White Chicken Gravy | Malai Chicken Recipe
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.
Servings: 6
Calories: 240kcal
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 tbsp Ginger garlic paste, 1 tbsp Coriander powder, 1 tsp Cumin powder, 1 tsp Pepper powder, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tbsp 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 tbsp Butter, 1 tbsp Oil, 3 Cardamoms, 3 Onions, 8 to 10 Garlic cloves, 1 tbsp 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 tbsp 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 tsp Kasuri methi, 1 tbsp 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
Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 540mg | Potassium: 412mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg