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BBQ & kababsPunjabi recipes

Tawa Chicken Recipe

توا چکن بنانے کا طریقہ

Lahori-style tawa chicken: marinated boneless chicken seared on a hot tawa, then tossed with tomato, onion and green chilli in butter.
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Illustration of Tawa Chicken

Prep

20 min

Cook

25 min

Marinate / soak

1 hr

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Spice

Medium hot

Tawa chicken is a Lahore street dish cooked on a huge flat griddle, where the cook chops and fries the chicken with two metal spatulas in a loud, fast rhythm. The chicken is marinated, seared hard so it browns rather than stews, then finished with tomato, onion and green chilli in butter. A heavy flat pan or a wide iron tawa works well at home.

Ingredients

4 servings

For 4 servings

Measures

For the marinade

On the tawa

Method

  1. Mix the chicken with all the marinade ingredients, cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour.

    ⏱ 60 min

  2. Heat a large tawa or heavy flat pan on high heat until very hot, then add the oil.

    ⏱ 3 min

  3. Spread the chicken out in one layer, shaking off excess marinade. Leave it untouched until the underside browns, then turn and brown the other side.

    ⏱ 8 min

  4. Push the chicken to the sides. Add the butter and onion to the middle and fry until soft, then add the tomatoes and the leftover marinade.

    ⏱ 4 min

  5. Mash the tomatoes with the edge of your spatula and mix everything together. Chop through the chicken pieces with the spatula as you stir and cook until the masala is thick and coats the chicken.

    ⏱ 7 min

  6. Add the green chillies, ginger, chilli flakes, black pepper, garam masala and kasuri methi. Toss for 2 minutes until the oil shines.

    ⏱ 2 min

  7. Scatter the coriander and serve hot from the tawa.

Tips for the best result

  • Thigh meat stays juicier on a hot tawa than breast. If you use breast, cut bigger pieces and cook a minute less.
  • Some Lahore stalls add a handful of chopped capsicum with the tomatoes for crunch.

Common mistakes

  • Crowding the pan. Too much chicken at once cools the tawa and the meat boils in its juice; cook in two batches if needed.
  • Stirring constantly at the start. Let the chicken sit so it gets a brown crust before you move it.

How to serve

Serve with hot naan or roti, raita and onion salad.

Storing and reheating

Keeps 2 days in the fridge. Reheat on a hot pan with a little butter.

Nutrition and cost

Worked out from the ingredients, not measured in a lab. Treat both as a rough guide.

Per serving Estimate

Calories
445kcal
Protein
44g
Fat
25g
Carbs
10g
Fibre
2.1g
Sodium
870mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (April 2018), public domain values for the raw ingredients (100% of the recipe by weight had data). Deep-frying oil is counted at 20%; bones and water lost in cooking are not subtracted, so bone-in and fried dishes can read high. Not medical advice. Method

Cost per servingEstimate

≈ Rs 205

Whole dish ≈ Rs 830 · 93% of ingredients by weight priced

From the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics weekly SPI, week ended 29 Oct 2026. Spices, herbs and some vegetables are not in the SPI and are left out unless you add your price, so the real cost is a little higher. How this works

Tawa Chicken: questions people ask

Can I make tawa chicken with bone-in chicken?

Yes, use small karahi-cut pieces. Cover the pan for 10 minutes after searing so they cook through, then uncover and finish on high heat.

What pan should I use for tawa chicken at home?

A flat iron tawa or a heavy cast-iron frying pan, because they hold heat. A thin non-stick pan cools down too fast for a good sear.

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Read this recipe in Urdu: توا چکن بنانے کا طریقہ

https://handi.danixsoft.com/recipes/tawa-chicken · Handi, DanixSoft