Chicken Keema
This chicken keema is the perfect healthy main to add to your weekly rotation. It's full of flavor, easy to prepare, and comes together in less than an hour.

- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 40 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil (canola, sunflower or vegetable)
- 2 small red or yellow onions (thinly sliced in half rings)
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 1 teaspoon crushed ginger
- 1 bird’s eye chili (finely chopped)
- 2 cloves
- 1 black cardamom pod
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder (preferably Kashmiri red chili powder. Less if using cayenne red pepper. )
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- 1 pound (~450 grams) ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 4 roma tomatoes (roughly chopped)
- ¼ tsp garam masala powder ((optional))
- 1 tablespoon cilantro (finely diced (optional))
Instructions
- 1
Heat oil in a medium-sized heavy bottom pot. Add chopped onion, and brown on medium-low heat until evenly brown, about 7-10 minutes.
- 2
Lower heat, and add crushed ginger and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute until fragrant.
- 3
Add chopped bird’s eye chili, and sauté for another 30 seconds.
- 4
Add whole and ground spices, and fry on low heat for roughly 1 minute until fragrant. Add a splash of water to deglaze the pan if necessary.
- 5
Increase heat to high, and add ground chicken and salt. Crumble with spatula, and fry until no longer pink.
- 6
Add 1 cup water, and bring to boil. Cover pot with tight fitting lid, and simmer on low heat for roughly 10 minutes.
- 7
Remove lid, increase heat to high, and add chopped tomatoes. Fry the tomatoes, stirring frequently until the oil begins to separate.
- 8
Remove from heat, and place in serving bowl. Dust with garam masala powder, and garnish with cilantro if using.