Chicken Nihari recipe with homemade nihari masala will give you the same taste as you eat in Karachi dhabas or roadside. Nihari is dominating Pakistani Cuisine! People crave to have it with special garnishing of lemon, Julianne ginger, and green chilies. It's a floured stew cooked with chicken on slow heat. One of the best comfort food loaded with spicy gravy and served with tandoori naan.
Jump to:
About Nihari
Nihari is a popular stew dish from Lucknow prepared in a big pot with meat in a slow cooking process. Traditionally nihari is cooked with beef but now variations came up as most restaurants are making nihari with chicken as the vast majority of people like to have it.
Pakistani nihari chefs are giving the best flavor of nihari famous all around the world and international tourists and food bloggers love to travel to eat at their places.
A perfect nihari is loaded with lustrous gravy and meat with the garnishing of ginger, freshly squeezed lemon, and green chilies. Always served with naan or tandoori roti that literally double the flavor of this dish. I would say, it's a king of solo curry that doesn't need any other thing to pair up except the naan.
There are so many ways to prepare nihari as every nihari chef has something special to reveal. There is no doubt, it's a floured curry but making and adding the right ingredients create a twist in taste that makes it distinguished from other nihari recipes.
Special Nihari Masala plays an important role to make a perfect nihari taste.
Chicken Nihari
Traditionally people make it with mutton, beef and camel meat. Here, I am sharing an authentic recipe from a famous Nihari house in Karachi. It's a chicken nihari recipe Pakistani prepared with homemade nihari masala spice mix that you can use to prepare in your kitchen. Nihari has a special and unique taste and aroma that can't be compared with other stew/curry/gravy dishes.
In Pakistan, most restaurants prepare Nihari for breakfast. I have beautiful memories associated with Nihari, I remember, my father used to eat it once a week for breakfast and we all join them as a kid. Since then, we have developed our taste and still now eat it with love.
In nihari houses, there is a special arrangement of Nihari like they set up meat, gravy, and tari in different pans. In the same way, there is some option of eating Magaz Nihari or Nalli Nihari. According to customer demand, they make special servings by assembling everything together.
Ingredients
Chicken - Used skinless 700 g chicken with bones. Thighs, breasts, and legs are good to go with nihari.
Oil/ghee - I don't want to say but I have to admit that Nihari is not a less oil dish and any sort of compromise will reverse the taste that you want.
Ginger Garlic Paste - Freshly made ginger garlic paste used to make nihari curry.
Yogurt - Used fresh and thick yogurt to neutralize the taste of nihari masala.
Nihari Masala Powder - Used homemade nihari powder (2 tbsp). It will give the restaurant-style flavor.
Water - To thicken the nihari.
Flour - Used wheat flour paste.
Salt - To taste
Onion - shallow Fry 1 medium size onion (For Tadka).
Garnish with Julianne Ginger Green Chilies and Lemon
If you are a true lover of this dish then surely try this recipe with confidence to make tasty Chicken Nihari in your home kitchen. Nihari has special look so make it with true ingredients to get some texture and luster that will compel your family and gues to eat in no time.
How To Make Chicken Nihari
In a heated pan, add oil and saute ginger garlic paste for few minutes. Add chicken and cook on high heat until the chicken starts to change color. Add yogurt with nihari masala and cook on high temperature to make one-tone gravy. Keep stirring the pan during this process. As oil starts to get visible on pan sides, add water and give it good mix. Cover the pan and simmer for 35 minutes on medium to low heat.
Prepare the Flour Paste:
In a bowl, add aata (wheat flour) with a pinch of salt and little water. Give a good mix and make a thick paste.
Slowly add the flour paste to the nihari curry and quickly stir it while adding the flour otherwise it will show a lumpy texture. (Adjust the salt after doing this step).
Cover the pan and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes on low heat.
Prepare Nihari Tadka
In the meanwhile prepare tadka, In hot oil, add onion slices. Fry onion until it gets golden brown color. Add tadka in Nihari and keep it on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. As the oil floats over the pan the Nihari is ready to serve.
Serve Chicken nihari with naan or tandoori roti to enhance the taste.
Chicken Nihari Video
So let's move to the kitchen and start making this Pakistani style "Chicken Nihari" in an easy way. I recorded this nihari video recipe in Urdu/Hindi so it will be easy for beginners to follow the quick steps. Do let me know if you try this!
