An Indian favourite, this delicious aromatic chicken & onion curry has wonderful depth of flavour, and is perfect with rice or rotis.
Chicken Do Pyaza is a chicken curry in a masala onion sauce, it is rich and wonderfully fragrant.
Serve chicken do pyaza with plain fluffy rice or warm rotis, and raita.
What is do pyaza?
Originally inspired by Mughal and Persian cuisines, do pyaza or do piaza curries are found on menus throughout India.
In India, do (pronounced ‘dough’), means two and pyaza is onion.
Do pyaza refers to the onions being used in two ways for this dish. Diced onions are first fried with spices, and then larger pieces of onions are added towards the end.
It is a spicy dish but it is also slightly sweet from the onions.
The do pyaza style of cooking can also used for mutton, lamb, goat, beef, fish and vegetable dishes.
The spices
This recipe uses spices commonly used in the preparation of Indian food.
The whole spices are first lightly fried to release their oils, and the dry powders are added once the onion is browned.
Smash the green and black cardamoms before frying to release their wonderful flavours.
Then adjust the red chilli powder and green chillies according to taste. The quantities used here make a medium spicy curry.
For a milder heat, substitute the red chilli powder with this red chilli paste, as it uses milder Kashmiri red chillies, or leave out the green chillies.
Helpful tips
- Lightly fry the whole spices to release their flavours which will flavour the oil.
- Add diced onions and cook till golden, then add the garlic, ginger and green chillies, and lightly sauté.
- Mix in the chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add the powdered spices (adding a little water to prevent sticking and burning), and cook for at least 5 minutes*.
- Stir in the chicken pieces – you could use small cuts of chicken on the bone (skin removed) or chicken breast cut into small cubes.
- Mix till the chicken is coated in the masala (spice) mixture, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Now add the yogurt and the larger cut pieces of onion to lightly cook for the remaining 5 minutes, and mix in the remaining garam masala.
*It is important to always make sure spices are cooked for at least 5 minutes, otherwise they won’t impart much flavour to the dish.
Storing leftovers
Transfer to an airtight container and keep in the fridge up to 48 hours, or freeze for up to a month.
Defrost in the fridge and reheat thoroughly before serving.
When reheating, you may need to add a tiny amount of water if it is too dry.
More Indian recipes
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📋 Recipe
Chicken Do Pyaza
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 whole black cardamoms smashed
- 4 green cardamom smashed
- 4 cloves
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 medium onions diced
- 2 inches ginger (1 tablespoon) grated or chopped
- 2 cloves garlic (1½ teaspoons) minced
- 3 green chilli chopped, adjust quantity to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder adjust according to taste
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin powder
- 1.5 teaspoons coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- water as required
- 200 grams tinned tomatoes 1 cup, chopped
- salt to taste
- 1 kilos boneless chicken cut into small pieces, or small pieces of chicken on the bone
- 1 medium onion cut into large cubes and separated
- 60 grams plain yogurt ¼ cup
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
Instructions
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 whole black cardamoms, 4 green cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon cumin seedsOn a low-medium flame, heat the oil in a large saucepan and add green and black cardamom, cloves, peppercorns and cumin seeds. Allow them to gently fry for around half a minute, taking care that they do not burn.
- 2 medium onionsAdd diced onions and sauté till lightly browned.
- 2 cloves garlic, 3 green chilli, 2 inches gingerMix in the green chilli, garlic and ginger and sauté for a further minute.
- 200 grams tinned tomatoesThen stir in chopped tomatoes and lightly fry for 2-3 minutes.
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, 1.5 teaspoons cumin powder, 1.5 teaspoons coriander powder, 1 teaspoon garam masala powder, waterNext, add cinnamon, turmeric, red chilli powder, cumin, coriander, and 1 teaspoon of garam masala powder. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, so that the masala powders do not stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Cook the masala (spice) mixture for around 5 minutes, adding slightly more water if necessary.
- 1 kilos boneless chickenAdd the chicken and mix well to ensure it is well coated in masala sauce. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 1 medium onion, 60 grams plain yogurt, ½ teaspoon garam masalaStir in the yogurt and the larger pieces of onion, then sprinkle over the remaining garam masala. Mix together well and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve with warm fluffy rice.
Notes
- Smash the green and black cardamoms before using for wonderful flavour.
- Lightly frying the whole spices releases their oils and flavours the oil.
- Cooking the masala powders slowly on a low-medium heat helps to release the oils and the flavours begin to come together.
- Make sure the spices are cooked for at least 5 minutes to add flavour to the dish.
- The masala powders will burn if the pan becomes dry, so add a little water now and again. After 5 minutes of cooking, the mixture should be a loose paste.
- You could either use small cuts of chicken on the bone (without skin) or chicken breast cut into small cubes.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container and keep in the fridge for up to 48 hours or freeze for up to a month. Defrost fully and reheat through properly before serving.
MEASUREMENT NOTES
The ingredients here on EOTF are set out in grams & milliliters and in US cups & spoons.
Sox
Can you tell me how much 2 inches of ginger is please? 2 inches square? 2 inch slice? … ginger varies in size and thickness and can overpower a dish if I get this ingredient wrong. I would appreciate your guidance on this one.
Do you add garlic and ginger generally in equal portions?
Thanks in advance.
Nicole Shroff
You will need 1 tablespoon of grated or chopped fresh ginger, and one and a half teaspoons of garlic. Thanks for your question, I have gone ahead and changed it on the recipe card.
Samantha Sharan
This was delicious. Full of flavour and warming.
I used skinless chicken thighs and show cooked it.. Until my chicken was beginning to shred.
I’ll definitely be making this again.
Thanks 😊
Nicole Shroff
Oh yes chicken thighs are perfect for this, thank you so much for your lovely comment!
mohan kumar
Nice blog to follow while preparing recipes.
Thank you so much for sharing with us.
Makeup Muddle
Oh my gosh what a delicious sounding recipe! I had to rate it 5 stars, it made my mouth water just reading about it. I’ve bookmarked it and will give it a try this week xo
Makeup Muddle