Have you tried chicken dopiaza? It’s an Indian style curry that can be made with any type of protein. Chicken is perhaps the most popular version. Dopiaza means “two onions” which get added at two different stages of the cooking. You first fry onions that get set aside and added towards the end so that the onions remain distinguished and don’t break down into the curry. You also use onions that are coarsely chopped and fried with other spices to make the curry sauce.

Even though the list of ingredients looks long, this is really easy to cook. It is so flavorful and delicious, it tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.

I am using skinless bone-in chicken pieces in this recipe, as the bone gives great flavor to the curry. You can use boneless/skinless chicken thighs in this. Just remember to adjust the cooking time.

I fry my first batch of onions in ghee for two minutes then set them aside. I add them in at the end of the cooking time. This process keeps the onion whole and adds a slight pleasant texture to the curry.

You can serve this curry with cooked rice or roti, paratha, or naan for a wonderful meal!

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow onion, cut into chunks
• 7 cloves medium sized peeled garlic (2 tbsp.)
• 1 Serrano chili, sliced (remove seeds if you like less spicy)
• 1 tbsp. ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. red Indian chili powder
• 1 tbsp. ground coriander
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. cinnamon powder
• 1 tsp. cardamom powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 cinnamon leaves (torn into pieces)
• 1/4 cup ghee
• 2 cups onion cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
• 2 1/2 lbs. cut up chicken pieces (skin removed but bone-in)
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

Place 1 cup onion, garlic, and serrano chili in a food processor. Coarsely chop the veggies. Then, place the mixture in a medium sized bowl.

Add ginger, red Indian chili powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground turmeric, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder, ground cloves and cinnamon leaves to the mixture. Mix everything well together and set aside until needed.

Heat a large, heavy bottom saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ghee. Once the ghee is melted, add 2 cups onions. Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions have a bit of color. Remove onions to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving most of the ghee in the pan.

Turn down the heat to low and add the prepared spice mixture to the ghee. Stir well, then cook for 2-3 minutes or until color darkens. Keep an eye and stir often so the mixture doesn’t burn. Add chopped tomatoes.

Stir well, then cover and cook for 5 minutes. Check and stir in between. Add salt and stir. Then cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Make sure to check and stir. Add chicken pieces.

Stir very well, then cover and cook for 5 minutes. Make sure to check and stir during cooking time. Add water, stir well, then cover and cook for 30-40 minutes, or until the chickens are cooked through. Check and stir few times during the cooking time.

Add cooked onions to the pan. Turn the heat off and sprinkle chopped cilantro over the finished curry. Stir well, then taste for seasoning. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl, garnishing with more cilantro if you like.

You can serve the curry over cooked rice or side of Indian flat bread, roti, or paratha.

Serves 6-8

Did you make this dish? I’d love to know how it turns out! Feel free to like this post and comment or use the hashtag #globaldinein on Instagram. If you would like to be notified of upcoming posts, please consider subscribing to my blog!