This chicken in banana leaf is a unique and flavor-packed dish that you’ll enjoy every bite of.
Chicken pieces are mixed and covered in lots of herbs and spices, wrapped up in banana leaf parcels and then steamed until nice and tender.
This dish can actually be a great one to make over the weekend, or when you have some guests and you want to try something different and unique.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need just a few simple ingredients to make the chicken in banana leaf.
- Banana leaf: 1 medium/large
- Chicken pieces: 250 - 300 grams
- Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
- Salt: ½ tsp
- Heart leaf/Fish mint (optional): 8-10 leaves
- Coriander (roughly chopped): ¼ cup
- Ginger garlic paste: 1 tbsp
- Red chili powder: ¼ tsp
- Green/Red chilies (chopped): 2-3
- Cherry tomatoes (halved): ½ cup
How to Make the Chicken In Banana Leaf
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to make the chicken in banana leaf.
Heat the entire banana leaf over low to medium flame. Do not burn it. Heat just until the color changes.
Spread out the banana leaf. Add all the ingredients one by one. Give it a good mix.
Next, fold the banana leaf and tie it with a thread so that the mixture is secured inside.
Bring a steamer to a boil and add in the tied banana leaf. Let it steam for 35-40 minutes.
Heat a pan and place the stuffed banana leaf on it and cook each side for 1-2 minutes.
Serve hot with rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
In addition to the chicken and spices, you can also add veggies like carrots, bell peppers, cabbage, green onions and corn into the mix. These veggies will add lots of additional nutrition to the dish.
If you’re adding more veggies, remember to increase the amount of seasonings and spices you’re adding as well. 
I wouldn’t recommend storing the leftovers for longer than a day, as the chicken can start to spoil pretty quick.
Also remember to transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate them until you’re ready to reheat and serve them. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Chicken In Banana Leaf
Ready to try this recipe? Here are a few tips and tricks you might want to note down before you do.
- I used cherry tomatoes for this recipe, but you can also make do with chopped regular sized tomatoes instead.
- You can cut down the cooking time for this recipe by marinating the chicken ahead of time. Simply combine all the ingredients (except the banana leaves) in a bowl, cover it up with cling wrap and refrigerate it overnight. Then, you can easily put this dish together.
- If you don’t have the fish mint that the recipe calls for, you can just use some other chopped herbs of your choice.
- Remember to use boneless chicken pieces for this recipe, and ideally, cut them all such that they’re roughly the same size to ensure that they’re all cooked evenly.
- To add a bit of extra flavor and deliciousness, you can also add a pinch or two of garam masala powder into the marinade.
- Thick yogurt also makes for a wonderful addition to the marinade of the chicken, and also helps tenderize it.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
This chicken in banana leaf can be served as is, or teamed up with some steamed rice or even some chapatis or rotis to make it a complete meal.
To take it up a notch, you can also put together a fresh and crunchy salad and serve it with the dish.
Loved the idea of using banana leaf to wrap up the chicken? Here are a few more ways to creatively put bananas and parts of the banana plant to use.
📖 Recipe
Chicken in Banana leaf
Ingredients
- 1 large Banana leaf
- 300 grams Chicken pieces
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 8-10 leaves Heart leaf/Fish mint, optional
- ¼ cup Coriander, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
- ¼ teaspoon Red chili powder
- 2-3 Green/Red chilies, chopped
- ½ cup Cherry tomatoes, halved
Instructions
- Heat the entire banana leaf over low to medium flame. Do not burn it. Heat just until the color changes.
- Spread out the banana leaf. Add all the ingredients one by one. Give it a good mix.
- Next, fold the banana leaf and tie it with a thread so that the mixture is secured inside.
- Bring a steamer to a boil and add in the tied banana leaf. Let it steam for 35-40 minutes.
- Heat a pan and place the stuffed banana leaf on it and cook each side for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve hot with rice.
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