What Is Mughlai Chicken?
Mughlai chicken is an easy skillet recipe that's made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and a heavily spiced yogurt sauce. The Indian recipe is made with warming spices like cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, and cardamom. The silky curry sauce is delicious over the juicy chicken, and the dish is best served with rice or naan bread for soaking it all up.
How to Make Mughlai Chicken
The ingredient list for this recipe is a bit long and may seem intimidating, but it's actually quite simple to prepare once you have everything pulled together. Here's how to make it.
- Make a paste with ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander, and dried chili flakes. A food processor makes quick work of this. Add ground almonds and water, and set the paste-like mixture aside.
- Prep and measure all your spices and set them aside.
- Fry the chicken thighs in oil in batches until browned, then remove from the pan.
- Add the measured spices to the hot oil and stir. Add in chopped onions and cook until tender. You'll want to keep an eye on this so it doesn't burn. Add in your ginger and almond paste and cook until golden. Add plain yogurt, stock, and golden raisins to round out the sauce.
- Add the chicken to the pan and sprinkle with garam masala. Cover and cook until the chicken is done.
- Sprinkle with the sliced toasted almonds and serve.
Tips for Making Taylor's Favorite Mughlai Chicken
- Nigella recommends making this dish a day ahead and reheating it when you're ready to serve so the flavors have even more time to develop.
- This is the time to use chicken thighs rather than chicken breasts. The juicy dark meat stands up to the creaminess of the sauce. For that reason, I don't recommend substituting it.
- When cooking the chicken, don't crowd the pan. You want each piece to get a good sear, and if there are too many pieces in the pan, the meat will steam instead.
- It may seem time-consuming, but I highly recommend having all your spices measured and prepped before you start making this chicken recipe. It goes quickly once you start.
- For the most nutty flavor, use toasted almonds. Simply toss them into a hot, dry skillet and shake them gently until they begin to brown. Remove them from the pan, and you're ready to garnish.
- One addition I would make to the recipe is to serve the finished dish with a lemon wedge. Just a little acid went a long way in brightening up all the flavors and cutting through the richness of the sauce.
- My leftovers reheated beautifully. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two.
The Verdict on Taylor Swift's Mughlai Chicken
I really loved this recipe and can totally see why Taylor turns to it when hosting. It's comforting, cozy, and very flavorful. It's one of those dishes that seems really impressive but is actually quite easy to make once you've got everything prepped. I enjoyed it best over basmati rice with a generous squeeze of lemon. And don't skimp on the toasted almonds. They gave each bite just the right amount of crunch. I will absolutely make this again for a dinner party or just a random Tuesday night.
