Bottle Masala Chicken Curry
This is a quick and easy chicken curry using the East-Indian bottle masala. A simple recipe that gets done is just 20 minutes with ingredients you probably already have on hand. You can also use beef, mutton, or lamb instead of chicken

Ingredients and substitutes
- Chicken – I have used boneless chicken thighs because my kids prefer boneless but my mom used the whole chicken cut into 8 or 10 pieces.
- Spices – I’m using bottle masala because it’s the easiest and most delicious spice mix I have at home. For a quick bottle masala substitute use
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilly
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- and 1 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 bay leaves.
- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala
- Acid – While we add lemon juice, tomatoes also add a little tartness to the curry. So make sure to take the curry before you adjust and add more lemon or vinegar.
- Veggies – Fresh onions, ginger, and garlic cloves are a must not just for flavor but also to thicken the curry.

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Ingredients
- 1 Kg Chicken cut into pieces
- 2 tbsp Cooking oil
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 3 large Garlic cloves paste or grated
- 1/2 inch Ginger paste or grated
- 3 tbsp Bottle Masala
- 2 large Tomatoes chopped
- 1 tbsp Lemon juice or vinegar
- 1 cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black pepper
Instructions
- Next, add the tomatoes and bottle masala. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant.
- Next, add the chicken – saute for 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink. Then add the lemon juice and water and season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked and you see oil on the surface of the curry
- Taste and adjust seasoning – add more salt, pepper or lemon juice as required.
Recipe Notes
Substitute for Bottle Masala.
Bottle Masala is made up of more than 18 different spices so while these not the exact substitutes they are great alternatives.- Add the same amount of currry powder instead of bottle masala plus, 1/4 tsp Garam masala.
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri chilly
- 1 tsp Cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 2 bay leaves.
- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala
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Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you