Everyone's favourite restaurant-style chicken Hyderabadi curry, made easier in your home kitchen. The curry is rich with flavours of fried onions, yoghurt, and a spiced cashew-almond-coconut paste. A dish that looks and tastes like it took hours, but it's mostly a good simmer doing all the work. With a little prepping, this is perfect for weekends and gatherings.
I've had this curry in restaurants, sometimes called dum ka murgh, and it stuck with me as one of those rich, comforting curries you can't forget. A viral reel finally pushed me to try making it in my own kitchen, and that led to a few rounds of testing and tweaking until it tasted just right. This is the version I'm happiest with, and the one I keep coming back to.
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🕌 What is Chicken Hyderabadi Curry?
At its heart, Chicken Hyderabadi is a royal curry that traces to the Nizami kitchens of Hyderabad. The kitchens that believed food should be indulgent yet balanced. The gravy gets its richness from fried onions, almonds, cashews, grated coconut, and yoghurt, not from cream.
The result is a creamy, lightly spiced Chicken Hyderabadi curry recipe that is somewhere between a korma and a dum ka masala - not too mild, not too fiery. Just right.
🛒Ingredient Notes
Everything in this curry plays a role... the nuts make it creamy, the fried onions give it body, and the yoghurt keeps the chicken juicy. Here's what you'll need
- Nuts & Coconut: Soaked cashews, blanched almonds, and grated coconut make the masala rich and naturally thick.
- Saffron milk: If you don't have saffron, use only milk.
- Red Onions: You may use fried onions stored in the freezer, but making fresh ones will also yield the onion-fried oil, which adds flavour to this curry.
- Whole spices: You will need green cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick and caraway seeds (shah jeera). If you don't have shah jeera, substitute it with cumin seeds or powder.
- Ground spices: You will need chilli powder, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and black pepper.
- Chicken: Bone-in curry cut is best for flavour.
- Yoghurt: Full-fat
- Produce: Fresh coriander, mint and green chillies.
- Ginger garlic paste
- Oil and ghee
- Lime juice and, of course, salt!
Refer to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this page for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
🔪How to make Chicken Hyderabadi Curry
The chicken turns incredibly tender as it slow-cooks in this creamy Hyderabadi-style gravy, giving you a restaurant-worthy curry in under an hour.
📝Take Note
Ensure everything is ready before you start marinating. Following this order saves time:
- Soak the nuts and infuse the saffron
- Fry the onions - 10 to 15 minutes
- Grind the paste - 3 to 5 minutes
- Marinate the chicken - about 10 minutes
- Cook the curry - around 45 minutes
Fry the onions
I like to deep-fry the sliced onions in small batches on medium heat until they turn a deep golden brown. Stir often so they cook evenly and don't burn. Each batch may take 3 to 5 minutes. Remove and place on a paper towel to drain off excess oil. Keep about ¼ cup of this onion-fried oil for later.
Prepare the nut-and-spice paste
Grind the soaked nuts, grated coconut and whole spices to a smooth paste. Add a splash of water if needed. This creamy, aromatic base is what gives the curry its signature luxurious texture.
Add to chicken
In a large bowl, combine the chicken with spices, whisked yoghurt, ginger garlic paste, green chillies, mint & coriander leaves, fried onions, ground paste, saffron-infused milk, reserved onion-fried oil and lastly, ghee.
Marinate the chicken
Massage the mixture well so every piece of chicken is coated in that lush Hyderabadi masala. Use a wooden spoon, a spatula or your hands.
Cook the curry
Transfer the mixture into a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook uncovered on medium heat until it begins to boil.
Simmer the curry
Then cover with a heavy lid and simmer on low until the chicken is tender and the oil rises to the top. That glossy layer means your curry is ready!
📝Smoke the Curry
Optional step. This adds restaurant-style smokiness to the curry. Place a small steel bowl or onion peel in the centre of the curry pot. Heat a piece of charcoal until it is red. Then drop it into the steel bowl, and immediately pour a teaspoon of ghee over it. Cover the pot immediately and let it sit for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the steel bowl and serve!
Serve and enjoy
Garnish with more fried onions and fresh herbs. Serve hot with basmati rice, roti, paratha or naan. A side of onion salad and lime wedges makes it extra special.
☝️Recipe FAQS
Chicken Hyderabadi stands out for its creamy nut-and-coconut base, the use of fried onions, yoghurt, saffron, and the slow-cooked richness that builds as everything melts together. The flavours are deeper and aromatic than a basic onion-tomato curry, and the texture is naturally thicker and silkier.
