Name: Chicken Bhuna Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 100 ml Vegetable oil; 2 Large Onions; 3 Garlic Cloves; 1 Green Chilli; Thumb-Sized Ginger; 400 g Chopped Tomatoes (1 Can); 400 g Diced Chicken Breast; 1 tsp Turmeric; To Taste Salt; 1 tbsp Garam Masala; 2 tbsp Curry Powder; 1 tbsp Cumin; 1 tsp Chilli Powder; Handful Coriander

Some of the links below are affiliate links, so we may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Check our Disclosure in the Privacy Policy for more info.

How To Make A Spicy Chicken Bhuna Curry

An unbelievably delicious chicken bhuna recipe! Tender chicken pieces are coated in a spicy, flavoursome and rich sauce. Serve with pilau or basmati rice for a tasty mid-week meal everyone will love.

Jump to Recipe - Jump to Video

If you like Indian takeaway curries, then you’ll also love this homemade chicken bhuna recipe! It’s a takeaway favourite that’s aromatic, succulent and perfectly spiced. This recipe only uses simple ingredients to make a full of flavour chicken curry that’s amazingly quick to make.

You can save yourself the cost of a pricy Indian takeaway with this easy fakeaway meal. It’s perfect for lunch or dinner and you can also meal prep this recipe!

What Does Bhuna Style Mean?

Bhuna means to fry and refers to the way in which a curry is cooked. It’s a popular cooking method used in authentic Indian cuisines and you can find chicken bhuna in many UK restaurants and takeaways.

This cooking style involves frying onions, ginger and garlic with spices in ghee before adding meats like chicken or vegetables. The bhuna sauce is described as being thick, red in colour and having a medium heat.

Watch How To Make It

What Is Chicken Bhuna Made Of? (Recipe Ingredients)

All the ingredients used to make chicken bhuna is easily accessible, you can find them at your local supermarket or at least online.

Garlic, ginger, onions, spices, oil, tinned tomatoes, fresh coriander and chicken breast are used to make a chicken bhuna. This recipe is very quick and easy to make, it only takes 25 minutes to cook.

The Spices: A mixture of turmeric, salt, curry powder, garam masala, cumin, coriander and chilli powder is used to season this dish.

The Bhuna Sauce: Onions, garlic, green chillies, ginger and a can of chopped tomatoes are used to make the bhuna sauce. It’s traditionally fried in ghee but for this recipe I used vegetable oil.

Chicken: I used diced chicken breast to make the bhuna. You can use different types of chicken like chicken legs or thighs, bear in mind that it will take longer to cook.

This recipe is quite similar to my creamy chicken and aubergine curry and Prawn balti recipe.

How To Make Chicken Bhuna Curry

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to a spicy bhuna sauce with tender chicken breast. Full instructions are on the recipe card at the bottom.

Step One:

Heat oil in a pan over a high heat and add chopped garlic, ginger and a whole green chilli and stir for one minute. Then add the chopped onions and stir for 4 minutes or until softened.

Step Two:

Add turmeric, salt, garam masala, cumin, curry powder, chilli powder and stir for 2 minutes.

Step Three:

Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and mix. Leave the mixture to simmer until the mixture has thickened. Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture burning.

This took me around 2 to 3 minutes.

Step Four:

Add the diced chicken breast into the mixture and mix it evenly into the sauce.

Step Five:

Fresh coriander added to bhuna and chicken sauce

Cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes or until the chicken has fully cooked.

Then remove the lid and add fresh coriander and mix it into the mixture. Then leave the sauce to simmer uncovered for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.

What To Serve With Indian Chicken Bhuna Curry

I like to have chicken bhuna with basmati or pilau rice which go so well together. But there are so many options to choose from, below are a few ideas:

Is A Chicken Bhuna Spicy?

This really depends on you! For me a chicken bhuna is a mildly spiced curry.

You can add more or less spices such as chilli powder according to your personal preference. If you really don’t like too much heat, then you can omit the chilli powder and green chilli and use milder chillies.

My Top Tips

Using boneless meat like chicken breast is an easy way to quicken the cooking time. If you want to use chicken legs or thighs, go for the boneless versions as it will cook quicker.

If you want to make the onion mixture into a paste like in many authentic chicken bhuna recipes. After step one, carefully spoon the mixture into a blender and blend till smooth. Then proceed onto step 2.

I cooked this curry in a non-stick kadhai, it’s a circular deep cooking pot used in Indian cuisine.

Red bhuna curry with fresh coriander and chicken

Can I Make It Ahead?

Yes you can!

This chicken bhuna recipe can be made in advance and makes a tasty meal prep idea. Place the sauce in a two-part meal prep container and add rice to the larger section. This meal prep will last you up to 3 days.

How To Store

To store, simply place the chicken bhuna in an airtight container and leave in the fridge for up to 3 days.

How To Freeze And Reheat

To freeze, allow the bhuna to cool down before placing the sauce into a freezer-safe container and close with a lid. Then place in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To reheat, allow the chicken bhuna to defrost fully before warming in the microwave until piping hot throughout. You can also pour the mixture into a pan and heat over the stove.