Chicken Keema Recipe

Chicken keema is a spicy minced meat dish with chicken and peas. Serve with chapati or rice for a nice and delicious meal.
Yield 300 grams

Ingredients

• 300 grams minced chicken meat
• 1 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 cup oil (adjust to your preference)
• 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1.5 cups finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
• 2-3 green chillies, slit (adjust to taste)
• 1.5 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp canned tomato paste (or 1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander leaves (cilantro)

Powder Coarsely:

• 2 pods cardamom
• 1" piece of cinnamon
• 3 cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Place the minced chicken in a bowl and add chilli powder, turmeric powder, and salt
2. Mix well and set aside
3. Powder together the spices mentioned under "powder coarsely" above and set aside
4. Heat the oil and add cumin seeds and bay leaf
5. When the cumin seeds brown and sizzle, add the chopped onions
6. Saute until the onions turn soft, no need to brown them too much
7. Now add the fresh ginger and garlic
8. Saute saute saute
9. In go the green chillies and peas. I leave the peas out for a few minutes if using frozen but adding them straight from the freezer will work in a pinch too
10. Saute again until the peas start to turn soft - about 5-7 minutes
11. Time to add the spices. Add 2 teaspoons of the ground powder (I usually chuck it all in without measuring) and coriander powder
12. Fry for a minute until nice and fragrant
13. Now add the chicken
14. Mix everything together until well combined
15. Add the tomato paste (or fresh tomatoes) and mix again
16. Since I used canned tomato paste (the flavour is more intense and I prefer this in some dishes), I add about 4 tbsp water at this stage.  You can omit this if using fresh tomatoes
17. Mix well and cook covered for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked soft. 
18. Once the chicken is cooked, add sugar and more salt if needed
19. Throw in the chopped coriander leaves 
20. Mix and serve hot

Step by Step Chicken Keema Recipe


Place the minced chicken in a bowl and add chilli powder, turmeric powder, and salt




Mix well and set aside






Powder together the spices mentioned under “powder coarsely” above and set aside






Heat the oil and add cumin seeds and bay leaf (I used two because mine were teeny tiny but one should suffice if they are normal sized)






When the cumin seeds brown and sizzle, add the chopped onions






Saute until the onions turn soft, no need to brown them too much






Now add the fresh ginger and garlic. You can also use bottled ginger garlic paste, no problem






Saute saute saute






In go the green chillies and peas. I leave the peas out for a few minutes if using frozen but adding them straight from the freezer will work in a pinch too






Saute again until the peas start to turn soft – about 5-7 minutes






Time to add the spices. Add 2 teaspoons of the ground powder (I usually chuck it all in without measuring) and coriander powder






Fry for a minute or two until nice and fragrant






Now add the chicken






Mix everything together until well combined






Add the tomato paste (or fresh tomatoes) and mix again






Since I used canned tomato paste (the flavour is more intense and I prefer this in some dishes), I add about 4 tbsp water at this stage. You can omit this if using fresh tomatoes






Mix well and cook covered for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked soft. Add (more) water as needed by the tablespoon but take care not to add too much






Once the chicken is cooked, add sugar and more salt if needed






Throw in the chopped coriander leaves






Mix and serve hot











Notes:

• The spices and heat (red chilli powder and green chillies) should all be adjusted per your preference. This quantity yields a fairly spicy chicken keema which is perfect for my family
• You can try the same recipe with minced lamb but you may need to increase the spices accordingly since lamb is a stronger flavoured meat
• If your tomatoes are not sour, squeeze half a lemon over the chicken keema once cooked
• Chicken keema tastes fabulous with nan, bread, pav, and rice too
• If you try this recipe, please tag me on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, I’d love to check it out
• For chicken keema recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, Telugu etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar.