The Spiced Life

Musings & Recipes From My Kitchen

  • Home
  • About Me
  • FAQ
  • Dishes By Region
  • Archive and Index
  • Creative Cookie Exchange
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / chicken / Dahi Murghi (Fragrant Yogurt Braised Chicken)

Dahi Murghi (Fragrant Yogurt Braised Chicken)

December 11, 2009 By Laura 8 Comments

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook
  • Yummly
  • Twitter
  • Email


Much of Indian food relies on spices, aromatics and judicious use of a little ghee to make it exciting. But some Indian food is unapologetically rich, relying, at least partially, on high fat dairy (or in some cases nuts) for its impact. Clearly we should limit our intake of the latter–but by no means avoid it completely. Where would the fun be in that? So this dish is not exactly for everyday, but it is definitely worth making, especially in the winter, when braised meat and fowl provide warmth and comfort.

For some of us anyway!


This dish was a big hit with everyone. The girls scarfed it up in silent reprimand (it seemed) for having not had chicken in quite a while. John loved it, albeit liberally sprinkled with hot pepper flakes. The sour cream/yogurt combo was a tangy, creamy, indulgent treat. We gave it a big thumbs up.


Dahi Murghi (Fragrant Yogurt Braised Chicken)
Adapted from Classic Indian Cooking

3-4 lbs of cut up chicken pieces (I used breasts and leg/thighs)–or cut up your own chicken, with skin removed but still attached to the bone
3 T vegetable oil
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 head of garlic, minced
1 T ground coriander
1/2 t paprika or cayenne pepper, or more to taste
2 t garam masala
1 t ground roasted white poppy seeds
1 cup whole fat plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream, whole fat
1/3 cup water
4 T ghee
salt to taste

Heat the vegetable oil in a large but shallow (i.e., not a Dutch oven) pan with a lid over medium high heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and fry until darkly caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the spices and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the yogurt, sour cream, and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the sauce to a blender and puree (or tilt the pan to one side and use an immersion blender, which is what I did). Let it sit in its pan while you prepare the chicken (you could use the same pan to fry the chicken and add the sauce later–I guess it depends on whether you’d rather dirty the blender or another pan).

In another frying pan, heat the ghee over medium heat. Sprinkle some salt on the chicken. When the oil is shimmering hot, add the chicken pieces and brown the chicken pieces on all sides, about 5 minutes per side. Add the chicken, including the frying ghee, to the pan with the sauce. Toss the chicken pieces in the pan with the sauce and turn the heat back on.

Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to very low and cover. It should braise for about 45 minutes, until quite tender but not falling apart–check after the first 10 minutes or so to make sure the heat is not too low or high (you want a very gentle simmer). Check every 15 minutes or so to make sure the chicken is not sticking to the pan. When you are ready to serve, taste for salt. Serve with a spicy (spicy spices, not spicy hot) chutney over basmati rice.

Filed Under: chicken, Indian recipes, yogurt

« Salted Vanilla Bean Caramel Chews
Lemon Rice »

Comments

  1. Bergamot says

    December 11, 2009 at 9:31 pm

    This looks good. The spices and flaour seem just perfect. You could marinate the chicken with yoghurt & spices to improve the flavour and fry it in the same oil you fried the onion. This would cut on the effort.
    Yeah, and I agree that Indian food at times can be rich.

    Reply
  2. Joanne says

    December 12, 2009 at 9:51 am

    This looks super flavorful and delicious. Indian foods never seem SUPER rich to me but maybe I just haven't ordered the right ones. Usually the spices balance out the richness (to my palate).

    Reply
  3. Pam says

    December 12, 2009 at 10:30 am

    Looks great and Congrats on the foodie blogroll!

    Bee happy!

    Reply
  4. That Girl says

    December 12, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    I love the unapologetically rich Indian food! I'd rather limit my portion size than limit the ingredients.

    Reply
  5. DailyChef says

    December 14, 2009 at 2:33 am

    Yum! I went with a slightly milder version since my guests couldn't take anything too spicy, and it was still delicious. Thanks!

    Reply
  6. cookeaze says

    December 14, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    I am always amazed at how you create such interesting dishes from the simplest ingredients.Great job and will follow your talents.

    Reply
  7. Shirley says

    December 17, 2009 at 11:58 am

    Dahi Murghi. yummy!

    Reply
  8. Tasty Eats At Home says

    December 17, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    Wow, sounds so good! I need to make something like this. I don't branch out towards Indian cuisine often enough, and I love it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Instagram
Enter your email here and never miss a post!

Popular Posts

  • Restaurant Style Beef Vindaloo
  • Taralli Dolci di Pasqua (Southern Italian Easter Cookies): #CreativeCookieExchange
  • Grandma’s Beef and Noodles
  • Mexican Ramen Bowl
  • Moroccan Inspired Couscous Bowl with Ground Beef, Veggies and Caramelized Onions (redux)
  • Bengali Mahi Mahi with Mustard Seeds
  • Saag Gosht (Beef in Fragrant Spinach Sauce)
  • Traditional Chili, Midwestern Style
  • Ash-e Anar (Persian Pomegranate Soup with Meatballs)
  • North Indian Baked Eggs: Review of Seven Spoons

Copyright © 2008–2023 The Spiced Life