Ahhhh, the classic Pakistani Chicken Salan. This is one of those dishes that will scream simple comforts to anyone who has grown up eating Pakistani food.
Chicken salan is just so pure and warming, a simple and satisfying hug in a bowl. It's pretty straightforward to make with a few basic ingredients we all probably have on hand if we cook Desi food on the regular.
Jump to:
The art of making the perfect masala base
Shorba refers to the gravy/soup of the curry. A good gravy is essential to get the right feel and flavour for your curry.
I've talked about getting that elusive shorba consistency before in my Aloo Anday recipe. The trick is to get a good balance between having a shorba with body and colour without making it too thick and gloopy.
- We're going for a soupy, smooth consistency for this curry - not a thick, dry base a'la Chicken Bhuna or Chicken Karahi.
- Your onions and tomatoes MUST be jammy and smooth before you add in your chicken - do NOT proceed until you've got this right! If you add your chicken in whilst you've stil got large chunks of onions hanging around, your gravy will NOT be soupy or smooth.
- It can be HARD getting those onions to break down. My best advice here is to get your best knife and really dice those onions down till they're fine and tiny. This will help them melt into the curry significantly easier than if they were chopped thick and clunky.
- If you're short of time, or the masala just isn't becoming smooth, a quick blitz with a blender or food processor will solve all your woes 😁
- The quantity and ratio of tomatoes and onion matters too... hint: you don't need a lot! Too much onion + tomato for the masala = a thick, gloopy gravy, when we're after a soupier consistency!
Method
Here's a quick pictorial step-by-step of how we're going to make this Chicken Salan before I share the recipe. All the quantities are shared at the bottom!
- We start by heating some oil in a deep pot and adding in our onion. This should be finely diced, because we want the onions to melt/disintigrate/dissolve into the curry sauce. Larger pieces of onions makes that harder to happen, so finely diced all the way. Get those onions lightly golden, careful not to burn or brown unevenly.
- Add your tomatoes, cut into halves, straight side facing down. I like doing this because after a few minutes on the heat, the skin will melt off by itself and you can discard it, leaving you with a smoother base. Add a splash of water alongside the tomatoes, put the lid on and allow this to 'steam' for 5 minutes, until the tomato skin softens and slips off.
![Step 1: Fry finely diced onions in hot oil in a deep pan [Pakistani Chicken Curry Recipe]](https://fatimacooks.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1-1.png)
![Step 1: Add tomatoes, cut in half, face down, into the pot [Pakistani Chicken Curry Recipe]](https://fatimacooks.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/2-1.png)
- Once the skin is off, add in minced ginger, garlic and all your spices, turn the heat to high and stir constantly. Particularly, you want to help the onions and tomatoes to meld together, break down and become a thick paste. If you're in a rush, feel free to whizz this in a blender.
- Once the paste is looking dark, glossy and the oil has risen to the top/separated around the edges as shown in the pictures, you're ready for the next step.
![Step 4: Once the paste is very dark, glossy and the oil has separated, it's ready [Pakistani Chicken Curry Recipe]](https://fatimacooks.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/4-1.png)
- Add the chicken in and sauté it in the oil/paste. This is a very important part of this recipe, you want to really take your time here and allow the chicken to fry in the thick paste and oil, until it no longer remains pink.
- Proceed to add water, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover. Cook for half an hour, until the chicken is tender.
![Add the chicken and sear it in the oil and paste until it is no longer pin [Chicken Salan Recipe]](https://fatimacooks.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/5-1.png)
- Finish off the Chicken Salan with some garam masala and your garnish of choice - either fresh coriander or dried fenugreek.
Add-ons to upgrade this chicken salan!
This recipe is a perfect base to add in additional bits and bobs your family might enjoy. For example:
- potatoes
- peas
- chickpeas
- any kind of lentils or beans, such as kidney beans
- boiled egg
- cubed pumpkin or butternut squash
How to adjust the recipe for any add-ons:
When you add any add-on will depend on how long it will take to cook. Quick-cooking or pre-cooked add-ons, such as frozen peas or tinned chickpeas/beans will need just 10 minutes. However, add-ons like potatoes or pumpkin may take as much time as the chicken and can should be added at the same time as you add the water. Boiled eggs don't do well with extra cooking, and can be added at the same time as your garam masala.
