Tawa Chicken

This authentic Tawa chicken recipe is full of flavor, but easy on effort. Tender chicken, cooked with fragrant spices in a tawa – this is a perfect weeknight dinner for those that like their chicken recipes full of flavor! 

I first tried tawa chicken at a friend’s house growing up. Knowing that I had a weaker spice tolerance, my friend’s mother had made it separately for me with fewer chilies and spices than they would usually add. More than anything I remember how good it smelt. It had that fragrant masala-smell that made your mouth start to water. It was delicious…but still far too spicy for me! I ended up eating it while sipping on water (and doing my best to not tear up at the table). 

I’m happy to report that I’ve since developed enough of a spice tolerance to enjoy it at their home (though not quite enough to enjoy the street vendor version of it).

What is Tawa Chicken

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Tawa chicken is a popular way of cooking chicken, using a tawa pan (very similar to a griddle), throughout the Indian subcontinent. There are several regional variations (most of which adjust the spices to match the region’s palette); the recipe is traditionally made using a tawa (though can be easily substituted for convenience), and almost always involves  marination of the chicken.

Tawa chicken is mostly believed to have originated in Lahore, Pakistan. However, Mumbai in India also lays claim to the chicken dish where it is a popular street food. I couldn’t tell you if one claim is stronger than the other, but growing up I was always led to believe that tawa chicken is a Pakistani dish.

Ingredients

For the chicken

• Chicken legs (quarters)
• Oil (Any neutral oil with a high smoke point such avocado, sunflower, or canola oils)
• 3 green chillipeppers, chopped 
• Lemon, chopped into small slices
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

For the tawa chicken marinade 

• Garlic cloves
• Yogurt
• Garam masala powder
• Turmeric powder
• Cumin powder
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Lemon juice

How to make Tawa Chicken

Marinate the Chicken

First, we’re preparing the marinade for the tawa chicken. This is where the majority of the flavor comes from! Simply combine the minced garlic, yogurt, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, and lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl. Make sure to mix everything well. 

Once prepared, pour the marinade over the chicken leg quarters, making sure to coat both evenly and on both sides. Cover, and refrigerate for at least two hours. Ideally, you can let the marinade rest overnight to let the flavors infuse with the chicken.

Cook the Chicken

Heat a tawa (I actually use a cast-iron skillet as it’s an excellent substitute) over medium-high heat. Place the marinated chicken pieces into the hot pan, setting aside the marinade the chicken was in. Cook until the chicken develops a nice char and turns partially golden brown, about five or six minutes per side.

Next, pour the reserved marinade into the pan (if you’re using a traditionally super shallow tawa, you’ll need to judge how much you can pour in). This next step isn’t traditional, and can be skipped if needed, but it does help create a more moist chicken: cover the pan with a lid; cook for another 13-14 minutes over a medium-low heat.

Add the chopped green chilli peppers, and lemon slices to the pan. Increase the heat to medium, and baste the chicken, another two to three minutes. 

Finally, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve hot. Enjoy!

Tips

Like many traditional-style recipes, tawa chicken has a lot of room for personalization. This isn’t limited to just the recipe quantities and ingredients used, you can adjust the method to work for you.

The right tawa. Opt for a large, flat, and heavy-bottomed tawa for the most uniform cooking.

Lid-less? Most tawa pans don’t come with lids. An easy option is to take a larger pan, turn it upside down, and use it as a lid. (This is actually what I used to do back when I was cooking at school and supplies were limited!)

Tawa-less? If you don’t have a tawa, you can effectively make this recipe using a cast iron skillet (this is actually what I use as I can easily put a lid on it, and make the chicken even more moist!), a nonstick frying pan, or a standard western griddle.

Masala is individual. The chicken tawa masala marinade is something you’re able to adjust as little or as much as you want. My spice tolerance isn’t the highest so my recipes tend not to be super spicy, however many of my Pakistani friends that grew up with this recipe love to load it up with red chilli powder and green chillies.

Choose your chicken. Chicken leg quarters are a very popular option for tawa chicken, but really you can use any chicken pieces (legs and thighs tend to be my favorite though).

Let the marinade marinate! Patience is key, bestie. Let the marinade do its thing for at least two hours, ideally overnight. This gives it time to really flavor the chicken. If you like, you can even make little slits in the chicken to help it marinate.

Variation ideas

Make your own masala. Masala mixes can be so individual. Almost everyone I’ve spoken to has a very different mix they make at home (except those that you premixes!). Popular ingredients that I don’t use include ground onions, fennel seeds, and ginger garlic paste.

Garnish your way. I’m not a big fan of fresh coriander leaves/cilantro, but it’s a very popular garnish that brings its own distinctive touch.

Rethinking tomatoes. A lot of people enjoy adding fresh tomatoes or some sort of tomato puree or paste to their tawa chicken marinade. Personally, this just feels like a different recipe entirely. But you do you, bestie.

Storage

Tawa chicken can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to four days. It can be frozen for up to two months though I find that the masala flavors are affected during the thawing process.