Description
Chicken Lababdar brings North Indian restaurant-style magic right to your kitchen with tender chicken swimming in a creamy, spiced tomato gravy that’ll make your taste buds dance. Perfectly paired with fluffy naan or steamed rice, this quick and delicious dish delivers restaurant-quality flavor without hours of preparation.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken:
- 1.5 kg whole skinless chicken (cut into 8–10 pieces)
Aromatics and Spices:
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 2.5 cm cinnamon stick
- 1 blade of mace
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried fenugreek leaves
Supporting Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons rapeseed (canola) oil
- 1 medium red onion
- 2 green chillies
- 4 tablespoons garlic and ginger paste
- 250 ml tomato purée
- 10 cashew nuts
- 3 green bird’s eye chillies
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
- 3 tablespoons cream
- 1 generous tablespoon cold butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Sugar (to taste)
Instructions
- Warm 3 tbsp canola oil in a large pan over medium heat. Crush cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and mace, then sauté with finely chopped red onion and ½ tsp salt until onions turn golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add 2 finely chopped green chillies and 4 tbsp garlic-ginger paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the raw aroma dissipates completely.
- Stir in ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tbsp ground coriander, and 1 ½ tsp cumin. Pour 1 cup tomato purée and simmer until oil starts to separate, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Introduce chicken pieces to the pan, stirring thoroughly to coat with spices. Cook on medium-high heat until chicken is halfway done, roughly 8-10 minutes.
- Grind 10 cashew nuts and 3 green bird’s eye chillies into a smooth paste. Pour the mixture into the pan and reduce heat to low, allowing flavors to meld for 5-6 minutes.
- Sprinkle ½ tsp dried fenugreek leaves and 3 tbsp chopped coriander into the sauce. Gently stir in 3 tbsp cream until fully incorporated.
- Remove from heat and swirl in 1 tbsp cold butter. Taste and adjust salt and optional sugar as needed.
- Allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes, letting spices settle and flavors intensify before serving alongside warm naan or steamed rice.
Notes
- Make sure to chop onions finely so they melt into the sauce and create a smooth texture for your chicken lababdar.
- Toasting whole spices before crushing them releases deeper, more complex flavors that elevate the entire dish.
- Use fresh cream at room temperature to prevent curdling when added to the hot sauce and ensure a silky, rich consistency.
- Bird’s eye chillies pack serious heat, so adjust the quantity based on your spice tolerance and don’t hesitate to remove seeds for milder results.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Sautéed
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 to 8
- Calories: 282 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg