Tawa Chicken

Experience the authentic taste of Tawa Chicken with this quick and easy recipe. Juicy chicken pieces cooked in a spicy masala on a cast iron pan, ready in just 30 minutes!

Craving bold, spicy flavors? This Authentic Tawa Chicken is a sizzling, street-style chicken curry cooked on a flat pan (tawa), just like you’d find at traditional food joints in Lahore. It’s quick to make, full of vibrant spices, and absolutely irresistible.

Whether you’re preparing a weekend feast or a weeknight dinner, this easy tawa chicken recipe delivers Lahori restaurant-style flavor in under 30 minutes.

Lahori cuisine is famous for its bold use of spices, smoky aromas, and generous use of ghee or butter. Influenced by Mughal cooking traditions, dishes like Tawa Chicken, Lahori Channay, and Nihari are not just meals — they are an experience on its own.

How to make Tawa Chicken

Tawa chicken requires usual ingredients which are used in any other chicken curry. But the rapid cooking on tawa gives this chicken curry a distinctive taste. The ingredients required are as below:

Boneless chicken – choose between breast or thigh fillets. Slice the chicken thinly so that it cooks quickly.

Onion – cut thin slices of onions

Garlic ginger paste – its best to use fresh garlic ginger paste. You will definitely notice the difference in taste and aroma. Try to use bottled pastes only as a last resort.

Capsicum – Thinly sliced capsicum. its added in the end and adds a nice crunchy texture.

Tomato puree – You can use canned crushed tomatoes or tomato puree. Fresh tomatoes are don’t breakdown in gravy quickly and require longer to cook.

Spices – the spices required are red chilli powder, Kashmiri chilli (alternative Paprika), turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala

Green chilli – this dish is usually mildly spicy to spicy. You can use chillies according to your spice levels. If spicy is not your thing at all remove the seeds from the chillies.

Coriander/Cilantro – adds freshness and flavour to the dish. Add some while cooking reserving some for garnish.

Fresh Ginger – thin slices of ginger for garnish.

How to Make Tawa Chicken (Step-by-Step Guide)

1. Begin with frying ginger garlic and thinly sliced onions. Don’t cook for longer, the onions shouldn’t lose their texture. Add butter at this stage, as adding it earlier would have caused it to burn.
2. Toss the chicken and cook until it changes colour. Add all the spices at this stage except garam masala, followed by tomato puree. Cook for few minutes and then cover.
3. The chicken will cook in its own water and moisture from tomato puree. I added little bit of water. It just prevents gravy from sticking to the pan. The chicken will take around 10 minutes to cook.
4. Sprinkle garam masala, coriander and green chillies. Cover it for another 5 minutes so that aroma and flavours from garam masala and chilli are absorbed by the chicken.
5. Garnish it with fresh coriander/cilantro and thinly sliced ginger.

Can I cook it without a tawa?

A tawa (flat griddle) is perfect for this dish because its broad, flat surface allows for even heat distribution, ensuring the chicken cooks quickly while developing that signature charred, smoky flavor typical of Lahori street-style cooking. It helps intensify the masala and sear the meat beautifully without overcooking.

Don’t have a tawa? No problem. You can still achieve excellent results using a cast iron pan, heavy skillet, or even a wok — all of which retain heat well and give you that deep, rich flavor this dish is known for.

Watch How to Make Tawa Chicken

Serving Suggestion

Tawa chicken goes best with naan bread or any flat bread. Serve fresh salad or mint raita along with it. Squeeze a bit of lemon it enhances the flavour and balance the spiciness.

Other Chicken dishes to Try

• Boneless Chicken Karahi
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Butter Chicken
• Chicken Korma