Chicken keema recipe – sharing an easy keema recipe with step by step photos. Minced meat known as keema or qeema is used to make various dishes like curry, paratha, samosa, cutlets or keema balls. Iam sharing an easy recipe which can be used to make chicken keema or lamb keema or even egg keema. It turns out soft, tasty and pairs well with plain rice or roti/ chapathi.
I have used homemade chicken mince hence looks grainy, if using ready minced meat or machine minced meat the texture looks less grainy and uniform. If using uniformly minced qeema then, this curry can also be used for making keema samosa or keema sandwich.
The masala i use for a keema recipe is different from the one used in other non-veg recipes. A more flavorful but not very hot masala is used to make keema. However any ready made meat masala powder too works well.
This keema recipe can also be used to make a gravy or curry, instructions included in the recipe below. We prefer the soft dry curry and is one of the kids favorites.
You may also like to check this Mutton keema recipe and Egg keema recipe.
Easy chicken keema recipe below
Chicken keema
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Dry spices
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp cumin or shahi jeera
- 1 small cinammon stick
- 2 green cardamoms
- 4 cloves
- pepper corn few , (optional)
other ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil
- ¾ cup onions chopped
- 1 green slit
- 1 ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
- 1 tomato
- ¾ tsp meat masala or masala powder (adjust to suit your taste)
- ½ tsp. red chili powder
- 8 mint or pudina leaves chopped or 1 sprig curry leaves
- 250 grams chicken keema or minced chicken
- salt as needed
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
- handful coriander leaves for garnish
optional ingredients for chicken keema recipe
- ¼ cup Green peas or cashews
- 1/3 cup cream or coconut milk or 12 cashews nuts (to make gravy)
How to make the recipe
- Pour oil to a pan and heat it. Add the dry spices and saute till they begin to sizzle.
- Add onions and green chilli. Fry until the onions turn golden.
- Next add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes off.
- Transfer the chopped tomatoes, fry until softened. If tomatoes are dry, sprinkle very little water.
- Add chili powder and masala powder, mint leaves and fry until the raw smell of tomatoes go off.
- Set the onion tomato mixture to a plate.
- Add back the bay leaf and minced meat, turmeric and salt.
- Cover and cook on a low heat till the qeema is soft cooked in its own moisture. If needed sprinkle little water.
- Add back the onion tomato mixture. Mix everything well.
- Cook covered on a low flame till minced meat and onion tomato mixture blends well. This depends on the quantity of moisture left in the pan. To make dry keema curry, cook tiil all the moisture evaporates.
How to make chicken keema gravy
- To make a gravy version of the chicken keema recipe, pour coconut milk or cashew milk and cook till the curry thickens. To make smooth cashew milk, blend cashew nuts with little water.If using cream, pour the cream in a bowl, add little keema to the cream first. stir it and then add it to the pan. This way it doesn’t curdle. Add chopped coriander leaves.Serve with rice or roti, naan
NUTRITION (estimation only)
If you are a beginner or new to Indian cooking, I highly suggest you to check the supporting step by step photos for best results. Step by step photos with description available below after the recipe card.
Related quick chicken recipes,
pepper chicken
kadai chicken
garlic chicken
chicken majestic
gongura chicken fry
Preparation for chicken keema recipe
1. Heat oil in a pan, fry dry spices till they sizzle.
2. Then add onions, green chilies and fry until golden.
3. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell disappears.
4. Transfer tomatoes or tomato puree and fry until the tomatoes turn soft.
5. Add garam masala, red chilli powder and mint or curry leaves.
6. Fry until the raw smell goes off from tomatoes.
How to make chicken keema
7. Set aside the onion tomato mixture to a plate. Add bay leaf back to the pan and then keema, sprinkle salt and turmeric. Most times tomatoes turn the meat tough or hard, hence i prefer to set aside.
8. On a low flame, cover and cook till it is completely cooked and is soft. If needed sprinkle some water.
9. Lastly add the onion tomato mixture back to the pan. Stir well. on a low flame, cover and cook again till every thing blends well.
10. Add chopped coriander leaves. Off the stove. To make a gravy version of this, add 1/3 cup coconut milk or blend 12 cashews to smooth milk and pour it. Cook till the curry thickens. If you prefer to use cream check the recipe below on how to use.
