If you have been following this blog for any length of time, you know I love chicken in most forms, and I have already shared many of my favorite chicken recipes on the blog, with many more to come pretty soon. But honestly, chicken keema is one of those dishes that took me a while to start making at home. Not because it was particularly complicated. It’s actually pretty simple and straightforward to make, as you’ll see. It was just that back then I had some concerns and questions about handling chicken mince meat. But then once I got familiar with it, chicken keema has become one of my go-to Indian chicken dishes to make. Outside of the good ole chicken curry, of-course. Which is why in this chicken keema recipe, I’ll also share how to make and handle minced chicken. Because once you get the hang of it, you’ll also be able to make multiple variations to use chicken mince in many other dishes like keema naan, keema puffs etc.
What is Chicken Keema
Chicken Keema is an Indian spiced chicken dish made out of chicken mince meat.
How to Make Chicken Mince from Chicken
You can directly buy chicken mince meat at the store or make chicken mince from chicken 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.
Should You Wash Chicken Mince + Steps to Follow
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. 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 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. And this is a recipe for chicken keema masala (dry-ish version of chicken keema). Check out the variations listed below the recipe for other versions. Also I have listed the ingredients and method to make chicken keema that is good for 4-6 people. As that is my go-to quantity, on a regular basis, so that I have enough to use it as filling for keema naan or keema puffs. If you want to make more or less quantity than what I have shared, simply use the slider in the recipe card below to adjust the quantities based on your preference.
Ingredients You Need
Step by Step Recipe
In a wide bottomed pan, lightly heat up 4 tablespoon oil, and add in whole garam spices (1 bay leaf, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 7 cloves, 7 black peppercorns), and lightly roast for 1-2 minutes, till they start giving off a slight fragrance.Then add in 2 tablespoon chopped garlic & 1 tablespoon chopped ginger, and roast for 1-2 minutes, till they start getting light reddish in color.Now add 2 cups of chopped onions, 1 teaspoon of salt to brown the onions faster, and 2 chopped green chillies. Saute till the onions turn light golden brown. This might take about 10 minutes in a wide pan.When the onions are done, add in the masalas – (1 tablespoon garam masala powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder, 1 teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon chilli powder). Mix well, and saute for 1-2 minutes, till the masalas get lightly cooked. Here it’s best to sprinkle a few spoons of water if required, to avoid the masalas from burning.
Now add in 2 pounds of chicken mince, along with ¼ cup yogurt, the rest of the salt (1 teaspoon), and mix well.Cook covered for 20-25 minutes on medium flame, stirring intermittently, till the chicken is cooked through.Garnish with ½ cup chopped coriander leaves, and serve hot with rotis, chapatis 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. Also best to get refrigerated yogurt to about room temperature too.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.
Serving Suggestion
Serve hot with rotis / chapatis or pav.
Variations
You can add tomatoes if you want to give it a more tangy taste. I prefer this version without tomatoes for spicy chicken keema.Peas are a common addition to keema masala. You can use fresh or frozen peas, and add it in before the chicken.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 making chicken keema to use as a stuffing for naan or puffs, then skip the whole spices. I usually follow the same recipe, and then just pick out the whole spices before stuffing.
Popular chicken recipes on the blog..
⭐️ Whole Chicken Tandoori Recipe⭐️ Restaurant Style Chicken Lollipop ⭐️ Mangalorean Chicken Ghee Roast⭐️ Tandoori Spiced Chicken Wings⭐️ Chicken Kali Mirch / Pepper Chicken⭐️ Instant Pot Chicken Biryani 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. ❤️
📖 RECIPE
This recipe was first published in July 2020, and has been republished with updated instructions, notes & tips, step images as well as video in Nov 2021. If you’d like FREE recipes and meal prep ideas delivered directly to your email inbox every Friday in one short email, then subscribe to the Foodie Friday list HERE, and never run out of ideas on what to cook over the weekend or prep for the week ahead. 🙂
