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What to eat in Northern India? Top 6 Northern Indian Chicken Dishes

Last update: Sun Dec 15 2024
Top 6 Northern Indian Chicken Dishes
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Murgh makhani
Murgh makhani infographic
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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

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Tandoori 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

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Chicken Dish

PUNJAB, India
4.4
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Indian tikka is a dish consisting of boneless meat, usually chicken, that is cut into smaller pieces and marinated in yogurt and traditional Indian spices such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, chili, garlic, and ginger. The meat is roasted over charcoal in a tandoor, the traditional cylindrical clay oven.


To remain tender and juicy, the meat is repeatedly brushed with oil or butter. Tikka is typically cooked and served on sizzlers, but the plain varieties are also common. It is often wrongly associated with tandoori chicken, a variety baked and served with the meat left on the bone. 

MOST ICONIC Tikka

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04

Chicken Dish

NORTHERN INDIA, India
n/a
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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 or yogurt, pepper, cream, corn flour, ginger, garlic, cardamom, and garam masala.


Once prepared, tangdi kabab is served hot with green chutney on the side.

05
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Kalmi kebab is a traditional Indian 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 yogurt, cream, ginger, garlic, 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.

06
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Chooza chaat is a traditional Indian 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), garlic, 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 6 Northern Indian Chicken Dishes” list until December 15, 2024, 1,366 ratings were recorded, of which 1,125 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.

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Northern Indian Chicken Dishes