Chicken Pasanda

Chicken Pasanda is a traditionally North Indian meat dish whose name is derived from an Urdu word meaning “favorite”. Though the name sounds like it would be complicated to make at home, watch this video and learn how easy it is to cook this flavorful recipe. Make it for your family or make it for a crowd. You’ll have everyone licking their fingers!

Prep Time: 6 hours (including marination)
Cook Time: 30 min
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

Skinless Chicken – 2lb (approx 1kg)
Vinegar – 1.5 Tbsp
Yogurt – 1 cup
Salt – to taste
Garam Masala – 2 tsp
Paprika/Degi Mirch – 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder – 1 tsp or to taste
Oil – 2 Tbsp
Ginger Paste – 1.5 Tbsp
Garlic Paste – 2 Tbsp
Crushed Tomatoes – 1.5 cups
Water – as needed for desired consistency
Fried Onions – 1 cup, crushed
Cilantro – for garnish

Method:

1. Poke holes in the chicken and and mix White Vinegar into it.
2. Mix well and set aside for 15-20 min.
3. Mix the following with the chicken: Yogurt, Salt, Red Chili Powder, Paprika and Garam Masala.
4. Mix well, set aside and allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours or better still, overnight.
5. In a flat bottomed pan, heat the Oil.
6. Add in the Ginger and Garlic and lower the heat, allow them to get a little color.
7. Add in the Crushed Tomatoes and let the moisture evaporate.
8. Cover and cook till the Oil separates from the Tomatoes.
9. Once the Oil separates, add in the Chicken.
10. Mix well and add in some water if needed.
11. Mix again and cover and allow it to cook 3/4th of the way.
12. Crush the Fried Onions and add them to the Chicken.
13. Mix again and cover and cook till the Chicken is cooked all the way through.
14. Once done, garnish with Cilantro and it’s ready to serve.

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What is chicken pasanda, how to make chicken pasanda recipe, easy chicken curry recipes, north indian style chicken recipes, low carb indian food.

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0 thoughts on “Chicken Pasanda

  1. I made da chicken pasanda recipe for quite a few tyms now without any guilt coz i just loved it. But in my hubbys case he is not so much liking da colour as i use food colour instead of degi mirch and instead of red it becoms pink.
    but da taste is just outstanding i just love it and so my hubby.

    For christmas we r having a small getoghether and iam making it a point that i make dis chicken pasanda recipe “ONLY” without a second thought, coz its not only tasty but its dam easy and saves tym a lot!!!!

    But instead of viniger i prefer to put lime juice tat gvs me a better taste.

    Thanx!!

  2. Dear Hetal and Anuja,

    Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, and indeed all the others, with us. I have made quite a few of your recipes and keep coming back to this one–it’s my absolute favourite.

    Anuja, please tell your mum that she has in me a fan for life! 🙂

    Regards,

    Samir

  3. I tried out the recipe, it turned out awesome.Me n my husband have become a fan of ur “chiken pasanda”. I have noted down other recipes n will b trying it soon….thank u so much for all these wonderful recipes!!

  4. Dear Hetal & Anuja !!

    it will b first time i am trying any recipe…chicken pasanda sounds very tempting and plaaning to make for weekend… is der any subtitute for paprika or can i use tandoori masala if yes how much ??

    1. Hi Rozy,

      Paprika is used mainly for getting a red color without added to much spice with the red chili powder. Tandoori masala has many other spices added so it would not be a good substitute. You can leave it out or add red chili powder to your taste.

  5. Hi hetal & anuja,
    Thanks a lot for the chicken pasanda recipe, I tried it out at a dinner party & I can’t even tell u what a huge success it was. It had such a rich look just like restaurant food, and I guess it was more so becoz of the fried onions. All credit goes to u both, thank you!

  6. no hetal… it turned out lovely after i added some chicken curry masala to it as my hubby was not liking the tomatoe flavour in it… everybody got crazy abt it… thnx a ton… u guys simply rock….

  7. Hello Hetal and Anuja,

    Thank you for posting the recipe. I made it last night. I encountered a few problems.
    1. My tomatoes you said let the moisture evaporate and then cover and let the oil separate. I cooked them for 30 min on med low heat and there was still lot of moisture so i got tired and covered it and when i covered it the steam would drop water in the pan.

