Simple and easy Tawa chicken recipe Pakistani lahori style that anyone can make at home to serve for dinner and lunch. Small chicken pieces cooked with ginger garlic, spices, yogurt, and tomato paste, with a sprinkle of garam masala and Kasuri methi make an appetizing flavor. Best tawa fry recipe to pair up with Roghni naan.
If you want to make something quick in dhaba style chicken then Tawa chicken fry is the best recipe. It will give the best flavor of chicken with thickened curry that you can have with tandoori naan. Whenever my family wants to have something special with restaurant flavor, I am lahori chicken karahi or tawa chicken.
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About Tawa Chicken
In Pakistani and India, tawa (skillet) is used to make different style of recipes on high heat. Food cooked in tawa has unique and crowd puller aroma. Why I am saying crowd puller? because the heat spread the heady aroma that tempts people to eat and that's the reason street food and dhabas prefer to make tawa fried food.
Here in this recipe, I am making tawa chicken recipe Pakistani inspired version of Lahori food street tawa chicken. Quick and easy recipe prepared with curry masala, yogurt and tomato paste with the flavor of kasuri methi. Isn't it amazing to cook chicken on high heat using heavy bottom iron skillet. If you know the flavor then you must be starving to have it.
Tawa chicken can be prepared in different styles and combinations of spices but some combinations create salivating taste and aroma that compel people to eat again and again. When you try this simple and easy recipe, you will surely love it. Best for the kids as it's simple and easy to eat.
Why This Recipe Works
Chicken can be cooked in several ways by using different combination of spices. I have also tried chicken in so many ways but this recipe was a winner as it has perfect taste, thickened gravy, tender and juicy chicken and best masala combination that enhances the taste of curry.
Many people will be curious to know the difference to cook on tawa or in regular pan. The main difference is the way of cooking. Traditionally on tawa, we cook food on extremely high heat. You know the chicken cooked on high heat has perfect flavor as all the juices reman intact inside chicken as the high heat cooking appropriately seal the chicken pores and simmering penetrate the masala.
Cooking is fun and making food is love so if you cook with love then you will surely get the best taste but some tips, cooking style, and tricks make it perfect and tawa frying or cooking is one of the hack to make delicious food. Most recommended for Pakistani and Indian cooking.
Small pieces of chicken cooked on a Tawa (skillet) create a perfect flavor blending with yogurt, tomatoes, spices, and with a touch of fresh coriander. Super tasty and delectable chicken recipe that you can ever try.
Ingredients
Chicken: Used small pieces of bone in chicken without skin.
Oil: Canola oil used to cook the chicken on high heat.
Ginger Garlic: Freshly prepared ginger garlic used in this recipe.
Tomatoes: Cubes of pulpy tomatoes without skin is used to make chicken gravy. Don't use store bought tomate paste as it will change the taste of chicken.
Yogurt: Taste of yogurt in chicken gravy will make it savory and delicious so use thick yogurt to cook the gravy.
Spices: Salt, red chilies, coriander powder, turmeric used in this recipe. You can also use the homemade curry masala powder to skip individual spices.
Garam Masala: One of the most important ingredient of Pakistani and Indian coooking as it makes the flavor. I prefer to use homemade garam masala rather using the store bought as it completely change the taste.
Kashuri Methi: don't skip it! added to enhance the taste of chicken. It will add a savory and nutty flavor that perfectly goes well with other ingredients.
Green Chilies: It will not only add spice in chicken but also work as taste enhancer.
Garnishing: Used freshly chopped coriander, and Julienne Ginger
How to Make Tawa Chicken
Use heavy bottom iron skillet to make this chicken. First heat up oil in tawa and add chicken pieces. Cook on high heat until the chicken changes its color. Keep stirring during this process to give even color to the chicken.
Then add ginger garlic paste and saute for few minutes to get rid with the raw odor of ginger garlic. Add salt, red chili powder, turmeric, and coriander powder. Saute, 3 to 4 minutes to get rid of the spice rawness.
Now add yogurt and tomatoes and cook on high heat until it shows a one-tone gravy texture. Add water and cover the Tawa for 15 minutes to tender chicken.
