Chicken Anarkali is a restaurant-style Indian chicken dish that brings two techniques together in one recipe. The chicken breast is stuffed, battered and fried, then finished in a rich, nutty gravy. The contrast between the golden fried exterior and the soft paneer filling inside is what makes this murgh Anarkali recipe worth the effort. The sauce is built on khus khus seeds, coconut and yogurt, which gives it a thick, earthy character quite different from a tomato-based curry. If you have come across searches for anarkali chicken or anarkali curry and wondered what the dish actually involves, this recipe covers the full process from stuffing to final gravy.
About the Recipe
The recipe has two parts. In the first, the chicken breast is marinated briefly in lemon juice and salt, stuffed with a paneer, cashew and raisin ball, dipped in gram flour batter and deep fried. In the second, a gravy is built by frying onions, green chillies and ginger-garlic paste, then adding khus khus seeds, coconut, cashew nuts, yogurt, chilli powder and garam masala until the oil rises to the surface. Butter goes in last, then the fried chicken is added and cooked through for a few minutes.
The two parts are independent, so you can get the gravy going while the fried chicken rests.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
The stuffing is what sets this apart from a standard chicken curry. Grated paneer, chopped cashew nuts and small pieces of raisin give the filling a mix of textures and a mild sweetness that works well against the spiced gravy. The gram flour batter seals everything in during frying, so the stuffing stays intact when the piece goes into the sauce.
If you enjoy dishes like Chicken Kofta Balti with Paneer where paneer plays a supporting role alongside chicken, the filling here will feel familiar. The overall dish is quite different though, and the fried crust adds something that a kofta preparation does not.
Cooking Tips
The most common mistake is making the gram flour batter too thin. If it slides off the chicken, the stuffing is exposed during frying. The batter should coat the back of a spoon and cling without dripping off immediately.
Press the edges of the chicken breast firmly around the stuffing ball before dipping. Any gaps and the filling will separate in the oil.
For the gravy, do not rush the stage where the oil floats to the top. That is the sign the masala is properly cooked and ready for the butter and chicken.
Top Tips
- Press the chicken edges firmly around the stuffing ball so there are no gaps before you dip it in the batter.
- Mix the gram flour batter to a coating consistency. It should cling to the chicken without dripping off straight away.
- Fry on a medium flame so the chicken cooks through before the batter over-browns.
- In the gravy, wait until the oil visibly separates and floats to the top before adding the butter and fried chicken.
- Add the fried chicken to the gravy just a few minutes before serving so the crust does not go soggy.
Serving and Storing Suggestions
Serve Chicken Anarkali with naan, roti or steamed basmati rice. Spoon the gravy generously over the chicken piece and finish with fresh coriander leaves as directed.
If you have leftovers, store the fried chicken and gravy separately in the refrigerator. Reheat the gravy on the stove, then warm the fried chicken in a dry pan for a couple of minutes before combining. Consume within two days.
Similar Recipes
- Chicken Kofta Balti with Paneer
- Murgh Mumtaz (Chicken Cooked in Tomato Gravy)
- Anjeer Murgh (Chicken Fig Curry)
- Coriander Chicken Curry
Nutrient Benefits
Chicken breast is a lean source of protein. Paneer adds calcium and further protein. Cashew nuts contribute healthy fats and some iron. Yogurt provides calcium and protein. Khus khus seeds contain calcium and zinc, and coconut adds some dietary fibre. Together the dish gives a reasonable spread of protein, fat and minerals in a single serving.
Chicken Anarkali
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken breast
- 30 gms, grated Paneer
- 15 gms, small pieces Raisins
- 20 gms, small pieces Cashew nuts
- 1 bunch Coriander leaves
- 1 Lemon
- 25 gms Gram flour
- Oil for frying
- For the gravy
- 50 gms, chopped Onions
- 3 Green chillies
- 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
- 25 gms Khus khus seeds
- 20 gms, grated Coconut
- 20 gms Cashew nuts
- 1/2 cup Yogurt
- 50 gms Butter
- 1/2 tsp Chilli powder
- 1/4 tsp Garam masala
- 50 gms Oil
- Salt as per taste
Instructions
- In a salt and lemon juice mixture, place the chicken for about 10 minutes.
- To make the required ball shapes, you have to mix the paneer, cashew nuts, raisins and salt and then shape them with your hands.
- Now, place the ball at the center of the breast piece and cover the edges.
- With a little consistency, mix the gram flour in water and then soak the stuffed chicken piece in it. Fry the substance till its colour changes to golden brown.
- To prepare the gravy:
- After heating the oil in a pan, place the onions and the green chillies and fry them till they turn brown. During this process, you can also add the ginger-garlic paste.
- Once the colour changes to the desired colour, add the khus khus seeds, coconut, garam masala, chilli powder, yogurt and the cashew nuts and fry. Soon the oil will float to the top.
- Once that is done, add the butter and the chicken to the gravy and let it cook for a few minutes.
- Garnish with a little coriander leaves before serving.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?
Chicken breast works best here because it is easier to flatten, stuff and fold around the filling. Thighs are thinner and less uniform, which makes it harder to enclose the stuffing ball neatly. If you do use thighs, choose larger pieces and secure the edges with a toothpick before battering and frying.
What do khus khus seeds do in the gravy and can I leave them out?
Khus khus seeds, also called poppy seeds, thicken the gravy and add a slightly nutty flavour when fried with the other masala ingredients. If you leave them out, the gravy will be thinner and the texture will be different. You can partially compensate by adding a few extra cashew nuts and blending the gravy before adding the fried chicken, but the result will not be the same.
How do I know when the stuffed chicken is cooked through during frying?
Fry on a medium flame and turn the piece carefully so all sides colour evenly to a golden brown. Because the breast is folded around the stuffing, it is thicker than a flat piece. Once the batter is golden all over, check the thickest point by cutting in slightly. The flesh should be white with no pink. The chicken will also continue to cook for a few minutes in the hot gravy, so a very slight pink at the centre when it leaves the oil is acceptable.
Can the stuffing be made ahead of time?
Yes. Mix the grated paneer, chopped cashew nuts, raisin pieces and salt, shape into balls and refrigerate them covered for up to a few hours before you are ready to stuff and fry. Cold stuffing balls hold their shape better when you press them into the chicken breast.
Is this the same as anarkali curry or anarkali butter chicken found in restaurants?
Different restaurants use the name Anarkali for variations of stuffed or richly sauced chicken dishes, so there is no single fixed version. This recipe uses a khus khus and coconut-based gravy finished with butter, which gives it a thick, rich sauce rather than a tomato-forward style. If you have had an anarkali curry at a restaurant, the stuffing concept is likely similar but the gravy base may differ.
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