Indians are masters at using spices in combinations that vary from one household to another. This classic chicken curry recipe is straight from the recipe books of our home. What stands out in this recipe is the simplicity and the use of some of the most basic spices that most kitchens already have. With this authentic recipe you can improvise by adding more spices, fresh herbs or pastes made out of coriander or mint.
Chicken curry recipe
Course: MainCuisine: IndianDifficulty: Medium4
servings30
minutes40
minutes1
hour10
minutesThere is no one recipe
Ingredients
- Ingredients for marination
1 Kg Chicken pieces in bones, without skin
2 Tbsp Salt
1 tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
1 Tbsp Cooking oil
2 Tbsp Curd / Yogurt
1 Lemon(Optional)
- Ingredients for curry
500 g Red onions
1 Tbsp Ginger paste or finely grated ginger
1 Tbsp Garlic paste or finely grated garlic
You can also use two Tablespoons of ginger garlic paste instead.4 Tbsp Cooking oil
2 tsp Salt
- Whole Spices
1 Cassia stick 3 inch piece
2 Tej Patta / Indian bayleaf
4 Green cardamom
4 Cloves
2 Black cardamom
- Ground Spices
2 Tbsp Coriander powder
1 Tbsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
- Optional Spices
Fenugreek leaves / Kasuri Methi
Garam Masala
Preperation
- Slice 250 grams of onion. The slices must not be too thick , else they will not dissolve in the curry paste and they must not also be too thin. If the onion slices are very thin they will lose moisture too fast while cooking
- Puree the remaining 250 grams of onion into a fine paste. To ease the blending add no more than 2 Tbsp of water
- Heat 4 Tbsp of oil in a pan with a large base. The cooking pot or pan must have a lid. Keep the pan on medium heat and do not allow the oil to come to a smoking point.
- To the hot oil add the whole spices and cook for half a minute or until the oil turns aromatic
- Add the sliced onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the onions turn translucent
- Add the ginger and garlic pastes and cook for a further 30 seconds to 1 minute , while continuing to mix
- Add the ground spices now and if the spices seem hard to mix or if the mixture is too dry then add 1 to 2 Tbsp of water. Cook while mixing for 1 more minute
- Add the onion paste now and turn up the flame to medium high. Cook this uncovered for 5 minutes or until the raw aroma of onion mellows down
- Add the chicken pieces and mix well. Cover the pan with a lid. Turn down the heat to medium low or simmer. This needs to cook for atleast 20 minutes and mix the contents in the pan at 5 minutes interval.
- After 20 minutes add additional salt , only if necessary and 1/2 a cup of water if you wish the gravy to be thinner.
- Add fenugreek leaves and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. These are optional but they add a nice aroma and bitterness to the curry.
- Turn off the flame and Keep the pan covered for around 10 minutes before serving.
- To ensure that the chicken is cooked ,take a large piece and check how easily it breaks and if there are any pink bits inside.
Recipe Video