Garnish and serve it with rice or roti.
onion raita, mint raita, cucumber raita also go well.
Naveen says
The chicken keema came out mind blowing … the spices blended really well with the onion and tomato… the meat masala with tumeric,dhaniya & chill powder played its magic. The fried pudina and coriander garnishing was truly the game changer.thank you swathi ….
I owe you big time
NAVEEN GJ
swasthi says
Hi Naveen
You are welcome. Thank you so much for the comment. So glad your chicken keema turned out good.
Ambita Chenai says
Didn’t have meat masala but it still tasted superb. Thank You
swasthi says
Welcome Ambita
Glad it turned out good. Thank you!
Ambita Chenai says
Hi. What is Meat Masala? Can I make it at home?
swasthi says
Hi Ambita
Meat masala is a spice powder used for non vegetarian recipes. You can use garam masala in this recipe.
Chetan Mahajan says
Hi Swasthi, this recipe is absolutely amazing.
I made it yesterday and everyone loved it. I’d added some peas else followed the recipe to the T.
swasthi says
Hi Chetan Mahajan,
Thank you so much for trying. Glad you liked it.
Sheena says
Excellent family enjoyed it
swasthi says
Thanks for trying Sheena!
pooja says
Tried it and loved it, the keema really turned out well. The only modification I did was after cooking the onion tomato mixture, I blended it in the processer a little as I like mashed out keema. I also dried the keema and used it as a stuffing in paratha for lunch. Tasted great with coriander chutney. Thank you for sharing the recipe !
Leesa Berard says
WOW just what I was looking for
Didina Gnagnide Angorinie says
Delicious…
I have two questions for some modifications:
-do you think I could skip the onion? I can’t digest onion very well unfortunately ;_;
-if I want to use it in savory pastries that are baked in the oven (like little pittas or empanadas or a whole pie), should I cook the meat less, or moisten it more?
swasthi says
Thanks Didina
Yes You can skip onions and tomatoes as well, also the dry whole spices. Actually we make it that way most times as it is easy to digest.
Just saute the meat on a low heat with lot of curry leaves, jeera, chilli powder and garam masala. You can also add green peas or cashews.
To use for empanadas or pies, it is good to keep keema moist but not with dripping juices otherwise they may turn soggy from inside very quickly. Cooking time don’t need to be reduced since they are used as filling and keema would be covered so it doesn’t get overcooked. Hope these help
Inakshi Rautaray says
Hi… Thanks for the recipe.. It​ turned out tasty… My family loved the cuisine 🙂
did a little variation by adding kasoori methi for extra flavor and one spoon of curd at the end for smoothness …
Thanks again!!?
swasthi says
Welcome Inakshi Rautaray
Very happy to know it turned out good. Yes kasuri methi adds flavor.
Thanks for sharing the outcome.
Tara says
Great recepie! Easy to follow.. step by step pictures are very helpful. You showed me that cooking can be fun too. Thank you!
zahida tabassum says
thanks swasthi….
.its so easy to cook recipe and super soft juciy keema i followed to ur recipe its was very amazing delicious thanks for the tasty recipe and coutinues.?
swasthi says
Welcome Zahida
Happy to know keema turned out good. Thanks for trying and the feedback
zahida tabassum says
thanks swasthi….
.its so easy to cook recipe and super soft juciy keema i followed to ur recipe its was very amazing delicious thanks for the tast recipe and coutinues.?
Syed Jameel says
its a inspiration for a new people. who really don’t know how to cook,
Thank you so much. the cooking explanation is excellent.
Great
swasthi says
Welcome Syed Jameel
Glad to know you liked it.
thanks for the feedback
g. samundeeswari. says
your recipes are nice. please continue this
swasthi says
Thank you Samundeeswari. I will surely continue.
🙂
Megha says
Just made d keema.turned out amazing, added peas n chicken kebabs…sauted them in lil butter..its heavenly, served it with naan
swasthi says
Thanks Megha,
I am happy to know it turned out good.
Arifa says
Thanks swasthi, never had such a tasty keema. Followed ur recipe used muton keema. It was very delicious
swasthi says
Welcome Arifa,
Iam so glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback
tanvi says
Yummy, super soft, juicy thanks for the recipe
swasthi says
welcome Tanvi. Thanks for ur time to comment back here.