Methi Murg - Methi Chicken - Chicken Curry With Fenugreek

Written by
Petrina Verma Sarkar
Food writer Petrina Verma Sarkar is a native of India with extensive knowledge of the country's regional cuisines.
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Petrina Verma Sarkar
Updated 09/24/19
Chicken Curry With Fenugreek
Bluebec/Flickr/CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
  • Total: 40 mins
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 30 mins
  • Servings: 4 to 6 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
686 Calories
28g Fat
54g Carbs
63g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 686
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 36%
Saturated Fat 8g 39%
Cholesterol 139mg 46%
Sodium 242mg 11%
Total Carbohydrate 54g 20%
Dietary Fiber 20g 73%
Protein 63g
Calcium 182mg 14%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Simple, yet delicious, Methi Murg is also easy to put together. It's a chicken curry featuring fenugreek leaves. This is one of our go-to recipes when we want to cook a simple, wholesome non-vegetarian meal for our family.

The basic recipe for this dish is my mother's and I grew up eating it. The fresh Methi (fenugreek) leaves add a lovely, earthy flavor to this dish. You can also use dried fenugreek if you don't have access to fresh leaves and you should be able to find both fairly easily in any Indian grocery.

Methi Murg is delicious served with plain rice, a salad, and raita. If you thicken the gravy, it tastes just as good with hot, freshly made chapatis.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds (1 kilogram) chicken cut into bite-sized pieces (we like to use pieces on the bone)
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable/canola/sunflower cooking oil
  • 2 large onions (sliced thin)
  • 2 large tomatoes (diced)
  • 2 tablespoons garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon ginger paste
  • 2 teaspoons coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 pound (500 grams) fresh, green fenugreek leaves (washed in chopped fine)

Steps to Make It

  1. Heat the cooking oil in a heavy bottomed pan, on medium heat.

  2. When hot, add the onions. Sauté till the onions begin to turn a pale golden brown in color. Now remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Turn off heat.

  3. Grind the onions into a smooth paste (adding very little to no water) in a food processor. Once done, remove into a separate container.

  4. Now grind the tomatoes, garlic and ginger paste together, in the food processor, into a smooth paste. Remove into a separate container and keep aside for later use.

  5. Heat the oil left over from frying the onions, again and add the onion paste. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.

  6. Now add the tomato paste and all the powdered spices, including the garam masala. Mix well.

  7. Sauté the resulting masala (onion-tomato-spice mixture) until the oil begins to separate from it. This can take up to 10 minutes to happen.

  8. Now add the chicken pieces to the masala, season with salt to taste and stir to fully coat the chicken pieces with the masala. Sauté till the chicken is browned well.

  9. Now is the time to add the fenugreek leaves and stir well.

  10. Add 1/2 a cup of hot water to the pan, stir to mix well, simmer the heat and cover the pan. Cook till the chicken is tender. You will need to keep checking on the chicken as it cooks and adding more water if all the water dries up. Stir often to prevent burning. The dish should have a fairly thick gravy when done.

  11. When the chicken is cooked, serve with hot Chapatis (Indian flatbread), Naans (tandoor-baked Indian flatbread) or plain boiled rice.

Tip

  • Use a pressure cooker to cook this curry and it will be done in half the time it takes to cook in an open pot!