Chicken Bhuna Masala | Bhuna Chicken | Chicken Bhuna Recipe

Chicken Bhuna Masala is a flavorful North Indian curry that has succulent chicken pieces simmered in spicy and flavorful onion-tomato bhuna masala. Serve Chicken Bhuna with Butter Naan, Roti, or Jeera rice. Learn to make this restaurant-favorite dish with step-by-step photos and a video tutorial.

This chicken bhuna masala recipe is spicy yet so flavorful that this chicken masala recipe is now added to our family's favorite dishes. The chicken is so soft and juicy coated with spicy and tangy Bhuna Masala. If you love spicy food, like me, you should try this super delicious chicken masala recipe at home.

I made this Bhuna Chicken slightly differently. What I changed is marinating the chicken with yogurt, which keeps the chicken soft and juicy even after roasting it with Bhuna Masala. Many readers have tried this Bhuna Chicken recipe and are happy with the results. Give it a try, and you will love it.

About This Chicken Bhuna Masala

What is Bhuna?

Bhuna, a Hindi word meaning "Roasted" or “Sauté,” is a cooking method that involves searing or stir-frying food on high heat. It adds a smoky flavor and enhances the flavor of the dish. This is a common technique in Indian cuisine and can be used for both meat and vegetarian dishes.

What is bhuna chicken?

It is the cooking technique that gives this spicy chicken curry its name. Here, the spices, onions, and tomatoes are roasted in oil or clarified butter (ghee), releasing their delicious Bhuna Masala flavors to the curry.

The chicken is then roasted on high heat with this spicy onion-tomato masala. Then, it's simmered in this Bhuna Masala until the chicken becomes tender and the sauce reaches a semi-dry consistency.  

Chicken Bhuna or Bhuna Chicken is a dry or semi-dry chicken curry with little sauce. The flavors are more concentrated and the curry is spicy and tangy with unique Bhuna Masala flavors. I like to serve it with Garlic Naan and Jeera rice.

You may also like these other popular chicken recipes from this website:

• Chicken Masala
• Mughlai Chicken
• Chicken 65
• Chili Chicken
• Dhaba-style chicken curry
• Hyderabadi Chicken Masala

Ingredients Needed

Bhuna chicken is a flavorful curry that uses the same ingredients as many other chicken curries like this Pressure Cooker Chicken Curry. What sets it apart is the roasting of the masala on high heat. This process transforms simple ingredients into a truly delicious dish. Here's how to make this Chicken Bhuna.

• Chicken: Chicken with bones is preferred to make this Bhuna Chicken. As it involves a lot of roasting or "Bhuno" that can make boneless chicken dry out quickly. Alternatively, you can use drumsticks or Chicken thighs. Both work great for this recipe.
• Yogurt: It makes the chicken tender and juicy. Use fresh yogurt for this bhuna masala.
• Spice Powders: turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder.
• Kashmiri red chili powder: I prefer to use Kashmiri red chili powder in my chicken curry recipes as they give a bright red color and are not spicy. But if you have any other red chili powder or paprika you can add it as per our taste. However, you will miss the bright red color.
• Onions: I used red onions for this Chicken Bhuna Recipe.
• Tomatoes: You can use fresh ripe tomatoes or even canned tomatoes or tomato paste also works.
• Bhuna Masala Spices: I used bay leaf, dried red chili, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom, and black peppercorns. If you do not have one or two whole spices listed here you can skip them. But add whole spices to the tempering it gives the best flavor to this spicy chicken curry.
• Ghee: Gives rich flavor to the curry. Substitute with butter or use oil.
• Herbs: Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) and coriander leaves add fresh flavors to the dish.
• Oil: Any cooking oil with a neutral flavor and high smoke point can be used.

How to make Chicken Bhuna Masala with step by step photos

Marinate the chicken

1) Marinate 500-gram curry-cut, bone-in chicken with the ingredients mentioned below:

• ¼ cup yogurt
• 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder add as per taste

2) Cover and keep it aside for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, let’s make Bhuna Masala.

Making the Bhuna Masala

3) Heat a kadhai/Indian Wok over medium heat. Add 2 teaspoon oil & 3 teaspoons ghee/clarified butter to it. Add the following whole spices:

• 1 bay leaf
• 1 dried red chili deseeded
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1- inch cinnamon
• 4 cloves
• 3 green cardamoms
• 10 peppercorns

4) Sauté it for 30 seconds. Next, add 2 finely chopped onions and sauté on medium-high until lightly golden.

5) Add 1 tablespoon of ginger-garlic paste and cook for 30 seconds or until the raw smell of ginger and garlic leaves is gone.

6) Now lower the heat, and add

• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
• 3 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder

7) Sauté until oil starts to release from the spices. Keep stirring continuously to avoid the spices burning. If needed, sprinkle some water to prevent the spices from burning.

8) Add 2 cups finely chopped tomatoes and salt. Stir to combine it with the masala and cook it for 2-3 minutes. Keep the heat on medium. Cover & cook until the tomatoes are soft and pulpy. Stir it in between to avoid the burning of spices. Be careful while adding salt. We have already added salt while marinating the chicken. Stir and cook until masala starts to leave oil from the sides. Bhuna masala is ready.

Making Bhuna Chicken

9) Keep the heat on high & add the marinated chicken. Combine it with the bhuna onion-tomato masala. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

10) Cover and cook it for 5 minutes on low heat. The chicken will release water. Stir it well. If it looks dry add ¼ cup of water. Again cover and cook it for 10 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

11) After 10 minutes, open the lid, oil starts to float on the surface. This is an indication that the bhuna masala is cooked well. Taste and adjust salt or chili powder as per taste.

12) Add ¼ cup water, lemon juice, garam masala powder, green chili, and roasted kasuri methi. Stir to combine, cover, and cook it for a minute.

13) Bhuna chicken is ready to serve. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve it hot with Roti/Naan/Parathas.

Tips to make the best bhuna chicken recipe

1. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator. The longer it marinates the better it tastes.
2. Use a heavy bottom pan/pot to make this bhuna chicken. You have to roast or bhuno onion-tomato masala on high heat & it may stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Chop the onions and tomatoes as fine as possible. You can use a food processor too. This will reduce the cooking time.
4. Do not use onion puree for making this chicken bhuna recipe. This is not buttery soft gravy. Finely chopped onions and tomatoes add texture to the gravy.
5. Cook the onion-tomato masala until it reduces and becomes thick & oil starts to release from it. This is an indication that the onion-tomato masala or the bhuna masala is cooked perfectly.
6. Use clarified butter or ghee for making bhuna masala. It will increase the flavor of the chicken masala.
7. Bhuna chicken is a dish with semi-thick curry. However, you can adjust the consistency of the gravy to your liking.

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