By Rajlakshmi
February 18, 2026
Made with tender chicken, onions, ginger-garlic, yoghurt, and aromatic spices, murgh manohari is a rich, lightly flavoured curry that pairs well with rice or paratha.
1 kg of chicken 100g curd 2 tbsp onion paste 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste 2 green chillies 4 dried red chillies 2 medium fried onions 2 tbsp ghee 1 bay leaf 3 cardamoms 4 cloves 1-inch cinnamon stick ¼ tsp methi seeds 1 tso Kashmiri red chilli powder ½ tsp sugar ½ tsp garam masala Oil as needed Salt, to taste Water, as needed
Marinate chicken pieces with onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, and 2 dried red chillies. Let it rest for 30 mins.
Heat oil in a pan. Fry the sliced onions to make beresta or until golden brown. Set aside. Add some ghee.
Add the bay leaf, methi seeds, dried red chillies, cardamoms and cloves. Let it splutter. Sprinkle sugar for flavour.
Pour the marinated chicken into the pan. Cook on high flame for 5-7 minutes. Cover and cook for 10 mins.
Let the chicken release its juices. Uncover the pan, turn the heat down. Cook until the oil separates.
Add ½ cup of water and cook until the gravy reaches your desired consistency. Ideally, it should be slightly thicker.
Garnish with beresta and garam masala. Give it a gentle stir. Serve with rice or paratha, or luchi.