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Tawa chicken
Griddle-fried chicken
توا چکن (tawa chicken): truck-stop chicken fried on a big flat tawa with tomato and green chilli
At night on the motorway service roads and Lahore's Gawalmandi, cooks drum their metal spatulas on huge round tawas as they chop and fry chicken to order: boneless pieces scraped about the hot iron with tomato, onion, green chilli and spice until dry, smoky and coated. The noise is half the show, and the chicken is eaten straight off the griddle with naan or paratha. The mistake at home is using a small non-stick pan over a timid flame, which stews the chicken; use your widest heavy pan or griddle and keep the heat high. Chef's tip: chop the chicken into small pieces with the edge of your spatula as it cooks, the way the stalls do, so every bit picks up the charred masala.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb boneless chicken thighs3 cm pieces
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 onionchopped
- 3 tomatoeschopped
- 1 ½ tsp red chilli flakes
- 1 tsp cumin seedscrushed
- 1 tbsp coriander seedscrushed
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 5 green chilliesslit
- 1 green peppercut into strips
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ⅓ oz fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ½ lb boneless chicken thighs with 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 ¼ tsp salt and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil on a large flat griddle or your widest heavy frying pan over a high heat. Fry 1 onion until soft and starting to brown.
4 minStep 3: Add the chicken and spread it out in one layer. Fry without stirring for 2 minutes, then turn and scrape it about until golden on all sides.
8 minStep 4: Add 3 tomatoes, 1 ½ tsp red chilli flakes, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tbsp coriander seeds and ½ tsp black pepper. Fry, chopping and scraping with a spatula, until the tomatoes have cooked down to a thick masala that coats the chicken and the thickest piece reads 165°F.
10 minStep 5: Add 5 green chillies and 1 green pepper and toss for 3–4 minutes until the pepper is just tender and blistered.
4 minStep 6: Sprinkle with ½ tsp garam masala and ⅓ oz fresh coriander and serve hot from the pan with naan.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 7 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tawa chicken take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of boneless chicken thighs?
- Chicken breast, same weight (cook a few minutes less so it stays juicy).
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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