Easy Tips
- To make a perfect taste of chicken nihari, use chicken with bones and cook on slow heat to get the fully extracted broth which will add a great taste with spices.
- Use homemade nihari masala to make restaurant-style nihari at home. You can also store the masala for later use. It will save your time and help to make quick nihari for dinner and lunch.
- Wisely add flour to thicken nihari curry. Over addition can ruin the taste of nihari.
- Always add flour in form of water paste (add flour in water and mix it well).
- Add flour paste gradually in nihari to adjust the thickness of curry.
- Separate the oil (tari) of nihari before adding the flour as sometimes people complain about losing the greasiness of nihari.
- If you lose the greasiness then cook on extremely low heat (steam) and it will be visible after few minutes.
Serving
Nihari is a solo dish that can only pair up well with naan. If you are planning to through a Nihari party with friends then add different types of naan and it will really make a big difference.
Tandoori naan, Pakistani roghni naan, Sheermal, Kulcha, and Taftan is best to serve with. To enhance the taste, dunk garlic naan in nihari to make a big bite and eat.
You Might Like This
Chicken Nihari Recipe Pakistani
Materials
- 700 g Chicken
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 2 tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 cup Yogurt
- 2 tablespoon Nihari Masala Powder How to make nihari masala
- ½ liter Water
- 2 tablespoon Flour - 2 Tbsp
- Salt To taste
- 1 tablespoon Onion Slices For Tadka
- Garnishing Julianne Ginger, Green Chilies and Lemon
Nihari Masala (Grind all Ingredients)
- 8 bay leaves
- 6 Cinnamon 3 inches long
- ½ Nutmeg
- 2 Star Aniseed
- 20 Green Cardamom
- 40 Black Pepper corns
- 1 teaspoon Dry Ginger
- 1.5 tablespoon Fennel Seeds
- 2 teaspoon Coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon Black Cumin
- 2 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- 1.5 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
Instructions
- In a pan, add 2 tablespoon oil,
- Also, add 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste. Cook on high temperature until oil floats on the surface.
- Now add, Chicken - 700 gms and cook at very high temperatures to make chicken juicy and chewy.
- Add yogurt - 1 Cup. Cook on high heat until it forms a gravy.
- In the meanwhile, add Nihari Masala Powder.
- (To make nihari masala, take Bay leaves – 8, Cinnamon –6 inches, Nutmeg – ½ piece, Star Anise – 2, Green Cardamom – 20, Black pepper – 40, Cloves – 25, Dry Ginger – Saunth 6″ piece,Fennel Seeds – 1.5 Tbsp, Coriander Seed – 3 Tsp, Black Cumin – 1 Tsp, Cumin Seeds – 2 Tsp. Combine and grind all ingredients to make a powder in grinder. Now in a separate bowl add: Red Chili Powder – 2 Tsp, Turmeric Powder – 1.5 Tsp, Coriander Powder – 1 Tsp, Ground Garam Masala – 2 Tbsp. Mix well..
- Add 3 Tsp, nihari masala powder in curry.
- Again, stir masala on high heat.
- Add water - ½ liter. Mix well!!
- Cover for 35 minutes.
- Now in a bowl, add aata (wheat flour), a pinch of salt and water to make a thick solution.
- Now add this flour solution in Nihari. Make sure to add slowly and gradually by monitoring the thickness of the Nihari gravy.
- Stir constantly otherwise the gravy will show the lumpy texture.
- Now check salt. Adjust accordingly.
- Cover and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes on low heat.
- In the meanwhile prepare tadka, In hot oil, add onion slices. Fry onion until it gets golden brown color.
- Add tadka in curry and keep it on low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.
- As the oil floats over the pan the Nihari is ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- To make a perfect taste of chicken nihari, use chicken with bones and cook on slow heat to get the fully extracted broth which will add a great taste with spices.
- Use homemade nihari masala to make restaurant-style nihari at home. You can also store the masala for later use. It will save your time and help to make quick nihari for dinner and lunch.
- Wisely add flour to thicken nihari curry. Over addition can ruin the taste of nihari.
- Separate the oil (tari) of nihari before adding the flour as sometimes people complain about losing the greasiness of nihari.
- If you lose the greasiness then cook on extremely low heat (steam) and it will be visible after few minutes.
Hinz
Quick and easy recipe of chicken nihari with homemade nihari masala powder. Give it a try!