Garlic Chicken Curry | Lehsuni Murgh

Garlic chicken curry recipe with step-by-step photos & a recipe video. Easy Indian chicken curry flavored primarily with garlic & mild spices.

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It is also known as Lehsuni Murgh. Lehsuni means “garlic-infused” and Murgh means “Chicken” in the Indian language. It is a mildly spicy, rich, thick & creamy chicken curry with garlic flavor.

This is amazing chicken curry for all chicken lovers. Serve this garlic chicken curry with Naan (Indian flatbread) or rice.

This recipe is adapted from Mughlai Chicken Curry. You are definitely going to love this creamy garlic chicken recipe.

Recipe features:

• Quick & easy to make – You can make it quickly within 30 minutes.
• Easy to customize – see the ingredient list below for alternative ingredients. You can add or skip the ingredients as per your taste.
• Make-ahead recipe – You can make it ahead of time. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Gluten-free

Garlic Chicken Curry Ingredients:

• Chicken – I have used boneless chicken breast to make this chicken curry. You can also use chicken thighs or chicken with bone.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic to make this curry. This chicken curry is mainly flavored with garlic. But you can adjust the quantity as per your taste.  
• Ginger – It is used to flavor the gravy.
• Onion – I have used red onions.
• Yogurt – Use fresh curd/yogurt to marinate the chicken. Fresh yogurt tastes sweet. If you are using sour curd/yogurt then skip adding lemon juice to the marination.
• Spice powders – Red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder & garam masala powder. I have used two different red chili powders. Kashmiri red chili powder gives a bright red color to the curry & is not spicy. But if you do not have it then skip adding it & use regular chili powder.
• Salt
• Lemon juice
• Tomato – Use plum tomatoes to make this chicken gravy. Or use any juicy ripe tomatoes. If the tomatoes you are using are sour then skip adding lemon juice.
• Cashew – Cashews make the gravy base thick & creamy. You can substitute it with almonds.
• Oil – You can use any cooking oil that does not have a strong smell.
• Butter – Butter gives richness to the chicken curry. It also gives a nice flavor to it. But if you want to avoid it for health reasons, then skip it & increase the quantity of oil.
• Cream – The addition of cream is optional. But definitely, it will reduce the heat from garlic. Makes the gravy mild & creamy. You can substitute it with coconut milk.
• Coriander leaves (Cilantro) – Adds a fresh flavor to the curry.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below.

Cooking tips:

1. Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes to an hour. The longer it marinates the better it tastes.
2. You can skip the addition of lemon juice to the marinade if the curd/yogurt is sour.
3. Frying garlic in butter – Keep the heat on low & then fry the garlic in butter until it is lightly golden. If you keep the heat on medium or high then garlic will burn quickly. We have to flavor the butter with garlic but, without burning it.
4. One important thing to keep in mind is that you have to fry the garlic until it is light golden & not golden or dark brown in color. If the garlic is dark brown then it is over fried & it will taste bitter.
5. Soak the cashews in water for about 10 minutes before grinding them. It will make the cashews soft & you can grind it with tomatoes to a fine paste.
6. Adjust the consistency of the gravy as you like. Basically, the gravy is thick but you can adjust the consistency as per your liking.
7. The gravy becomes thick after some time. Heat the gravy by adding ½ cup water before serving it.
8. You can reduce the quantity of garlic in the recipe.
9. It is optional to add green chilies. You can skip it if you prefer less spicy.

If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious Indian Chicken Curry recipes:

• Mughlai Chicken Curry
• Chicken Korma
• Dhaba Style Chicken Curry
• Hyderabadi Chicken Masala
• Chicken Changezi

 How to make garlic chicken curry

Preparations:

1. Chop the onions, garlic, & coriander leaves. Set it aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, marinate the chicken with yogurt, red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder (optional), turmeric powder, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, salt & lemon juice.
3. Grind tomato & cashews to make a paste. Do not add water while grinding it. Set it aside.

Making the chicken curry

1. Heat a pan over low heat. Add 2 tsp oil + 1 tbsp butter.
2. Add garlic & stir-fry until lightly golden. Remove & transfer the fried garlic & butter to a bowl. Set it aside.
3. In the same pan, heat 1 tsp oil over medium heat.
4. Add onion, ginger & garlic. Saute until the onions are translucent
5. Add the marinated chicken. Stir-fry until the color of the chicken turns from pink to white.
6. Add 1/2 cup water & stir. Cover & cook until the chicken is completely cooked. Stir it in between as required.
7. Cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
8. Add the tomato & cashew paste. Stir it. Add water to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
9. Taste & add salt. Cover & cook for 3-4 minutes.
10. Add green chilies, cream, chopped coriander leaves, garam masala powder & fried garlic with butter. Cover & cook for a minute.
11. Yummy delicious garlic chicken curry is ready to serve.