After 15 minutes, check chicken tenderness. If there is some water then evaporate it on high heat. Also, fry chicken on tawa using a spatula on high heat. As the chicken started to show the oil on the surface. Then sprinkle garam masala powder, and green chili slices. Again cook for a few minutes to mix the masala.
Garnish chicken with fresh chopped coriander, and julienne ginger.
Yummy and delicious chicken tawa fry is ready to serve.
Expert Tips
- Use an iron skillet (tawa) or nonstick as the chicken will cook on high heat. A heavy metal pan will give you the best result.
- Always cook chicken on high heat to seal the pores of the chicken. This step will make a big difference in chicken taste.
- Don't take the big size of chicken pieces. I used small size chicken pieces with bones.
- Tawa chicken has smooth, consistent, and thickened curry.
- Kasuri methi has a nutty and savory taste that enhances the taste of chicken. Don't miss it. It will give you the best taste. Add in moderation as overused can make the chicken bitter.
Serving Chicken Tawa Fry
You can simply serve this chicken with Tandoori roti, chapati or Naan. Boiled rice or stir-fried garlic butter rice is also an option of serving. Green raita and vegetable salad will enhance the flavor of chicken and make it a perfect meal.
Best to serve at dinner but you can also try it at lunch.
If you are looking for something quick to serve on the weekend then surely try this recipe.
Q & A
Yes, it's spicy and full of masala but you can control the spices as per your taste. Red chili powder and green chilies are added to make them spicy. If you want to make it nonspicy or with a less spiced version then reduce the quantity of red and green chili. It will not make any difference in taste.
Yes, you can! Use the same recipe but cook the chicken for 45 minutes on low heat to tender the meat. If you are using tender meat then use the same recipe just change the meat to lamb/mutton.
It will make a big difference! On tawa, you will cook the meat and spices on high heat. Tawa creates a specific taste and aroma on high heat that the regular pan can't beat.
Yes, tawa chicken is a Pakistani recipe from Lahore. Most of the street food makes live tawa chicken with a different style. People love to have Katakut tawa fry as it has an awesome taste. What do you like? let me know in comment section.
SEE ALSO:
- Chicken Cutlet Recipe
- Mughlai Chicken Recipe
- Peshawari Chapli Kabab Recipe
- Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
- Afghani Chicken Recipe (dry)
- Mutton Shami Kabab Recipe
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Tawa Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Skillet | Tawa
- Spatula
Materials
- ½ kg Chicken
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 teaspoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 4 Tomatoes without skin
- ½ cup Yogurt
- 400 ml Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ teaspoon Black Salt
- 1 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
- ½ tso Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Coriander Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- 2 teaspoon Kasuri Meethi optional
- 3 Green Chilies
- Fresh Coriander and Julienne Ginger for Garnishing
Instructions
- Take an iron Tawa (Skillet), add oil and heat it up.
- As the oil heated then add chicken and cook on high heat until chicken changes the color.
- Now add ginger garlic paste and salt.
- Again cook on high heat.
- As the ginger-garlic cooked with chicken and chicken changes its color,
- Add red chili powder, turmeric, and coriander powder.
- Saute chicken 3 to 4 minutes to get rid of the spice rawness.
- Now add yogurt and tomatoes and cook on high heat until it shows a one tone gravy texture.
- Add water and cover the Tawa for 15 minutes to tender chicken
- After 15 minutes, check chicken tenderness. If there is some water then evaporate it on high heat.
- Also, fry the chicken using a spatula.
- As the chicken started to show the oil on surface.
- Then sprinkle garam masala, and freshly sliced green chilies. Again cook for few minutes to mix masala.
- Garnish chicken freshly chopped coriander, and julienne ginger.
- Delicious Tawa chicken is ready to serve.
Notes
- Use an iron skillet (tawa) or nonstick as the chicken will cook on high heat. A heavy metal pan will give you the best result.
- Always cook chicken on high heat to seal the pores of the chicken. This step will make a big difference in chicken taste.
- Don't take the big size of chicken pieces. I used small size chicken pieces with bones.
- Tawa chicken has smooth, consistent, and thickened curry.
- Kasuri methi has a nutty and savory taste that enhances the taste of chicken. Don't miss it. It will give you the best taste. Add in moderation as overused can make the chicken bitter.
Ayesha
Great recipe of Tawa Chicken looks so good ?