Can I use boneless chicken?
This recipe is best made with bone-in chicken. The bone gives the curry a much deeper and warming depth of flavour boneless just cannot replicate.
If you don't like bone-in, I'd recommend using boneless chicken thighs for juicy, tender chicken - chicken breast can become tough and dry.
To subsitute bone-in chicken with boneless, I've found success with keeping quantity stated in the recipe the same.
About the spices used
- This recipe calls for a few whole spices - cloves, black peppercorns, bay leaves and green cardamom. These are optional but highly recommended for a more mature, deep flavour and fragrance. But if you don't have one or another of these whole spices, don't feel like the show can't go on! Just omit them and chug along.
- I've used paprika/Kashmiri red chilli powder in this recipe. This gives the curry a wonderfully vibrant, red colour. It's fine to leave this out, but your curry won't be as red as pictured.
- Finally, regarding the garnishing. I have used kasuri methi (dried fenugreek) here partly because I like the flavour and fragrance of it but mostly because I don't always have fresh coriander to hand. Kasuri methi is a life saver on those days when I don't want a naked, garnish-less curry but don't have coriander! You are free to use either, whichever may be convenient.
How to serve
The beauty of this dish is it's easy to serve with whatever you have to hand. It pairs well with any kind of flatbread such as roti or naan, or plain basmati rice - how unfussy. It also seems to easily find itself at home on a busy spread too. Here are some of my favourite chicken curry combo meals for some inspiration:
- Serve the curry atop a vegetarian pulao, with aloo tikki and raita on the side
- If serving with another curry, I'd recommend something drier to balance out the soupy nature of this, such as aloo palak or Punjabi cholay.
- We enjoy our chicken curry with a buttery, crispy paratha and a side of sweetened Greek yogurt.
More Chicken Curry Recipes
Without further ado, here is the recipe! Enjoy, with love x
📋 Recipe
Chicken Salan Recipe | Pakistani Chicken Shorba Curry
Ingredients
- ½ cup (125 ml) oil
- 1 medium (110 g) onion finely diced
- 2 (240 g) tomatoes halved
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2-2.5 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 2 teaspoon paprika or Kashmiri red chilli powder (essential for the colour)
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 whole cloves
- 10 whole black peppercorns
- 1 green cardamom
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder please taste before adding this, and adjust as per your spice preference
- 1 medium chicken, bone in, curry-cut into approx 12-14 pieces (approximately 800g or 1.7lb)
- chopped coriander or dried fenugreek to garnish
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a deep pot
- Add in the diced onions. Cook these on a medium high heat till the onions become translucent and begin to brown lightly on the edges,
- Add the halved tomatoes and a splash of water. Cover and steam this on low for about 5 minutes, lid on. Once the 5 minutes are up, the skin should slip off the tomatoes easily. Remove and discard.
- Turn the heat up, add the garlic, ginger and all the spices and dry out the masala, stirring constantly. Use your spoon to mash the onions and tomatoes as you stir. Alternatively, you can blend these to get a super smooth masala fast.
- Once the masala is super dry, the oil begins to separate at the edges and the masala begins to catch at the bottom of the pot, add the chicken.
- Sauté the chicken on high heat, again stirring constantly, until the chicken changes colour and no longer remains pink.
- Add 2.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for half an hour.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, stir in the garam masala and coriander/dried fenugreek.
Notes
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Kim Alam
Made lots of curries as my husband is of Pakistani origin, never quite could get it like his family made it. Made this last week and smashed it, he said it’s better than any of the family make so thankyou so much for sharing
Nejat
Absolutely superb recipe
I Cooked this for a good friend that was born and lived in Pakistan until the age of 20. He’s very fussy about his curry . Even his uk born Pakistani wife can’t cook good enough for him. And he cooks his own food. When I cooked this recipe for us . He simply said introduce me to the Pakistani person that cooked this food! I explained I cooked it from this recipe! He literally said that he couldn’t cook better ! And asked me if there are more Pakistani recipes from the same person.