Variations that you can try:

• Add paneer or tofu instead of chicken.
• Or add mushroom instead of chicken.

Serving Suggestions:

• Serve garlic chicken curry with Naan, Paratha (Indian flatbread).
• You can also serve it with steamed rice or jeera rice.

Storage suggestions:

• Leftover garlic chicken curry can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It stays good for 2 days.
• Before serving it, add ½ cup of water to the chicken curry & mix. Reheat it & serve.

FAQs

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5 from 5 votes

Garlic Chicken Curry | Lehsuni Murgh | Easy Chicken Curry

Garlic chicken curry recipe with step-by-step photos & a recipe video. Easy Indian chicken curry flavored primarily with garlic & mild spices. This is amazing chicken curry for all chicken lovers. Serve this creamy garlic chicken curry with Naan (Indian flatbread) or rice.

Course Main

Cuisine Indian

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 396kcal

Author Preeti

Equipment

• Heavy bottom pan

Ingredients

To marinate the chicken

• 500- gram boneless chicken breast (or use chicken thighs)
• 4 tsp fresh curd/yogurt
• 1/2 tsp spicy red chili powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder (optional)
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp roasted cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

To make a tomato-cashew paste

• 4 medium-size plum tomatoes roughly chopped
• 6-7 cashews soak the cashews in water for 10 minutes & then use it

To make Garlic Chicken Curry

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tbsp butter (unsalted)
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 3 medium size chopped onions
• 1 tsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp ginger paste
• 2 green chilies chopped
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 tsp garam masala powder

Instructions

Preparations:

• Chop the onions, garlic, green chili & coriander leaves. Set it aside.
• In a mixing bowl, marinate the chicken with yogurt, red chili powder, Kashmiri red chili powder (optional), turmeric powder, coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, salt & lemon juice.
• Grind tomato & cashews to make a paste. Do not add water while grinding it. Set it aside.

Making the creamy garlic chicken

• Heat a pan over low heat. Add 2 tsp oil + 1 tbsp butter.
• Add garlic & stir-fry until lightly golden. Remove & transfer the fried garlic & butter to a bowl. Set it aside.
• In the same pan, heat 1 tsp oil over medium heat.
• Add onion, ginger & garlic. Saute until the onions are translucent
• Add the marinated chicken. Stir-fry until the color of the chicken turns from pink to white.
• Add 1/2 cup water & stir. Cover & cook until the chicken is completely cooked. Stir it in between as required.
• Cook uncovered for 5 minutes or until the moisture evaporates.
• Add the tomato & cashew paste. Stir it. Add water to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
• Taste & add salt. Cover & cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Add green chilies, cream, chopped coriander leaves, garam masala powder & fried garlic with butter. Cover & cook for a minute.
• Yummy delicious garlic chicken curry is ready to serve.

Video

Notes

1. You can skip the addition of lemon juice to the marinade if the curd/yogurt is sour.
2. Frying garlic in butter – Keep the heat on low & then fry the garlic in butter until it is lightly golden. If you keep the heat on medium or high then garlic will burn quickly. We want to flavor the butter with garlic without burning it.
3. One important thing to keep in mind is that you have to fry the garlic until it is light golden & not golden or dark brown in color. If the garlic is dark brown then it is over fried & it will taste bitter.
4. Soak the cashews in water for about 10 minutes before grinding it. It will make the cashews soft & you can grind it with tomatoes to a fine paste.
5. Adjust the consistency of the gravy as you like. Basically, the gravy is thick but you can adjust the consistency as per your liking.
6. The gravy becomes thick after some time. Heat the gravy by adding ½ cup water before serving it.
7. You can reduce the quantity of garlic in the recipe.
8. It is optional to add green chilies. You can skip it if you prefer less spicy.

Please leave your valuable suggestions, feedback, or any query related to the recipe in the comment box below.

If you’ve tried this Garlic Chicken Curry or any other recipes on the blog then do let us know how it turned out in the comments below, we love hearing it from you!