This is a delicious, spicy, one-pot Indian chicken curry. If you are looking for a traditional style chicken curry made with onion and tomato masala then this curry recipe is worth bookmarking. It is a family favorite Sunday afternoon lunch with steamed basmati rice.
My Family’s Chicken Curry Recipe
In India, every family has its own chicken curry recipe. So does mine. It is rustic, spicy, flavorsome, and insanely delicious.
Like any authentic dish, it is a time and labor-intensive curry recipe. But is it worth it? I would say, absolutely YES!
This classic Indian chicken curry and the Sunday afternoon, are meant for each other.
Every Sunday we have this chicken curry situation. With steamed basmati rice on the side, sliced onion salad, and plenty of soupy, spicy Indian chicken curry, our Sunday lunch is always a blissful experience.
During the summer season, we have an addition of chilled raita bowl to this Sunday menu to cool off the heat of spices. Or a tall glass of masala buttermilk to settle all the spices.
Hence, in our family, we call this curry a Sunday chicken curry.
Reasons to LOVE this Indian Chicken Curry
it is a traditional style curry that will connect you with authentic Indian flavors
it is easy to make, one pot recipe that is highly adaptable
no chicken marination is required for this curry recipe
all the masala is made from scratch for this curry at home
Masala For Murgh Curry
There are two types of homemade masala paste that you need for this chicken curry.
Tomato Paste: It is a ground paste of tomato, dry red chili, garlic, and ginger.
Onion Paste: This one is a paste of fried onions. The sliced onions are fried in mustard oil till golden brown in color. Grind them to a smooth paste in a blender without using water.
Apart from these ground masala paste, you need these spices:
Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder
Turmeric Powder
Coriander Powder
Dry Fenugreek Leaves
Bay Leaf, Cinnamon
Is this curry spicy?
Yes, this is a rich and spicy chicken curry. Because of whole red chilies, garam masala, and the chilli powder, this curry has a medium-high spicy taste.
In India, classic chicken curry is hot, spicy, and greasy with a lot of oil floating on top. It is not everyone’s cup of tea if your palate is not accustomed to eating spicy food.
To make a mild chicken curry to suit your tastebuds:
use curry powder instead of Garam Masala
add 1 Cup of thick coconut milk instead of water
reduce the number of dry red chilies in the tomato paste
use mild red paprika instead of Indian red chili powder
Best Cut Of Chicken For Curry
To make an Indian chicken curry, the best choice would be bone-in meat pieces. The chicken bones lend a delicious flavor to the curry.
You can use a combination of bone-in chicken thigh, and the leg piece.
This curry can be made with boneless, skinless chicken pieces as well. Try to use boneless chicken thighs as they are much juicier and don’t get dry, unlike chicken breast.
If you are using boneless chicken breast pieces then try not to use the frozen ones, and avoid over-cooking them.
The best way to make curry with chicken breast is – saute the pieces in masala till they are cooked and pale white in color. Transfer to a plate, finish making the curry, add cooked chicken pieces towards the end and simmer them in curry for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.
Step-By-Step Chicken Curry Recipe
Start with making a fine paste of tomato, garlic, ginger, and dry red chilies. Use 1 – 2 tablespoons of water to make the smooth paste. Set aside (image 1).
Next, heat mustard oil in the Kadhai. Once it’s smoking hot, add sliced onion and fry till they are golden brown in color (images 2 & 3). Transfer onion to a plate. Allow becoming lukewarm. Grind them to a smooth paste without using water (image 4).
In the same kadhai, add the bay leaf and cinnamon in the leftover oil. Fry for 10 – 20 seconds to release their aroma.
Add the tomato paste, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder (image 6), and fry over low-medium heat till oil starts separating from the masala.
Add the chicken pieces, season with salt, and fry till they become pale white (images 7 & 8). This usually takes 8 – 10 minutes. Do not rush this process.
Next, add the onion paste (image 9). Mix nicely. Cover and cook the chicken till its juices are released. Keep the flame at lowest setting. Do not add any water.