I can say this recipe is my go to recipe for a good chicken curry on the bone. Thank you
Kalisha
Hi Fatima I wanted to leave a comment here for all the recipes I have tried u have completely changed the game for me in cooking I follow all ur recipes to a T and there all perfect full of flavour not a single one has let me down Thankyou Fatima ur amazing
Ann Marie
Fatima, you are the best. My husband says your recipes taste like his mums cooking. His mum says I cook better than her own daughters, my kids say only mums food tastes as good as Daadis. I’m a white lass from Newcastle so this is high praise indeed. You have made me a star chef in my family, my salan is legendary thanks to you ♥️
shell
Hi Fatima, a novice here, when you add dried fenegreek leaves, how much do you put in the dish?
Was a beautiful dish, thanks for sharing.
Anna
another unbelievable home cooked dish, Pakistani flavours just like my mum. Thank you Fatima
Saoud
Thank you for this recipe! Tastes just like my mom makes it.
Mark
Lovely curry. I just wanted to check the measurements. 800g seems like not a whole chicken?
Shaz
Hi , its classed as a baby chicken. You can usually purchase from any asian grocers.
Assma
Learnt how to cook chicken curry using this recipe. Delicious everytime. Thank you
Fatima Cooks
Thrilled to hear that, Asma! You're so very welcome
Nighat
Tasty recipe but unfortunately your replies appear a year later. What a wonderful recipe you kindly shared.
Vlad
Absolutely nice.
The chicken dish came out very well. Pakishtani food is very nice.
Fatima Cooks
Happy to hear you enjoyed it, Vlad!
Shukria
PERFECT I made this today and the masala came out brilliantly.
Many thanks again for a fantastic recipe
Fatima Cooks
SO glad to hear! You're very welcome
Vidooshak
Absolutely fantastic. Took me about 2.5hrs to make, but I'm a novice. Came out great. You're right it's extremely nostalgic
Fatima Cooks
So happy you liked it!
Y.A.
Taste so good.
🫶🏻 from Turkiye. I will definitely be trying other recipes.
Fatima Cooks
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy my other recipes too!
Bilqees
Absolutely delicious and so simple to make.
ali
Thank you for this recipe. I couldn't find when to add the salt? Also I added Gram masala when it said add all spices :/
Fatima Cooks
Hi! Salt is added along with all the other spices.
Sumera
Love your recipes Fatima! Exactly the way my mum used to make so I'm glad I can in someway bring the flavours and the dishes to my children. Just made this again today!
Fatima Cooks
Honestly that is one of the best things to hear! I am so happy my cooking reminds you of your mums ❤️
Reba
I love this recipe but the onions don’t mix into the masala well. Are the onions suppose to be completely mashed or no?
Fatima Cooks
The masala is ideally completely smooth - are your onions very finely diced? The smaller they are, the more easily they'll mix into the masala. We ideally want to dice them as thin and small as you can get them. Some onions can be tough though, in which case the only option for a smooth base would be lots of time, or a blender.
Nejat
Perfect chicken curry.
The taste is so authentic.
I’ve used this recipe for lamb
And beef and just cooked for 1-30
To 2.30 for beef. Works equally well.
Fatima Cooks
So happy you like it, and thank you for sharing your experience with lamb and beef! Very useful to know.
MissLima
I’ve followed this recipe as my “go to” and I must say- this tastes exactly how it’s supposed to! I now use this website for my authentically tasting Pakistani food as I’ve moved on and want to cook authentically Asian food! Thank you so much for the really helpful and detailed content x
Fatima Cooks
I'm so thrilled to hear that! Thank you so much for your kind words 💖
Sillysue
Thank you so much for sharing these recipes. At the end of the day the basic every day recipes are such a comfort although one enjoys the fancier recipes.
Fatima Cooks
You're very welcome! And I agree - simple comforts are all you want sometimes!
Shehnaz Vali
Made this turned out absolutely delish!
Paul
Hi Fatima,
I really like the idea of this with rice, almost as a soup.
Could I ask though? Which type of Bay leaf do you use, Indian or European?
I used to be able to get the Indian type but have had no luck, in both of the Halal Grocers near me for quite some time.
Paul
Fatima
Hi Paul! Honestly, I mostly get my bay leaf from Indian/Pakistani stores but I haven't heard they're different to any other kind (although I'm happy to be corrected here!). Don't think I've hesitated in the past to pick some up from Tesco if needed. My local Sainsburys and Morrisons have the Asian branded bay leaf in the international food section.
