Chicken Kalia

Name: Chicken Kalia
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indian (Westbengal)
Ingredients: Chicken (bone-in): 800g; Onion: 200g, finely sliced; Tomato: 150g, pureed; Ginger paste: 1½ tsp; Garlic paste: 1 tsp; Turmeric: 1½ tsp; Red chilli powder: 1½ tsp; Coriander powder: 1 tsp; Cumin powder: ½ tsp; Garam masala: 1 tsp; Whole garam masala: cardamom 3, clove 3; Mustard oil: 4 tbsp; Salt: 1½ tsp; Sugar: ½ tsp; Hot water: 200ml; The kalia gravy should be thicker than a jhol but not as dry as a kosha; Use chicken thighs — they stay moist through the longer cooking; A tablespoon of ghee at end enriches the gravy beautifully; Serve with luchi for a festive feel

🍗 Non-veg🌾 Gluten-free📊 Medium

Chicken in a rich, dark-red kalia gravy thickened with fried onion, tomato and warm spices — a Hindu Bengali festive dinner with Mughal undertones.

⏱️15 minPrep

🔥45 minCook

🕒60 minTotal

🍽️4Serves

🧺 Ingredients

👩‍🍳 How to make Chicken Kalia

Season; fry chicken pieces golden.
Remove.
Bloom whole spices; fry onion to dark golden-brown.
Add ginger-garlic, tomato, spice powders; bhuna until oil separates.
Return chicken; add water, salt, sugar.
Cover; cook 20 min.
Uncover; cook 5 min to thicken.
Finish with garam masala.

📖 Cultural notes

|---|---|---|---|---| | 400 kcal | 44g | 13g | 19g | 2g | Chicken Kalia sits between everyday cooking and festive cooking in the Bengali Hindu household — elevated enough for guests but not as demanding as Kosha Mangsho. It is a common dinner at Saraswati Puja, Lakshmi Puja and family gatherings when fish is not the centrepiece. In East Bengal (now Bangladesh) diaspora communities in Kolkata, chicken kalia is closely associated with the taste of "home." ---

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