    2. After adding the chicken there was too much gravy i thought it will go away but it just wont go. I added more onions in the end but even then there was still gravy which i could not get rid of by covering the pan.

    3. And it was a bit more on sour side. (i guess i should reduce the vinegar)

    Please give some suggestions as to how i can make it better next time.

  8. it was a big flop… :((
    too much of gravy as compared to wht i saw and the taste was too tomatoe-ish…

    1. Hi Neha,

      Sorry you didn’t like the dish. This was not supposed to be a gravy dish so you may have added too much water.

      1. no hetal.. i turned out great after i added chicken curry masala in it… as my hubby was not likin the tomatoe flavour in it…
        thnx a ton for d recipe… u guys rock….

  9. I will b cookin his today.. it wud be my first time tht i wud b trying a recipe from internet and cookin directly for a party… m scared.. will let u know how it was…

  10. Hi Hetal and Anuja,
    Thanks for the wonderful recipe. I have a question. Whenever I buy chicken with bone in US, I see blood comes out from the chicken while cooking even though i wash it thoroughly.I never faced this problem in India.I stopped eating with bone chicken here. Do you have any suggestion how can I get rid of it?

    1. Hi Sruti,

      We also buy boneless, skinless chicken to avoid that issue. Maybe some of our other viewers can share their ideas.

  11. Hi..your recipes are awesome…I don’t have an indian store close by and I’m planning to try out this dish for my friends coming over for dinner.. I was wondering how do you make fried onions at home…do you just fry them on high flame??..Please help..Thanks!

    1. Hi Endotwitter,

      Slice onions very thin, soak in milk for about 10 minutes, lightly coat them with rice flour and deep fry them. You have to do it in small batches.

  12. Hi Hetal & Anuja,

    Last time i had a house party I tried your chicken curry in-a-hurry with jeera pulao. This time i tried the chicken pasanda. N no prizes for guessing… this one was as big a hit as the last one, with my Indian and non-Indian friends alike. Pasanda just suits everyone’s taste and is truly a party recipe. And what’s better.. it is really a simple recipe. Thanks a lot u guyz and your mom too Anuja. Never knew great Indian recipes were so simple to make and that even students like me can just excel at them. Already spreading the good word around for you guyz.
    Thanks a ton and keep up the good work. U guyz rock.

  13. heyyy 🙂

    Lovely dish … will be making this for the potluck dinner with our dance group 🙂 🙂 Had a small doubt though …. I have abottle of red vinegar sitting in my pantry… would it be alright to use that ? Or is white vinegar a must ?

    I’m so thankful to you everytime I have guests at home … you certainly make my life a lot easier :):)

    1. Hi Sajna,

      We have not tried it with red vinegar but it has an additional flavor than regular white vinegar. It may alter the flavor of the whole dish.

      1. Thanks Hetal! Will get a bottle of white vinegar then … Are there any recipes on ur website, that use red vinegar? Have no clue what I can do with this one bottle… In fact I’ve even forgotten what I bought it for 🙁

        Thanks once again!

  14. Dear Hetal & Anuja,

    Thank you for the recipe cuz this is a total keeper (my plump Indian aunty shared your recipe with some of her friends and they love how fast it is to make and how good it turned out =D =D)

    With the help of my readily available Punjabi masala (why is it called Pujabi masala anyway? Is there a Gujrati masala? =P =P) on the freezer, this dish is whipped up in about 15 minutes and it’s craazy. LOL.

    Anyway, thank you so very much for this wonderful recipe and I would continue to advocate your cooking cult to the rest of my community =D

  15. hey guys .. really a big fan of u guys.. hope u remember me ? najah i had requested for chicken 65 recipe 🙁 not yet come
    i know u guys must be really busy too.. ok 1 doubt regarding this recipe i dont get canned or crushed tomatoes here .. what can i substitute that with ? waiting for ur reply and keep cooking Ladies …

    1. Hi Najah,
      Sorry, we have not got to Chicken 65 yet, please have a little more patience 🙁 …and we will get to it, we promise 🙂 !
      For this recipe, take fresh tomatoes and put them in a Food Processor, pulse them a few times and you are good to go 🙂

  16. Hi I am a student, and of late I have started watching and following recipes from show me the curry, because I am staying far away from home…but I must say I am learning a lot and my mom couldn’t be more pleasantly surprised.

