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Probably the best known of all Indian dishes, murgh makhani, internationally referred to as butter chicken, is a staple dish at most Indian restaurants. The dish originated in Delhi during the 1950s, when a man named Kundan Lal Gujral opened his restaurant called Moti Mahal.
The restaurant's cooks combined leftover marinade juices with tomatoes and butter, and then stewed the tandoor-cooked chicken in it, without even knowing that they have accidentally stumbled upon one of the most loved dishes ever and a future international delicacy.
MOST ICONIC Murgh makhani
View moreTandoori chicken or tandoori murgh is one of the most popular dishes in Indian cuisine, its name derived from the Persian word tannur, meaning fire. The dish consists of chicken meat that is marinated in yogurt, seasoned with tandoori masala, nutmeg, and cumin, then placed on skewers.
It is a unique dish because of the way it is prepared - traditionally, it is cooked at high temperatures in cylindrical clay ovens called tandoor, resulting in succulent meat with a smokey flavor. One popular theory suggests that it was invented by a man named Kundan Lal Gujral in his restaurant Moti Mahal (Palace of Pearls).
MOST ICONIC Tandoori murgh
Tangdi or tangri kabab is a traditional chicken dish originating from North India. The dish is made with chicken drumsticks that are grilled in a tandoor or over charcoal. Although there are many variations, with different recipes from one restaurant to another, the marinade is usually prepared with a combination of lemon juice and dahi, pepper, cream, corn flour, ginger-garlic paste, cardamom, and garam masala.
Once prepared, tangdi kabab is served hot with green chutney on the side.
Kalmi kebab is a traditional dish influenced by Mughlai cuisine, and it’s especially popular in Punjab. The dish is made with chicken drumsticks that are marinated and shallow-fried on high heat in a pan until deep golden in color. The meat can also be prepared in a tandoor oven.
The marinade is usually made with a combination of dahi, cream, ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, turmeric powder, cashews, jeera powder, garam masala, red chili powder, and black pepper. Once done, kalmi kebab is often served as an appetizer with pickled onions, rice, or chutneys on the side.
Chooza chaat is a traditional dish (or a snack) originating from Delhi. Although there are variations, it's usually made with a combination of shredded chicken breasts, bell peppers, mustard paste (mustard, vinegar, and hot peppers), ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and black peppercorns.
The bell peppers are charred over an open flame, sealed in a plastic bag, cooled, peeled, de-seeded, and cut into strips. The shredded chicken is mixed with the bell peppers, sprinkled with all the other ingredients, seasoned with salt and pepper, and tossed well before serving.
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 5 Northern Indian Chicken Dishes” list until April 15, 2025, 1,083 ratings were recorded, of which 889 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.