Looking for a quick weeknight curry? This Murg Cholay is a flavorful chicken and chickpea curry made with tender pieces of chicken, hearty chickpeas, and aromatic spices quick enough for an easy weeknight dinner!
In this Post:
- Ingredients you need
- How to make Murg Cholay?
- Tips for Recipe
- What to serve with Murg Cholay?
- More Easy Curry Recipes
“What’s for dinner?” is always a difficult question at the end of a long day.
Sometimes you’re missing an ingredient, other times, you just don’t feel like spending too much time in the kitchen, but you really need a comforting and nutritious meal.
This chicken channa masala is perfect for those days!
You probably have a piece of chicken defrosted and the rest of the ingredients in the pantry!
So, let’s make chicken channa masala!
Why you’ll love this recipe
Murg Cholay or Chicken Channa Masala is the perfect weeknight meal.
- Nutritious with chickpeas and chicken
- Flavorful with lots of familiar spices
- Quick recipe, perfect for a weeknight!
- It can be a standalone meal without any side dishes!
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more quick weeknight chicken curries, here are some of our favorites:
- Palak Chicken: Chicken and Spinach Curry
- Chicken Jalfrezi: Stir-Fry with Chicken and Bell Peppers
- Karahi Chicken: Chicken in Spicy Tomato Sauce
- White Chicken Karahi: Chicken in Cream Sauce
Ingredients & Notes
- Whole Spices – bay leaf, cumin, cardamom (green and black), cinnamon, cloves –
- Ground Spices – coriander, cumin, red chilli, turmeric, garam masala,
- Chicken – we used chicken breast for this recipe, but you can also use chicken thighs if you prefer. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces before cooking.
- Ginger-Garlic Paste – or equal parts crushed ginger and crushed garlic. This paste is a popular pantry item for Pakistani and Indian food. We love making a big batch of ginger garlic paste at home and having it ready in the fridge.
- Chickpeas – you can either boil dry chickpeas or use a can of chickpeas for a quicker recipe.
How to make Murg Cholay?
On low heat, add oil, cumin, black peppercorns, black and green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaf in a pot. Cook till it is fragrant.
Add the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken pieces are longer pink. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a couple of minutes.
Add the powdered spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chili powder), and salt.
Cook for a couple of minutes to ensure it does not burn if needed; add a couple of tablespoons of water.
Add tomatoes and mix well till it’s incorporated.
Add diced onion and cook till onion is soft.
Add chickpeas mix well, and cook covered for a few minutes.
If using canned chickpeas, add little water so the chickpeas can become soft and tender. Cook a little longer.
Adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding water if needed.
Remove from heat and garnish with chopped cilantro and julienne ginger.
Serve it hot alongside roti, tandoor roti, or rice.
Recipe Tips
- For this recipe, you can either use boiled chickpeas or use canned chickpeas for convenience.
- If using canned chickpeas, we recommend cooking for an extra five minutes so that the chickpeas become soft and tender.
- If serving this as a traditional curry, you can add a little extra water so that the curry has a saucier consistency.
What to serve with Murgh Cholay?
This channa chicken masala is a delicious meal by itself, or you can serve it alongside warm chapati, tandoori roti, or simply plain Basmati rice.
If you’re looking for side dishes that pair well with this dish, here are some of our favorites:
Recipes you’ll love
If you’re looking for more simple curry recipes, here are some of our favorites:
- Keema Matar: Curry with Ground Meat and Green Peas
- Masoor Daal Tadka: Easy Red Lentil Curry
- Aloo Gobi – Pakistani Cauliflower and Potato Curry
- Egg Curry Recipe with Potatoes
If you give this recipe a try, we’d love to see it! Tag us on Instagram @thespicemess
Murgh Cholay / Chicken Channa
Ingredients
Whole Spices
- 1 bay leaf
- ½- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 big cardamoms
- 3 green cardamom
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 4 cloves
- 10-15 black peppercorns
Ground Spices
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder depending on the spiciness
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Garam masala
Chicken Channa Masala
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1- 1 ½ cup boiled chickpeas or canned chickpeas
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 cup crushed or diced tomato
- ½ cup oil
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- On low heat, add oil, cumin, black peppercorns, black and green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and bay leaf in a pot. Cook till it is fragrant.
- Add the chicken pieces and cook until the chicken pieces are longer pink. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a couple of minutes.
- Add the powered spices (turmeric, cumin, coriander, red chili powder), and salt.
- Cook for a couple of minutes to ensure it does not burn if needed; add a couple of tablespoons of water.
- Add tomatoes and mix well till it’s incorporated.
- Add diced onion and cook till onion is soft.
- Add chickpeas mix well, and cook covered for a few minutes.
- If using canned chickpeas, add little water so the chickpeas can become soft and tender. Cook a little longer.
- Adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding water if needed.
- Remove from heat and garnish with chopped cilantro and julienne ginger.
- Serve it hot alongside roti, tandoor roti, or rice.