Easy Chicken Keema Recipe
The Chicken Keema recipe is easy to make and has great flavor. It’s an Indian and Pakistani dish made from ground chicken, aromatic and earthy spices, tomatoes, green chili, onion, and other flavor-enhancing ingredients. If you never had chicken keema (also written as chicken Qeema), let me tell you that its texture is similar to Sloppy Joes, but the taste is entirely different.
Chicken keema is a popular dish, and one can use it in making other dishes like Keema Paratha, Keema Naan, or Chicken Samosa.
In this post, I will talk more about how to ground chicken at home from fresh or frozen chicken. Most people prefer to ground the chicken at home since they choose the part of chicken they prefer, and freshly ground chicken has more flavor. Plus, you can control it to make it fine or with small chunks.
With simple steps and ingredients, you can have this dish ready within 30 minutes, making it ideal for a quick dinner. Serve it with Lachha Paratha or Butter Naan, which tastes great with plain rice.
❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE CHICKEN KEEMA
Traditional dish: Chicken keema is a traditional dish in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It is often served in the morning as a breakfast for the family.
Flavorful: This dish is seasoned with a variety of aromatic spices, which gives it a rich and flavorful taste.
Versatility: There are many versions of chicken keema recipe, such as chicken keema with yogurt and keema curry.
Flexibility: Although using the spices mentioned in the recipe will make this dish a hit, you can omit the spices you’re not fond of to increase or decrease the level of spiciness.
📝 INGREDIENTS
Cooking a fail-proof chicken keema is easy and requires little time! All the listed ingredients can be found in your local store.
Ground chicken – This is the star of our dish. You can use frozen minced chicken or make a fresh one at home. Following this easy chicken keema recipe will result in an Authentic, flavorful dish.
A blend of earthy aromatic spices – Please do not be overwhelmed with the list of spices; Indian food usually has different blends that come together beautifully.
Freshly made tomato puree – Canned tomato puree often has an aftertaste and is sour. When making your own at home, you can deseed them which reduces the sourness.
Green chili – From the store, you can get the mild and the hot ones, but in both cases, green chili enhances the flavor of all the Indian and Pakistani food and adds a great aroma.
Ghee – Yes, you can use oil if you prefer it, but ghee is best for this dish. It keeps it authentic with great flavors.
🔪 INSTRUCTION
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to cook chicken keema! Follow these simple steps to make juicy, tender chicken with so much flavor. For detailed instructions, see the recipe card!
Step 1
Heat the oil in a large pan, then add the onion and fry until translucent. Add to it the green chili, ginger, and garlic paste. Cook on medium-high heat.
Step 2
Add the minced chicken, cook for a few minutes, and add the spices except the dry fenugreek leaves.
Step 3
Mix for a few minutes, then add the tomato puree and the dry fenugreek leaves. Mix well.
Step 4
Pour in the boiling water, cook for a few more minutes, and finally, add the fresh coriander leaves.
💭 EXPERT TIPS
- Increase the heat when adding the chicken to prevent it from releasing moisture and getting dry, then reduce the heat after 2 minutes.
- When making tomato puree, deseed the tomatoes since the seeds might make the dish too sour.
- Some people use red chili instead of green. In that case, use fresh red chili and not dry.
- When using frozen minced chicken, it is better to drain extra moisture from it using a strainer.
📋VARIATIONS
Add heavy cream – Follow all the steps, and after adding the coriander leaves, mix the chicken keema for two minutes, then take half a cup from the keema, mix it with the cream, and then pour it back into the pan and mix well for a few seconds.
Make it dry – Some people prefer dry chicken keema to use it in sandwiches and samosas. Cook the keema until dry, then add the fresh coriander leaves and stir for a minute.
🍗 MINCING THE CHICKEN
There are two ways to mince chicken, and you will find that homemade minced chicken has a better texture and flavor.
Using a food processor to mince the chicken is the simplest, most straightforward way. Cut the chicken into quarters and add them to the food processor. Give it a few pulses, and your minced chicken is ready.
Use a sharp knife, preferably a Chef’s knife. Cut the chicken into fine and thin slices horizontally, gather the chicken slices, cut them vertically, assemble the pieces into a pile, and chop them from left to right four to six times. You won’t have fine mince, but it will work for this chicken keema recipe.
🌡️STORING
You can store the leftovers in a plastic container and refrigerate them for up to two days. The keema might look dry after refrigeration, and that’s because the ghee hardens in the fridge. To reheat, add a small amount of water to the keema. Heat it over the stovetop or in a microwave.
This amazing dish can be frozen for up to a month. Place it in a Ziplock back or freezer-friendly container and freeze. Don’t forget to write the date on the container or the Ziplock bag.
To thaw a frozen keema, place it in the fridge overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop after adding a small amount of water.
📣MORE INDIAN DISHES YOU’LL LIKE
⭐PLEASE RATE AND REVIEW
If you have tried this recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!
Easy Chicken Keema Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 grams ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder you can add less
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 green chili cut in half
- ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves you can use less
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes seeded and pureed
- 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves
- 3 tablespoon ghee or oil
- ½ cup boiling water
Instructions
- In a large deep pan, add the ghee, and when hot, add in the chopped onion.
- Fry the onion until translucent, then add the green chili, garlic paste, and ginger paste. Fry the ingredients on medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
- Add the minced chicken, cook for 2 minutes, and add the spices except for the dry fenugreek leaves. Cook for 4 minutes while stirring to prevent the chicken from burning.
- Pour the tomato puree over the chicken and cook for three minutes, then add the dry fenugreek leaves and mix well for 2 minutes.
- Pour the boiling water and cook until half the water evaporates, then sprinkle the fresh coriander leaves, mix for a minute and cover the pan keeping the heat at medium low. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes on medium low, but make sure to stir frequently to avoid burning the chicken keema.
- Turn off the heat and keep the pan covered for at least 15 minutes, allowing all the flavors to come together and for the ghee to separate.
- Serve it hot with plain rice or Indian flat bread.
Video
Notes
- Increase the heat when adding the chicken to prevent it from releasing moisture and getting dry, then reduce the heat after 2 minutes.
- When making tomato puree, deseed the tomatoes since the seeds might make the dish too sour.
- Some people use red chili instead of green. In that case, use fresh red chili and not dry.
- When using frozen minced chicken, it is better to drain extra moisture from it using a strainer.
- You can use oil instead of ghee in this recipe, but don’t use olive oil.
- Omit the fresh coriander leaves if you are not fond of its taste; the keema will still taste good without it.
This looks so delicious Muna. One of my fav breakfast Chicken Keema Pav and its been a while I made this. Thanks for reminding me
Hey Rahul, I like to make some stuffed paratha with the leftover and enjoy it with karak chai 🙂
This looks so flavourful and moreish! I love all the wonderful spices that you used for this dish.
Yes, the combination of spices was amazing 🙂
Amazing recipe thank you