Fatima
Farah
Can’t seem to get this recipe right without having the water separate at the end. Seems too soupy. I do reduce the oil at the beginning and wonder if that’s the reason.
Fatima
Hi Farah - yes, definitely sounds like reducing the oil is causing that! You need a certain amount of oil, otherwise the oil won't float to the top, which means the water will rise/separate.
Asfa Saleem
The recipe was simply amazing. Thankyou from the bottom of my HEART ❤
Stay Blessed 🙃
Fatima
You are most welcome!! ♥️
Mustafa
I made this today September 30th 2023, first time. Turned out more than I expected, it was delicious! Thank you for the recipe, good bless you, Fatima.
Fatima
Thank you 🙏🏼
Khalid
How do i doubke/triple up to feed a family of 6 x
Fatima
Hi Khalid! You can double or triple the ingredients as they are stated, cook times will remain the same 🙂
Chris-Tina
Delicious!! We used fenugreek (methi) leaves because we ran out of cilantro at home. Came out great.
Zeenat
This lady has GREAT recipes! Probably one of the best Desi sites !
Zeenat
AWESOME!
Fatima
Thank you!
Iffat
Loved this recipe! I've never used Paprika before but this is what i'll do from now on as it gives it an intense colour and flavour. I also added in 2 tbsp of yoghurt like the reader below and did the bhooning of chicken for a good 6/7 mins before adding some potatoes and then water. So yummy 🙂
Fatima
Thank you so so much Iffat, I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
Naila
I made this today. So tasty MashaAllah. My toddler who is often fussy kept wanting more! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
Dolly Sheth
Tried this recipe last month and it was just amazing! I'm not very interested in cooking, so I look for simple recipes, and this turned out delicious! I'm making it again for my friends today, and I'm sure they will love it too!
Fatima
I'm so happy to hear! Thank you so much for trying my recipe <3
Sameera Iqbal
Absolutely delicious! Recipe is perfect as written , easy to follow and super authentic. Another great recipe thank you fatima!
Fatima
Thank you so so much, Sameera <3
Gina H.
This recipe was absolute perfection. Thank you, thank you for the thorough directions. I’ve been trying to improve my cooking for such a long time and I always seem to mess something up, but this was perfect! The only change I made was that I added 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt and mixed that with the chicken (bhooning) for about 5-7 minutes, this was the step before adding the water for me. This is deff my new favorite chicken salan recipe, tastes just like back home!
Fatima
Wow, thank you so so much for your kind words! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! <3
Pamela
Hi Fatima
I have made a few of your recipes and I must say every single one of them have been perfect. Exactly how my MIL would make so my husband is extremely pleased.
Quick question can you use chicken breast when making this dish and if so would you alter anything at all?
Also I’d be adding potatoes again is there any alterations I should make of adding potatoes?
Pamela x
Fatima
Hi! Thank you so much
You can totally use chicken breast. I wouldn't change anything personally.
If you add potatoes, I would recommend adding them in at the same time you add the chicken. Fry them off with the chicken too.
Enjoy!
Manaar Zaki
Made this recipe today with farm chicken in the instapot. Turned out amazing, will have to keep this chicken salan recipe in rotation now.
Fatima
Yay, that's so good to hear! <3
Nageen
Amazing. This recipe is reminding me of the chicken shorba that my nanijaan used to make.
Martin Cohen
Hi, I used chicken mini fillets/tenders which is the best, most succulent, melt in the mouth cut of chicken breast to dice for a dish like this. But, I found it needed less salt and less water to produce a gravy that wasn't so salty or soupy. However, the ingredients and spice balance produced an absolutely stunning, delicious home made curry that my partner claimed was tastier than any of our local take away restaurants. We will be making this one again a.s.a.p
Fatima
Thank you so much!
allrecipeweb
This recipe is very famous not only in Pakistan and India but all over the world.
This is very easy to make at home. Credit goes to fatima who introducing Pakistani food at international level.
Asim
Thank you Fatima, been cooking for years, yet my Pakistani family think I am still 20 and cooking toast. cooked this Salan and it blew them away. Blessings to you and your family and cannot wait to cook just for my little boys so they can pass these great recipes forward. Keep up the great work and inspiration
Fatima
Thank you so much!
