Chicken dopiaza is an ever-popular dish on the menus of British Indian curry houses, it’s a relatively mild curry defined by lots of onions.
My version takes around an hour to cook and features a rich and thick onion sauce as well as large onion petals!
Chicken and Onion Curry
My latest Indian takeaway-inspired curry recipe comes courtesy of a few requests I’ve received in the last few months.
Those requests have been about turning one of my most popular curry recipes, a beef dopiaza, into a chicken dish.
Now I do like to oblige and every opportunity to grab a curry is firmly grasped with both hands.
Dopiaza is like lamb bhuna or chicken tikka masala in the sense that it pretty much exists on most British Indian restaurant menus.
Dopiaza translates as double onions or two onions and this dish features loads of them alongside some wonderfully tender chicken thighs.
It is a curry recipe that takes around an hour to cook, but it is very easy. As a bonus, the blender does lots of the heavy lifting and there is not much chopping.
Like many of my curry recipes, this dish is a combination of British curry house flavours with a sprinkling of the origins of the dish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I prepare this recipe in advance?
Yes, this recipe is a perfect dish for making ahead of time and reheating.
It will also freeze for up to 3 months, if it is frozen defrost it before reheating. To reheat pop it in a saucepan with a lid and gently heat it up until it is piping hot.
What is amchoor?
Amchoor is a powder made from dried unripe green mango that has a wonderfully complex sour flavour.
You could add some tamarind pulp or lime/lemon juice as an alternative, but amchoor is magic!
Can I use chicken breast?
You could but it does risk drying out! To reduce this risk I would cut the chicken into larger pieces and cook it for 5-10 minutes less.
Can I cook this in a slow cooker or Instant Pot?
A huge part of this dish is about driving the moisture out of the onions which makes it a dish that doesn’t work well in a slow cooker.
In theory, you could cook this in a pressure cooker as I do with my beef version of this recipe. But the gains are far less pronounced because the chicken does not need cooking anywhere near as long as the beef.
I would recommend sticking with the stovetop for this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
I’m a bit of a broken record when it comes to sides for a curry, chapatis or naan bread rules the roost and this chicken dopiaza recipe is no different!
Rice is also a good option to serve with a curry. Plain rice is usually my choice, but pilau rice is superb if you want to add a little more pazazz.
I also think that potatoes work well with this boldly flavoured curry, I usually opt for some aloo methi, but my roast Bombay potatoes would be great too.
A pile of poppadoms, mint raita and some kachumber salad would be the perfect way to kick of this meal!
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Stovetop.
- Wok.
- 28cm or 11″ frying pan, not nonstick if possible.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Blender.
- Kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
Chicken Dopiaza Curry Recipe
The dopiaza is one of the old-school dishes on every British Indian curry house, my homemade chicken version combines an onion puree based sauce with golden onion petals and juicy chicken thigh meat.
Ingredients
- 350g (12oz) Chicken Thighs
- 2 Large (450-500g Total) Onions
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- 35g (Thumb Sized Piece) Ginger
- 6 Garlic Cloves
- 2 Finger Chilli Peppers
- 1 Tbsp Ghee
- 2 Small-Medium (200g Total) Tomatoes
- 125ml (½ Cup) Water
- 2 Tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder
- 1 Tsp Ground Coriander
- ½ Tsp Ground Cumin
- ½ Tsp Amchoor
- 2 Tsp Dried Fenugreek
- 1 Tsp Garam Masala
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- Top and tail one of the onions, peel it and then cut it into 8 wedges.
- Heat a 28cm or 11" frying pan (not nonstick) over a low-medium heat, add the cooking oil and the onion wedges and cook slowly whilst we prepare the rest of the curry. Stir these onions every 5 or 6 minutes.
- Peel and roughly chop the second onion and add it to a mini blender.
- Peel the ginger and toss it into the blender.
- Peel the garlic cloves and add them to the blender.
- Cut the stalks from the chilli peppers, toss them into the blender and give it all a good blitz.
- Heat a wok over a medium heat and add the ghee, and when it has melted add the onion puree and cook until golden, this will take around 15-20 minutes. Stir these onions every 2-3 minutes.
- Roughly chop the tomatoes.
- Cut the chicken into bite-siced pieces.
- After the onion puree has become golden, reduce the heat to low, add the diced tomatoes, water and a pinch of salt.
- Turn the heat under the onion wedges to high, push the onions to the side of the pan, add the chicken thighs and a pinch of salt, then cook for 3-4 minutes stirring constantly.
- Add the chilli powder, coriander, cumin and amchoor to the chicken, toss everything together and add this to the onion sauce.
- Give everything a stir, add a lid and cook for 25 minutes.
- When the curry is cooked and has formed a thick onion sauce crush the fenugreek leaves between your palms into the pan and add the garam masala, give everything a stir and cook for a final 2 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 610Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 230mgSodium: 412mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 9gSugar: 18gProtein: 50g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Julie Toy
Sunday 24th of March 2024
Firstly, can I say that I LOVE your recipes and use them all the time with great success. This particular one however just doesn't work as is. I've read and re-read it several times to see if I've missed something but just can't see it. You're left with an extremely thick spiced onion paste that in no way resembles a sauce and looks nothing like the picture, the quantity of diced tomatoes and water is insufficient liquid. To remedy this, prior to adding the browned chicken and fried onions I popped in a tin of chopped tomatoes then filled the empty can with water, gave it a swirl around and poured that in too, this turned the mix into a very successful sauce before completing the final steps of the recipe.
Brian Jones
Sunday 21st of April 2024
Hi Julie...
Sorry it has taken a while to get back to you, but I read and re-read the recipe and couldn't work out why it went wrong and couldn't see it. So I remade the recipe and filmed a video, it would appear that I forgot to mention to add a lid during the final cooking process which prevents evaporation and leads to more moisture in the sauce.
I can only apologise and I am glad that you found a way to make it work.
Sorry again.
Brian