The nuts and coconut give the curry that signature restaurant-style richness. If you need a substitute, use a mix of thick yoghurt and a splash of cream.
Firstly, check if you missed adding the ground paste of nuts and coconut. If it is still watery, this usually happens if the yoghurt is too runny or the chicken releases a lot of water. Let it simmer a little longer, until it thickens and the oil surfaces to the top.
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❄️Storage
Leftovers? They taste even better the next day. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water to loosen the gravy.
🍲More Chicken Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Afghani Chicken Curry
- Margooga (Emirati Chicken and Pastry)
- Chicken Chettinad Curry
- Chicken Basha - Lebanese Meatball Stew
💡Serving Ideas
- This curry pairs beautifully with Methi Pulao, especially when you want something more aromatic than plain rice.
- If you're in the mood for grilling, my Chicken Tikka Skewers make a great starter before a Hyderabadi meal.
- For a classic that never disappoints, my Murg Makhani is always a crowd-pleaser.
- And don't miss my Hyderabadi Kacchi Chicken Biryani recipe, one of my all-time favourites.
- For something lighter but still full of fresh flavours, try the Green chicken curry.
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📖 Recipe Card
Chicken Hyderabadi Curry Recipe (dum ka murgh)
Ingredients
For Fried Onions
- 3 medium-sized red onions, thinly sliced
- cooking oil, to deep fry
For Nut & Spice Paste
- 10 whole cashews, soaked in warm water (15 minutes)
- 10 almonds, soaked in warm water and peeled
- ¼ cup grated coconut
- 3 green cardamom
- 3 cloves
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
For Saffron Milk
- ½ cup milk, warmed
- 1 pinch saffron strands
For Marination
- 800 grams chicken bone-in pieces, curry cut
- 1 tablespoon red chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, or 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 cup yoghurt, whisked
- 2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 6-8 green chillies, slit
- handful Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
- handful fresh mint leaves, chopped
- Juice of half a lime
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- ¼ cup oil, reserved from onion-fried oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Soak nuts and infuse saffron
- Soak cashews and almonds in warm water for 15 minutes.10 whole cashews soaked in warm water (15 minutes)10 almonds soaked in warm water and peeled
- Warm the milk, add saffron strands, and set aside to infuse.½ cup milk warmed1 pinch saffron strands
Fry the onions
- Slice the onions thinly and fry them in small batches in hot oil until they turn golden brown. Stir often so they cook evenly and don't burn. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain off any excess oil. Don't forget to reserve about ¼ cup of this onion-flavoured oil for later.3 medium-sized red onions thinly slicedcooking oil to deep fry
Prepare the paste
- Grind the soaked cashews, peeled almonds, grated coconut and whole spices to a smooth paste, adding a splash of water if needed.10 whole cashews soaked in warm water (15 minutes)10 almonds soaked in warm water and peeled¼ cup grated coconut3 green cardamom3 cloves1 inch cinnamon stick
Marinate the chicken
- In a large bowl with the clean chicken pieces, add the spices, whisked yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, mint & coriander leaves, fried onions, ground paste, saffron-infused milk, reserved onion-fried oil and lastly, ghee.800 grams chicken bone-in pieces curry cut1 tablespoon red chilli powder1 tablespoon coriander powder½ teaspoon turmeric powder1 teaspoon garam masala1 teaspoon black pepper powder1 teaspoon caraway seeds or 1 teaspoon cumin powder1 cup yoghurt whisked2 tablespoon ginger garlic paste6-8 green chillies slithandful Fresh coriander leaves choppedhandful fresh mint leaves choppedJuice of half a lime1 tablespoon ghee¼ cup oil reserved from onion-fried oilSalt to taste
- Mix well, ensuring every piece is coated in the aromatic masala. You may cook it immediately or let it marinate for about 15 minutes.
Cook the curry
- Transfer the marinated chicken to a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook uncovered on medium heat until it starts to boil.
- Reduce the heat, cover with a heavy lid, and simmer until the chicken is tender and the oil rises to the top. This may take around 40-45 minutes.
Serve
- Garnish with more fried onions and fresh herbs. Serve hot with rice, roti, or naan, and prepare for a Hyderabadi-style feast that's rich, nutty, and deeply aromatic.
Notes
- You can skip saffron if unavailable, but it adds a subtle royal aroma that elevates the dish.
- Use bone-in chicken for deeper flavour; boneless tends to cook faster but yields a lighter broth.
- The nut paste thickens the curry - no cream needed.
- Fried onions are key! Make sure they're evenly browned and crisp.
- Leftovers taste even better the next day, as the spices deepen overnight.
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