Easy Hyderabadi Wedding-Style Chicken Curry

This traditional Hyderabadi-style chicken curry delivers a rich, regal flavor with surprisingly minimal effort. By blending yogurt, nuts, and coconut into a smooth paste and marinating everything together, we skip the tedious frying and browning stages. It’s a true dump-and-go recipe that yields a deeply aromatic, velvety gravy perfect for your next dinner party or family gathering.

Yield: 5 to 6 servings

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ marination (optional)

Ingredients

For the Nut & Yogurt Paste:

• 12 raw cashews

• 8 raw almonds

• 2 tablespoons desiccated coconut

• ¾ cup plain yogurt

• ½ cup cooking oil

For the Chicken & Marinated Base:

• 1.2 kilograms chicken, cut into curry pieces

• 3 to 4 green chilies (seeded if you prefer less heat, left whole/slit if you like it spicy)

• 1 handful fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

• 16 to 18 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

• 1 cup fried onions (beresta)

• 1 tablespoon garlic paste

• 1 tablespoon ginger paste

• 1 ½ tablespoons Kashmiri red chili powder

• 2 teaspoons ground coriander

• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

• ½ teaspoon garam masala

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• Juice of ½ lime

• 2 teaspoons salt

For Cooking & Garnish:

• 1 cup water (to rinse the marinade bowl)

• 1 ½ cups hot water

• Extra fried onions (beresta) and chopped coriander, for garnish

Preparation

Step 1: Make the Paste

In a blender or food processor, combine the cashews, almonds, desiccated coconut, yogurt, and oil. Blend until perfectly smooth and creamy.

Step 2: Marinate the Chicken

In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken pieces. Pour in the blended yogurt-nut paste. Add the green chilies, chopped coriander, mint leaves, fried onions, garlic paste, ginger paste, Kashmiri chili, ground coriander, turmeric, garam masala, black pepper, lime juice, and salt. Mix thoroughly with your hands until every piece of chicken is evenly coated. If time permits, let it marinate for 30 minutes; otherwise, we can proceed directly to cooking.

Step 3: Begin the Cook

Transfer the marinated chicken and all the sauce into a large, cold nonstick pan. Pour 1 cup of water into the empty marinating bowl, swirl it around to catch any leftover spices, and pour that into the pan as well. Turn the heat to medium.

Step 4: Simmer and Stir

Once the curry starts bubbling and releasing steam, lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Because the nut paste can easily stick and burn, ensure you stir the mixture thoroughly every 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook like this for about 15 minutes until the oil begins to separate and rise to the surface.

Step 5: Slow Cook until Tender

Pour in 1 ½ cups of hot water and stir gently to combine. Cover the pan, keep the heat on low, and let it slow-cook for another 35 to 45 minutes. Stir occasionally until the chicken is tender and a beautiful layer of oil completely separates on top.

Step 6: Garnish and Serve

Turn off the heat. Garnish generously with crispy fried onions and fresh coriander. Serve hot alongside flaky porota, soft roti, or simple sada bhat.