A Chicken Keema recipe that will remind you of the delicious dhaba style chicken keema pav, and yet is really simple and easy to make at home.
In this chicken keema masala recipe, I have shared how to make chicken keema curry from chicken mince, and also how to cut chicken to make mince, and my thoughts on whether it is necessary / okay to wash chicken mince.
It’s no secret that I love chicken in most forms, and growing up I used to love eating keema pav in the local punjabi dhabas. But it took me the longest time to start making it regularly at home.
Mostly because I had questions about making and handling chicken mince meat, which I have addressed below. But once I figured it out (thanks to my aunt who helped me), making keema at home was super easy. And quick enough for even weekday evenings when the craving hits.
In-fact it’s now my second go-to chicken dish to make when I am short of time and ideas, and yet want something delicious. The first go-to is of-course the good old chicken curry! 🙂
What is Chicken Keema?
Chicken Keema is an Indian spiced chicken dish made out of chicken mince meat.
How to Cut Chicken for Keema?
You can directly buy mince meat at the store or make chicken mince at home.
There are meat grinders available in the market to grind your own meat at home. But if like me you don’t have the patience or the space to add one more equipment / appliance & clutter the kitchen, especially if the function can be accomplished with what you currently have, then simply cut the chicken into cubes, and pulse it in your mixer or food processor. You’ll have homemade chicken mince for keema!
Pro Tip: Always use chicken thighs over chicken breast for juicier mince.
Does Keema Need to be Washed?
There are contrary opinions about whether keema needs to be washed, or whether any kind of mince meat can be washed.
In-fact the NHS recommends against washing any kind of raw chicken because of possible contamination of the sink and surfaces.
I have read several other such reports in the past as well, but I personally don’t feel comfortable not washing store bought chicken, whether it is whole chicken for making tandoori or boneless meat. So I just take extra care to disinfect everything. And yes, it gets tedious, but it’s what I feel more comfortable with.
The one exception to this always-clean-at-home rule is chicken mince. I don’t wash store bought chicken mince. Mostly because a lot depends on the quality of the chicken, and sometimes when rinsing it, the mince can turn into a super soggy hot mess, and also lose flavour.
That being said, if you would feel more comfortable washing chicken mince then the best way to wash it, and not lose any meat is by first putting the mince in a bowl of water to clean it, and then straining it using a strainer, and placing a cloth above the strainer, so that the mince is collected in the cloth, and not in the strainer. You can then squeeze out all the excess liquid from the cloth.
Though just know you’ll lose flavour if you wash chicken mince.
A good halfway compromise would be to wash the chicken thigh meat, and then make the mince from that meat at home.
How to Make the BEST Chicken Keema
There are many ways to make keema chicken with different seasonings and spices. I have tried to recreate the more punjabi dhaba style chicken keema.
Also, this recipe is for the dryer version of chicken keema known as keema masala, You can always add more liquid to make keema curry (shared in the recipe variations below).
This Chicken Keema Masala is
- a hot & spicy dhabha style keema
- flavored with Indian spices
- quick and easy to make
- juicy and really delicious
Ingredients You Need
I am listing out the ingredients and method here for making chicken keema for 4-6 people.
You can always adjust the quantity of ingredients, depending on the number of servings you want to make.
Check out the handy scale in the recipe card, that automatically adjusts the quantity of ingredients based on the quantity of servings you choose on the recipe card.
Chicken
- Chicken mince meat – 2 pounds (approximately 0.9 kilograms)
Whole spices & Spice powders
- Bay Leaf – 1
- Cinnamon stick – 1 inch
- Cloves – 7
- Black Peppercorn – 7
- Garam Masala Powder – 1 tablespoon
- Coriander Powder – 1 tablespoon
- Cumin Powder – 1 teaspoon
- Red Chilli Powder – 1 teaspoon
- Salt – 2 teaspoons
Other ingredients for curry
- Oil – 4 tablespoons
- Ginger – 1 tablespoon, chopped
- Garlic – 2 tablespoons, chopped
- Onions – 2 cups, chopped
- Green Chillies – 2-4
- Yogurt – 1/4 cup
- Coriander leaves – 1/2 cup, chopped
Chicken Mince Recipe
- In a wide bottomed pan, heat up the oil, and add in bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, black peppercorns, and roast for 1-2 minutes, till they start giving off a light aroma.
- Then add in chopped ginger and garlic, and roast for 2-3 minutes, till they start getting light reddish in color.
- Next add in the chopped onions, chopped green chillies, and a teaspoon of salt to brown the onions faster. And saute till the onions turn light golden brown.
- Once the onions have browned, add in garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, chilli powder.
- Mix well, and saute for 1-2 minutes till the masalas get lightly cooked. Sprinkle a few spoons of water if required, to avoid the masalas from burning.
- I usually pre-mix the spice powders in a bowl before adding them to the cooking pan, so that the spices don’t burn as I keep adding the spice powders one at a time.
- Finally add in the chicken mince, along with yogurt, and rest of the salt, and mix well.
- If you are using chicken mince that was refrigerated, it’s best to thaw it at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cooking it in the pan.
