White Chicken Gravy (Malai Chicken) is a rich and creamy Indian style chicken recipe where tender chicken pieces are simmered in aromatic and creamy sauce. This side dish tastes the best when served with any Indian breads like roti, soft naan, or steamed basmati rice or yellow rice.
Check out classic and easy Indian chicken curry and butter chicken masala.
Malai Chicken
Malai Chicken, or Chicken in white gravy, is a popular North Indian recipe in which the chicken is simmered in a rich paste or sauce made from nuts like cashews, sautéed onions, and milk. It has a smooth texture, with a mildly sweet and nutty flavor profile, and is also served in restaurants as Mughlai Malai Chicken. To make it even richer, like the restaurant's, you can finally finish the dish with heavy cream.
If you love Indian curries without too much heat, this white gravy is for you. This chicken side dish is perfect for festivals like Eid, Thanksgiving, Christmas, special dinner dates, or weekends.
Ingredients
For the marination
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Chicken: Boneless or bone-in chicken thigh pieces work well for this dish.
Lemon juice: Adds refreshing and tangy flavor.
Ginger and garlic: Use paste or finely grated ginger and garlic.
Spices: Coriander powder, cumin powder, and pepper powder (black or white).
For the white gravy
Onion, milk, and cashews: Make the rich, creamy base for the gravy.
Whole spices: bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves are all optional, but adding them will make your dish more flavorful.
Kasuri methi: Enhances the dish's overall flavor.
Fat: Combine oil and butter.
Check out the recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
Step-by-step instructions
Soak cashews in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.
Marinate the chicken
- In a bowl, add the chicken thighs, ginger-garlic paste, coriander and cumin powders, pepper powder, salt, and lemon juice, and mix well.
- Marinate this for 30 minutes.
Sauté and make a paste
- In a pan on medium heat, add butter and oil. To this, add cardamom, onions, garlic cloves, and ginger, and sauté until the onions turn translucent on a medium-to-low flame.
- To a mixie jar or blender, add the cashews, milk, and the sauteed ingredients above, and grind to a smooth paste.
For the chicken gravy
- In the same pan, add the oil, whole garam masala (bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise), and green chilies, and sauté for a minute.
- Add the marinated chicken and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add the hot water for the desired consistency, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the ground paste and mix well.
- Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add kasuri methi, coriander leaves, and mix well.
- Serve and enjoy.
Tips
- Towards the end, you can use 2 to 4 tablespoon of heavy cream if needed, if you want it even richer. I generally don’t use it as the richness and milk are sufficient for this dish.
- Always cook on a medium to low flame.
- Do not brown the onions. Just saute until translucent.
- Any leftovers can be refrigerated for 3 days. Just reheat with hot water or milk.
- White chicken gravy may turn yellow if you brown the onions, cook on a high flame, or use spice powders like turmeric, red chile powder, or garam masala.
Serving suggestions
Serve this white gravy or malai chicken with
- Indian breads like soft naan, garlic naan, rumali roti, chapati, paratha
- Rice dishes like jeera rice, onion rice, ghee rice, or steamed basmati rice.
More Chicken recipes
Recipe card
White Chicken Gravy | Malai Chicken Recipe
Equipment
- Pot
Ingredients
Chicken Marination
- 500 g Chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
To saute and grind
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 3 Cardamoms
- 3 Onions finely chopped
- 8 to 10 Garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon Ginger
- 18 to 20 Cashews
- ½ cup Milk full-fat
For the gravy
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 1 Bay leaves
- ½ inch Cinnamon
- 2 Cloves
- 2 Cardamom
- 1 Star anise
- 2 Green chilies slit
- 1 to 2 cups of water hot
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi
- 1 tablespoon Cilantro coriander leaves chopped
Instructions
- Soak cashews in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes.18 to 20 Cashews
Marinate the chicken
- In a bowl, add chicken thighs, ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, cumin powder, pepper powder, salt, and lemon juice, and mix well.500 g Chicken thighs, 1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste, 1 tablespoon Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon Cumin powder, 1 teaspoon Pepper powder, 1 teaspoon Salt, 1 tablespoon Lemon juice
- Marinate this for 30 minutes.
Sauté and make a paste
- In a pan on medium heat, add butter and oil. To this, add cardamom, onions, garlic cloves, and ginger, and saute until the onions turn translucent on a medium to low flame.1 tablespoon Butter, 1 tablespoon Oil, 3 Cardamoms, 3 Onions, 8 to 10 Garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon Ginger
- To a mixie jar or blender, add the cashews, milk, and the sauteed ingredients above, and grind to a smooth paste.½ cup Milk
For the chicken gravy
- In the same pan, add the oil, whole garam masala (bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, star anise), and green chilies, and sauté for a minute.1 tablespoon Oil, 1 Bay leaves, ½ inch Cinnamon, 2 Cloves, 2 Cardamom, 1 Star anise, 2 Green chilies
- Add the marinated chicken and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add the hot water for the desired consistency, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.1 to 2 cups of water
- Add the ground paste and mix well.
- Cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add kasuri methi, coriander leaves, and mix well.½ to 1 teaspoon Kasuri methi, 1 tablespoon Cilantro
- Serve and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Towards the end, you can use 2 to 4 tablespoon of heavy cream if needed, if you want it even richer. I generally don’t use it as the richness and milk are sufficient for this dish.
- Always cook on a medium to low flame.
- Do not brown the onions. Just saute until translucent.
- Any leftovers can be refrigerated for 3 days. Just reheat with hot water or milk.
- White chicken gravy may turn yellow if you brown the onions, cook on a high flame, or use spice powders like turmeric, red chile powder, or garam masala.
Nutrition
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