Ginger Chicken recipe | Restaurant style Ginger Chicken curry

Last Updated on September 6, 2023 by Santosh Allada

Looking for a totally different chicken curry recipe? Then, try this exotic Ginger Chicken recipe. The scrumptious gravy with a zesty ginger flavor is a true delight for ginger lovers. You can serve it as an entrée or main dish with steamed rice or any Indian bread.

Like most of the kids, I too did not like the taste of ginger. As I got older, my taste for ginger, garlic, and capsicum has grown. Thanks to the Indo-Chinese items.

My first experience to taste ginger chicken curry/gravy was at a restaurant Deccan Durbar restaurant in Hyderabad. Located in heart of the city, the restaurant is not a fine-dining kind of a place but is popular to serve delicious dhaba food at a pocket-friendly price.

I did not taste the curry version before. When I first tried this dish, fell in love with the gravy’s flavor profile. This is the best ginger chicken I have ever tasted! It had the strong flavor of ginger along with a mild sweet and sour taste.

Since then, I became a big fan of ginger chicken and visit the restaurant once or twice a month.

What is Ginger Chicken curry?

Ginger Chicken curry is an Indian chicken curry that’s made by cooking the chicken pieces in an onion, lots of ginger, and garlic base gravy along with spices and sauces, thus making it hot and spicy.

It originates from the Punjab state of North India. The dish is also known as Adraki Murgh in Hindi (Indian language). Adraki means gingery (ginger-infused) and Murgh means chicken.

Apart from India, ginger chicken is popular in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

About Ginger Chicken recipe

There are different versions of ginger chicken. 

Ginger Chicken curry/gravy.

Ginger Chicken dry/fry.

Indo-Chinese Ginger Chicken wet and dry.

The ginger chicken curry recipe is different than the Indo-Chinese style. My ginger chicken recipe is a curry version where the onion, ginger, and garlic are ground to paste and sauteed well in a good amount of oil until the moisture reduces and the base gravy is thick. To this, we add the spice powder and sauces. Cook until it blends well and makes the base gravy super delicious. Sear the chicken pieces and simmer till they are tender and absorb all the flavors.

What makes this Ginger Chicken curry unique in taste is the freshly made base gravy from scratch. The key ingredients of restaurant-style Ginger Chicken are – onions, ginger, garlic, red chili sauce, green chili sauce, tomato ketchup, kashmiri red chili powder, vinegar, and sugar.

The main focus of this delectable dish is the base gravy. This recipe demands more oil to saute the onion paste well. You can remove the excess oil after sauteing the onion paste.

You need patience while sauteing the onion paste. I strongly recommend you put in a couple of extra minutes to saute onion paste until it changes color.

This curry gets its Indo-Chinese touch from soy sauce, red chili sauce, green chili sauce, and white vinegar. Because of soy sauce, the curry has a dark color. The sauces in Indian curry are admittedly a little odd. But, trust me without these ingredients, the dish is incomplete. So please try not to skip them.

In most restaurants, red food color is added to make the dish look appealing. To avoid food color, I use kashmiri red chili powder that is known for color and not spice.

This ginger chicken recipe gives you a spicy curry that is what my family members love. However, you can customize the quantity of ingredients based on the spice level you can tolerate. You can tone down the spiciness by reducing the quantity of ginger, red chili sauce, and green chili sauce.

Reasons to make

Chicken does not need marination for making Ginger Chicken.

The gingerly flavor will surely tantalize your taste buds.

A delicious medley of flavors from ginger paste and sauces.

Apt for weekend lunch or dinner, parties, dawat, get together, and special occasions for your loved ones or guests and see the joy on their faces.

The ginger-flavored sauce will have everyone come back for seconds.

Ginger, a popular herb is known for its magical benefits – helps in digestion, boosts the immune system, is loaded with antioxidants, and many more.

Ingredients to make Ginger Chicken curry

Chicken: I have used skinless curry cut pieces that are a combination of bone-in chicken thigh, leg piece, and breast. This dish works great with both skinless chicken breast and chicken thighs.

Onion: I use onion paste for a smooth gravy texture similar to the restaurant.

Ginger: The star ingredient of the dish. Use fresh ginger only. Apart from ginger paste, I add finely chopped ginger which comes as a magical ingredient and uplifts the traditional curry to the next level.