Anjum
I made this last night and it was delicious! I used sarson ka theyl and it reminded me of India. Jazakallah
Fatima
That sounds amazing! Thank you, Anjum
David
Very good curry and a welcome change from takeaway style and other homestyle curries I’ve made. So similar to the dish my friend’s neighbour cooked and the curry I frequently eat from hawker stalls in Malaysia.
I used fenugreek leaves over coriander leaves as that is my preference. I did make one alternation when I re-heated the curry on the second day by adding 2tbsp of yoghurt and the dish became very rich. I could happily eat it either way.
Next time I plan to add an extra tsp of Kashmiri chilli power and possible add a couple of green finger chillis for variation.
Look forward to trying your other recipes.
Pamela R.
I've never had this dish before and while it was cooking the delightful smell of the spices brought me so much joy! I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and in order to preserve the intensity of the incredible flavors, I let it simmer without the lid. Will serve it with basmati rice and put a little cilantro on top. What sides do you recommend? Thank you for the great pictures and easy to follow explanations to help make this wonderful meal!
Fatima
I've always struggled with curries, being a beginner and a, but the way you wrote out this recipe is great. I followed it almost to a t and it came out amazing. Thank you so much. I feel like I understand the methods much better.
Fatima
Thank you so much!
Mackie Chaudhry
Made this last night and it was delicious! Reminded me of my younger days. Now that I’m older and have less and less access to home cooked Pakistani meals, it was time for me to start making it myself. I have made many of your recipes and they have been so easy to follow and always come out delicious! I’d definitely buy your recipe book!
Liaba
This was such a yummy salan, everyone said it tested like a degi salan. I want to cook about around 3kg, do you think i should triple all the ingredients or should i just double them.
Kelly
Fab curry thanks for sharing this will be making this again
Sidra
Thank you so much for the delicious recipe... My siblings loved it... So in need of such easy and delicious recipes in amma's absence, hehe. 😋
Bakhtawar
Im away from home for school and was craving salan (LOL never thought I would say that) and my mom wasn't answering. I used this recipe and tweaked it to account for the spiced I had on hand. Came out great! I added potatoes to make it as close to my own moms recipe and it made me nostalgic to go home. Thank you Fatima <3
Fatima
LOL! Thank you!
Yasmin
This looks good. Will be trying it later today. Just wanted to ask that if we just use half a baby chicken, would you adjust the other ingredients a lot or will it be ok to keep as is? Also when adding potatoes, would you say to add more spice and if so how much? Potatoes could end up sucking all the flavour so some guidance is appreciated. Thank you 🙂
Fatima
If I use half a baby chicken, I'd half all the rest of the ingredients.
If you use potatoes, you'd definitely need to add more spices. How much I can't say though because it depends on how many potatoes.
samira
how do you make curry from raw onions (without frying or saute)?
whats the difference between shorba and qorma?
Sargon
Thank you for posting this AMAZING recipe. Tomorrow I am cooking for the 4th time in as many weeks. It is sooooo flavourful!!!!
Fatima
Thank you!
Alastair M
This looks lovely. Is the sauce not reduced at all, it must be a bit watery and isn't 3 tsp of salt rather alot? I shall definitely be trying it though! Best wishes, Alastair
Fatima
This is a watery, soup based curry. Not like a bhuna or karahi 🙂 So based on the soupy nature of the curry, 3tsp works fine for us however you are free to adjust this to your liking
Andy
When you mention 2.5 cups, is that t-cup or mug size. Thanks.
Fatima
Cups are standard measuring cup sized, so about 250mls. Normal mug sized 🙂
Adnan
This is an amazing recipe! Must try! Thank You for posting it for everyone to enjoy!
Roisin
Hi how many does this serve? Thanks
Arfan
Hi, can you use boneless chicken for this recipe also? Thanks!
Fatima
Yes, absolutely!
Rosina Khan
This is really good! I whizzed the onions and tomatoes in the blender and it was a real quick one. Thanks
Fatima
Good to know you enjoyed it, Rosina!
Shilpa
Loved the flavors in the recipe and found the tip to use kasuri methi to be quite useful when I don't have coriander. Thanks so much!