    Ans Mrs Hetal and Mrs Anuja both look very beautiful 🙂

  17. Hi

    I have to say this recepi is the ultimate. I have been trying out so many from the net but this is too good!!! Keep up the good wrk!!

  18. I liked the texture and the thickness of the gravy. But,, this came out too “tomatoey” for me. But the kadai chicken recipe is a keeper.

    1. Hi Anne,
      Looks like the onions were too less for the dish. This one is a little on the sour side but has a fabulous flavor…love Kadhai Chicken too 🙂

  19. Hi Anuja & Hetal

    I am still continuing to watch ur cooking clips…Those are all mouth watering type receipes… Just a suggestion for the Vinegar: I usuall use Apple cider Vinegar for all my cooking it’s good 4 ur health too and little bit spicy too..give it a try..Sometimes if I don’t vinegar, I use Perry Brand Worcestershire sauce for my marination..Very nice presentations. How do u sell the aprons??and where those available??I could not find in ur website. How much do u charge for AirMail postage to OZ??
    Thx
    Pushpa
    Brisbane-AUSTRALIA

  20. Anuja & Hetal,
    My mom made the Chicken Pasanda recipe, and I can certainly say, our whole family simply enjoyed every bite, just bursting with flavor and aroma!

    1. Hi Manti,

      We usually buy our fried onions from the Indian store. Though you can make them at home, it is an extremely time consuming process and the texture never comes out like the store bought ones.

      1. Hi..your recipes are awesome…I don’t have an indian store close by and I’m planning to try out this dish for my friends coming over for dinner.. I was wondering how do you make fried onions at home…do you just fry them on high flame??..Please help..Thanks!

  21. hi hetal ,anuja..
    i’ve a question, when i boil boneless breast chicken with water it becomes so flaky and kind of white mass like fat is floating…pl do correct me were i’m wrong ..shouldn’ we boil chicken directly .
    waiting for ur reply..

  22. Hi Anuja & Hetal,
    I noticed this website recently.I tried the butter chicken recipe exactly how u explained and it turned out to be a great hit.Now i really want to try this recipe but have some doubts
    1. If i use a pinch of tandoori masala instead of peprika will it alter the taste?
    2.If u could make the ‘Fried onions ‘ part clear..how did u make it?

  23. I forgot to add,with the fresh tomatoes,I did not get that color,so I added 2tbsp.tomato paste.That might be the reason for the sour taste.
    I’ll try it again.Please suggest the quantity of tomato puree if I can use that.
    Thanks,
    Shakuntala

    1. Hi Shakuntala,

      You can use the same amount of canned tomato puree. The advantage of using the ‘crushed tomatoes’ over the puree is that they have more texture and body and ‘tomato puree’ tends to be smoother sauce. See if you can get your hands on ‘crushed tomatoes’ otherwise use the puree.

      Tomato Paste is the concentrated version and I am sure that made your dish sour. Also, be careful not to over do the vinegar, that is another souring agent in this dish.

  24. Hi Hetal & Anuja,
    can I use tomato puree instead of crushed tomatoes?
    I tried this recipe with fresh tomatoes pureed in mixie.It was too sour.Please suggest alternatives.
    Thanks,
    Shakuntala

  25. Hi Anuja and Hetal
    I am an ardent fan of your recipes and check the site everymorning to check for new recipes.Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
    In every video you are using black colored kadhais(deep and round) and skillets and they seem very sturdy with heavy base which is good for Indian cooking.Can you please give me an idea of the brand which you are using and i can look around.
    Thanks in advance!!

    1. Hi Tina,
      The vinegar does 2 things, one is that it does give it a little sour taste but the other important thing is that it acts as a marinade and makes the chicken soft. I would not suggest you eliminate the vinegar but reduce it.

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