- Cook covered for 20-25 minutes, stirring intermittently, till all the chicken is cooked well.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve HOT with roti, naan or Indian style pav.
Pro Tip
Make sure to always use a wide bottomed pan for making keema. As the chicken is in the minced form, it will cook really fast. And you need it to cook fast, but also evenly. A wide bottomed pan will ensure that the chicken cooks quickly and evenly.
This is especially important, because otherwise some of the chicken will get overcooked, and turn rubbery and dry, while rest of the chicken is getting cooked.
Which is not what you want, because the best keemas are really juicy and delicious. And the best way to ensure that is using a wide bottomed pan.
Variations
- You can add tomatoes if you want to give it a more tangy taste. I prefer this version without tomatoes for keema masala.
- Peas are a common addition to keema dishes. You can use fresh or frozen peas.
- You can make a more liquid-y curry, by adding water or using cashew milk for a thicker curry.
Serving Suggestion
Serve HOT with roti, naan or Indian style pav.
More often than not, we have keema with chapatis at home, and sometimes pav, when it is available.
But I want to try making keema stuffed homemade naan once. I have eaten it at restaurants, and really loved it, so it’s now on my must-try-cooking-at-home list.
Popular Chicken Recipes on the blog:
Whole Chicken Tandoori in Oven
Instant Pot Chicken Biryani
Indian Style Black Pepper Chicken
Easy Air Fryer Chicken Bites
Crispy Chicken 65 Recipe
As always, I hope you found this recipe useful. If you did, please let me know your rating ⭐️ and feedback 📲 in the comments below, or simply rate the recipe right on the recipe card. I’d really appreciate it. ❤️
Chicken Keema Masala – Chicken Mince Recipe
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs chicken mince
For making Keema
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 7 cloves
- 7 black peppercorn
- 1 tbsp chopped ginger
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic
- 2 cup chopped onions
- 2 tsp salt divided
- 2-4 chopped green chillies
- 1 tbsp garam masala powder
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp pepper powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/4 cup yogurt
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
Instructions
- In a wide bottomed pan, heat up the oil, and add in whole garam spices – bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, black peppercorns, and roast for 1-2 minutes, till they start giving off a light fragrance.
- Add in chopped ginger and garlic, and roast for 2-3 minutes, till they start getting light reddish in color.
- Then add in the chopped onions, a teaspoon of salt to brown the onions faster, and chopped green chillies. And saute till the onions turn light golden brown.
- Next add in the masalas – garam masala powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, chilli powder. Mix well, and saute for 1-2 minutes till the masalas get lightly cooked. Sprinkle a few spoons of water if required, to avoid the masalas from burning.
- Now add in the chicken mince, along with yogurt, and rest of the salt, and mix well.
- Cook covered for 20-25 minutes on medium flame, stirring intermittently, till all the chicken is cooked well.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve HOT with roti, naan or pav.
Notes
- It’s best to always choose a wide bottomed pan for making keema, as the chicken that is in the minced form, cooks really fast. Using a wide bottomed pan will ensure it will cook evenly too. And some of the chicken doesn’t get overcooked, and turn rubbery and dry, while the rest of the chicken is getting cooked.
- If you are using chicken mince that was refrigerated, it’s best to thaw it at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before cooking it in the pan.
- I usually pre-mix the spice powders in a bowl before adding them to the cooking pan, so that the spices don’t burn as I keep adding the spice powders one at a time.
- You can add tomatoes if you want to give it a more tangy taste. I prefer this version without tomatoes for spicy keema masala.
- Peas are a common addition to keema masala. You can use fresh or frozen peas.
- You can make a more liquid-y curry by adding water, or cashew milk for a thicker curry. Cashew milk will also give the curry a nutty flavor.
- If you are looking to make chicken mince at home, use chicken thighs to make the mince, they are more juicer than chicken breasts.
- Then you can use a meat grinder like this to mince your meat, or mince the meat in regular mixer or food processor.
- For making chicken mince in the regular mixer or food processor, just cut thigh meat into bite sized pieces, and pulse it in the mixer till you get the desired consistency of mince meat.
- You don’t need to wash the raw chicken keema / mince meat, but you can if you want to.
- The best way to wash chicken keema, and not lose any meat is by first putting the mince in a bowl of water to clean it, and then straining it using a strainer, and a cloth above the strainer, so that the mince is collected in the cloth, and not in the strainer. You can then squeeze out all the excess liquid from the cloth.
- However know that washing keema will also result in loss of some flavour.
Please note: The nutrition values are best estimates provided as a courtesy. The exact values can vary depending on the exact ingredients or brands used. If you rely on them for your specific diet and/or health issues, please consult a registered dietician or nutritionist.
Nutrition
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Fabulous one. Though I have given up eating chicken, but this is son drool worthy.
I like the tip on washing the keema.
Thank you Shantala.
Thanks for reading, Natasha.
I used to make a version of this for my dad… less spicier and with some tomatoes and an egg thrown in at the end 🙂
ooohh yeah an egg would go really well with this!
Love this one…
Thank you so much!