Dry roast all the whole spices, then grind them in a blender. Also make a paste of ginger, garlic, and green chilies.

Clean the chicken thoroughly. In a bowl, mix the chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, a little of the ground spice mix, chicken masala, and salt, red chili powder, turmeric, and garam masala as needed. Marinate for 1 hour.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, sauté finely chopped onions until deep golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste, dry spices, the ground spice mix, and whole dried red chilies. Cook for 5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are soft.

Add the marinated chicken. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes until the chicken releases its juices. Increase the heat and cook, stirring, until all the liquid evaporates and the chicken is well browned.

Add water as needed. Cook until the oil rises to the top and the chicken is tender.

Add chicken masala and cook for another 5-7 minutes. Serve the hot chicken curry with steamed rice or roti.