A good quality tender chicken does not take more than 10 minutes to get cooked. Open the lid, check the chicken for doneness.
If cooked, add 1 Cup of water to make gravy (add coconut milk if you prefer) along with garam masala, dry fenugreek leaves, fresh coriander, and sliced green chili (optional) (image 10).
Simmer the curry for 5 – 10 minutes for the gravy to thicken a bit. Taste the curry and add more seasoning if required.
Indian Chicken Curry is ready to serve.
Serving Suggestion
The best way to serve Indian chicken curry is with hot and fluffy basmati rice or jeera rice.
Or you can serve it with paratha, chapati, dosa, or naan.
Some favorite side-dishes to compliment chicken curry are – sliced onion salad, or pickled onions, chilled mint raita, or a garlicky rasam.
Leftover Usage
You can shred the leftover chicken curry pieces and use them as a curried filling for wrap, taco, or sandwich.
Or use the full bone-in pieces to make my cheat leftover chicken biryani.
The best way to store the leftover chicken curry is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat it in a microwave or saucepan before serving. Add little coconut milk or cream the next day to make it saucy.
More Indian Curry Recipes For You:
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Indian Chicken Curry Recipe
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
- 1 kilogram bone-in chicken pieces
Ingredients For Tomato Paste:
- 1 Cup chopped tomato
- 2 dry red chili
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 inch piece of ginger
Ingredients For Onion Paste:
- 2 Cup sliced onion
- 1 Cup mustard oil
Other Ingredients For Curry:
- 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- 1 cinnamon stick (dal chini)
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala ( see recipe )
- Salt to taste
- 1 Cup water
- 2 tablespoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- 1 – 2 sliced green chilli
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- Wash and clean the chicken pieces. Pat them dry and set aside.
- Make tomato paste of chopped tomato, red chilli, garlic, and ginger using 1 – 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
- Heat mustard oil in the Kadhai. Once it’s smoking hot, add sliced onion and fry till they are golden brown in color. Transfer the fried onion to a plate. Allow becoming lukewarm. Grind them to a smooth paste without using water. Keep them aside.
- In the same kadhai, add the bay leaf and cinnamon in the leftover oil. Fry for 10 – 20 seconds to release their aroma.
- Add the tomato paste, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and fry over low-medium heat till oil starts separating from the masala.
- Add the chicken pieces, season with salt, and fry till they become pale white. This usually takes 8 – 10 minutes. Do not rush this process.
- Next, add the onion paste. Mix nicely. Cover and cook the chicken till its juices are released. Keep the flame at the lowest setting. Do not add any water. A good quality tender chicken does not take more than 10 minutes to get cooked. Open the lid, check the chicken for doneness.
- If cooked, add 1 Cup of water to make gravy (add coconut milk if you prefer) along with garam masala, dry fenugreek leaves, fresh coriander, and sliced green chili (optional).
- Simmer the curry for 5 – 10 minutes for the gravy to thicken a bit. Taste the curry and add more seasoning if required.
- Serve Indian chicken curry with rice or chapati.
Recipe Notes:
- To make an Indian chicken curry, the best choice would be bone-in meat pieces.
- This curry can be made with boneless, skinless chicken pieces as well. Try to use boneless chicken thighs as they are much juicier.Â
- If you are using boneless chicken breast pieces then try not to use the frozen ones, and avoid over-cooking them.
- Do not add any water in the curry till chicken releases its juices else you will end up with dry meat pieces.Â
- Mustard oil gives an authentic taste to the curry. You can use coconut oil or ghee instead of mustard oil.Â
- Adjust the quantity of water or coconut milk according to how much gravy you need. If the curry is way too thin, let it simmer without any lid/cover for 5 – 10 minutes or till it thickens a bit.Â
- Follow my tips shared above to make the chicken curry less spicy.Â
2 comments
good recipe I like this recipe and your way of making recipe as well good
thank you so much 🙂