until thick and the oil separates, 5–6 minutes.
- Pressure cookAdd the chicken and water, scraping the bottom. Pressure cook on High for 10 minutes; natural release 10 minutes.
- FinishSelect Sauté and reduce 3–5 minutes to the thickness you like; check for 165°F. Stir in the garam masala and cilantro.
Exact amounts and timings are in the recipe card below.
Health benefits, honestly rated
A high-protein everyday curry.
Macros per serving High protein
Calories340
Protein35 g
Carbs9 g
Fat18 g
Fiber2 g
Sodium1030 mg
10.3 g protein per 100 calories. Estimated from the ingredients with USDA FoodData Central values.
Gym-friendly tip: Already high in protein. For a leaner plate, serve with salad and roti instead of rice, and use skinless thighs or breast.
High-quality protein
Chicken thighs supply complete protein.
Keep in mind
- Cook to 165°F.
General nutrition information, not medical advice. Numbers marked “estimated” are calculated from the recipe’s ingredients and vary with brands and portions. If you have diabetes, heart or kidney disease, a food allergy, or are pregnant, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian how this dish fits your diet.
Health sources: Dietary Guidelines for Americans
See the full ingredient health guide: benefits, traditional roots and the science →
Questions, answered
How do I make it thicker?
Reduce on Sauté after pressure cooking.
About MedRise Food Science
Desi restaurant favorites, recreated at home and explained with food science: every recipe is tested in a home kitchen and comes with the why behind each step.
Recipe card
Punjabi Chicken Curry
Instant Pot Punjabi chicken curry: bone-in chicken in a deep onion-tomato masala built in the proper Indian order, finished with garam masala and cilantro. The everyday Sunday curry.
Prep15 minCook35 minTotal50 minServes4 servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Indian base
To finish
Instructions (Instant Pot)
- Season the chickenMix the chicken with the yogurt and salt.
- Cumin and onionsSelect Sauté (More). Heat the ghee, add the cumin seeds until they sizzle, then the onions until deep golden, 8–10 minutes.
- Ginger-garlic, then spicesAdd the ginger-garlic paste for 1 minute, then the salt, chili, turmeric and coriander for 30 seconds.
- TomatoesAdd the tomatoes and cook until thick and the oil separates, 5–6 minutes.
- Pressure cookAdd the chicken and water, scraping the bottom. Pressure cook on High for 10 minutes; natural release 10 minutes.
- FinishSelect Sauté and reduce 3–5 minutes to the thickness you like; check for 165°F. Stir in the garam masala and cilantro.
Notes
- Boneless
- Use boneless thighs and pressure cook 6 minutes.
- Storage
- Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze 3 months.
Equipment
- Instant Pot (6 qt)
- Thermometer