Garlic: Garlic along with ginger makes all meat taste better. Also, Indian curries are incomplete without garlic. In this recipe, garlic quantity is less but mandatory.

Sauces: red chili sauce, green chili sauce, soya sauce, tomato sauce/ketchup.

Spice powder: Kashmiri red chili powder or paprika powder.

Sugar: to calm down the heat of the spices.

Salt to taste. As sauces have salt in them, be careful while adding salt.

Coriander leaves to garnish.

How to make Restaurant style Ginger Chicken gravy

Grind onion to smooth paste and keep aside. Later grind ginger and garlic to a smooth paste.

1, 2, and 3. Heat oil in a pan on medium flame. Add the onion paste and saute until the color changes to light brown.

4. Add the ginger garlic paste.

5 & 6. Saute till the raw smell goes away. Add finely chopped ginger and saute for a minute.

7 & 8. Add the red chili and green chili sauce, tomato ketchup, soya sauce, vinegar, kashmiri red chili powder. Mix well and saute for 1-2 minutes.

9 & 10. Add the chicken pieces and mix well with the masala. Saute for 5 minutes.

11 & 12. Add salt and mix well.

13 & 14. Cover and simmer on low flame for 5 mins.

15. Add hot water to the level of chicken and mix well.

16. Next, add sugar and mix well.

17. Cover the pan and simmer on low flame for 20 to 30 mins or till the chicken is cooked.

18, 19, & 20. Continue to simmer on low flame until the gravy thickens and the oil separates.

Restaurant-style Ginger Chicken curry is ready.

Serving Suggestions

To enjoy the full flavor of ginger, this ginger chicken curry pairs best with Indian flatbreads like tandoori roti, butter naan, rumali roti, lachha parathas, and plain parathas.

You can also serve it as a side dish with steamed rice, basmati rice, or flavored rice like jeera rice, bagara rice.

Because of fusion flavors, it will even pair amazingly with Egg Fried rice or Schezwan Fried rice.

If there is any leftover, I use the chicken pieces and ginger gravy as stuffing to make sliders, rolls, or sandwiches for my kid.

Sliders: Saute the ginger chicken gravy in a pan until the gravy dries out a bit. Slit open the burger buns and saute them in a pan with some butter. Add ginger chicken masala, and top it with sliced onions, tomatoes, mayo, or tomato sauce.

Rolls: Heat a flaky parota (paratha), roti, or flour tortillas in a pan with some oil. Add the ginger chicken masala across the middle and garnish with thinly sliced raw onions and coriander leaves or cilantro. Roll starting from the side all the way.  Wrap the bottom half in butter paper, tucking away any excess paper.

Sandwich: Spread a layer of ginger chicken masala on one bread slice and cover with another bread slice. Cut in triangle or square. You can also grill or slightly roast on the tawa.

Storage Suggestions

I usually just store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. As the dish has extra oil and vinegar, it can last 5 to 7 days. I personally suggest consuming it within 4 days.

Can I freeze?

I recommend freezing the ginger base gravy. Store it in airtight containers or freezer bags in the freezer for 1 to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

Reheat the base gravy in a pan and add the chicken pieces. Continue with the rest of the recipe.

Variations

To make a dry version, do not add any extra liquid to the recipe. Let the chicken cook in its own juices.

The ginger gravy is a versatile base curry, you can give it so many twists to make a delicious variety.

Ginger Paneer: Add paneer pieces after the base gravy is ready. You can add them directly to the gravy or coat (with maida and cornflour) the paneer pieces and deep fry them before adding them to the gravy.

Ginger Egg: Hard boil the eggs. Make a few slits on each egg and add to the gravy. Simmer for at least 5 minutes.

Add Vegetables: Add steamed or fried (coated with maida and cornflour) baby corns, cauliflower, mushrooms, and steamed broccoli.

Ginger Prawns: To get rid of the prawn smell, cook them separately in a pan before adding them to the ginger gravy.

More Chicken recipes

Chicken Masala

Kolhapuri Chicken

Andhra Chicken curry

Chicken 65

Easy Chicken curry

If you’ve tried this restaurant-style Ginger Chicken recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! Feedback and suggestions are highly appreciated. Also, please share the recipes with your friends and family members.

You can also follow me on Instagram to see what’s latest in my kitchen!

Recipe Card