Easy Hariayli Chicken Curry (Green Chicken) is a delicious, quick weeknight meal made with boneless chicken breasts, and cooked in a green yogurt masala made with fresh herbs & green chillies. It's as easy as any dinner gets, and will become a family favorite!
Some more quick and easy recipes to try for those busy weeknights: Dragon Chicken, Chicken Karahi, Keema, and Lemon Garlic Butter Salmon.
My aim for cooking has always been to make it as easy as possible, yet still super delicious.
While South Asian recipes may have a reputation of being complicated, I've tailored my recipes so that they're easy to make with easy to locate ingredients and are super quick to make.
If you go through my Indian and Pakistani recipes on the blog, you’ll see I rarely use hard-to-find spices and garam masala but they still turn out delicious. Simple, but delicious and soul-satisfying.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Hariyali Chicken is one of the easiest recipes on my blog, and for good reason. It's quick, requires less than 10 ingredients, and you don't need to chop onions (anyone else hate onion induced tears?), tomatoes, or anything really!
For those of you who don't know what the word 'hariyali' means, here's a simple definition for you. It literally means greenery, and I think this chicken recipe is named aptly so because it's so beautifully fresh and green!
Green Masala Vs Green Tikka
There are two types of hariyali chicken, one is a curry (today's recipe) and the other is a type of tikka and is dry.
I love lots of gravy with my rice or paratha, so I like to make this curry with green masala mad with yogurt, coriander (cilantro), mint, and green chillies.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Chicken: I like to use boneless chicken breast for this recipe, but it can be made with bone-in chicken and boneless chicken thighs too. The cooking time will increase however.
- Yogurt: Use full-fat plain yogurt. I do not recommend using greek yogurt for this recipe, but can be substituted in a pinch.
- Ginger garlic paste: You can use my homemade ginger garlic paste, or even store-bought.
- Green herbs: Fresh coriander and mint are the star ingredients, and are what lend the primary flavor to this recipe.
- Lemon juice: Please use fresh lemon juice as it makes all the difference!
- Spices: Unlike other South Asian recipes such as Chicken Karahi or Malai Chicken Tikka Boti, you only need two pantry spices; salt and pepper! The flavor of this hara masala chicken comes from the herbs and green chillies.
- Green chillies: The best green chillies to use here would be thai green chillies, however you can use other chillies such as jalapeno too for a milder taste.
- Oil: Any vegetable oil is good for this recipe. You can also use ghee instead if you prefer.
- Butter: Not pictured but adds a great flavor as a finishing touch to the curry.
How to Make the Green Paste
This recipe starts by preparing the green paste or green masala for the chicken in which it'll be cooked. All you need is a blender or a Nutribullet!
How to Make It:
- Add yogurt to a blender.
- Now add in the coriander, mint and green chillies.
- Blend until smooth and everything is well combined.
Don't have a blender? No worries! You can easily use a food processor or chopper to do the job.
How to Make Hariyali Chicken Curry
- Saute the Chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet or pot, and add the chicken. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until it's no longer pink.
- Add the ginger garlic paste, and saute 3-4 minutes until it's cooked.
- Seasonings: Add the salt and pepper, and cook the chicken until the excess moisture has dried.
- Now add the green paste, and cook covered for 5-7 minutes, while stirring frequently. Add a little bit of water if needed.
- Remove lid, and cook for a few more minutes until the green masala has thickened slightly.
- Add lemon juice and butter (not pictured), and cook for 1-2 additional minutes. Hariyali chicken is ready!
Key Tips
If you don't have a blender, you can easily use a food processor or chopper to make the green masala.
Make sure the green masala is blended into a smooth consistency.
If you don't like spice, you can skip the green chillies altogether or remove the seeds to lower the spice level.
Use full-fat plain yogurt for the creamiest results.
If you want the recipe to be even more creamy and rich, then you can add 2 tablespoons heavy cream at the very end.
You can make the green masala beforehand and keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make the green masala and keep it in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Hariyali chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Serve it with plain rice, paratha, roti, or even naan. You can also pair it with a side salad such as Kachumber Salad.
More Delicious Pakistani Recipes
If you've tried this delicious recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, don't forget to rate it and let me know how you liked it in the comments section below. I love hearing from my readers! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and INSTAGRAM, to see more delicious food and behind the scenes.
Note: This recipe was originally published on Apr 22, 2019. It's been updated for new pictures, a detailed recipe video, and step-by-step pictures.
Haryali Chicken
Equipment
- Blender
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup yogurt
- 1 cup coriander leaves
- 1/2 cup mint leaves
- 2 green chillies
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 450 grams boneless chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoons ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1-2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Place the yogurt, coriander leaves, mint leaves and chillies into a hand blender or a regular blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a large pot or skillet, and add the chicken. Saute for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken changes color.
- Add the ginger garlic paste and cook for a 3-4 minutes until fragrant.
- Now add the green yogurt masala and 1-2 tablespoons of water. Lower the heat and cover the pot with a lid.
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, while stirring in between, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the lid, and increase the heat.
- Cook the hariyali chicken on high heat, while stirring continuously, until you see the oil separating from the curry and the gravy has thickened slightly.
- Add lemon juice and butter, and mix.
- Serve with rice, paratha or naan.
Notes
- Yogurt: Use full-fat plain yogurt for the best results. I do not recommend using greek yogurt as it would alter the taste a bit, but can be used in a pinch.Â
- Green chillies: You can skip altogether if you don't want the recipe to be spicy. Thai green chillies or jalapeno is recommended.
- Ginger garlic paste: Use homemade or store bought. You can also use freshly chopped garlic and ginger.Â
- Chicken: I use chicken breast for this recipe as it cooks fast, but you can also use bone-in chicken or even boneless chicken thighs. However, the cooking time will increase by 10-15 minutes.
Leave a Reply