Chicken curry recipe for beginners. This detailed post on how to make chicken curry at home will guide you to make the best dish using pantry staples. This is one of the easiest that even a novice or a bachelor can cook with an amazing outcome. It not only tastes delicious but is also very flavorful with soft, tender & succulent pieces of chicken. Serve it with butter naan, tandoori roti, jeera rice or plain basmati rice.
I have grown up eating many kinds of Indian chicken curries from various regions as my mom is a food enthusiast. We would get to eat them during the weekends with rice & jowar roti.
So making a good chicken curry is something I learnt from my mom. I have shared lot of chicken curry recipes on the blog which I make for my family.
But this post on a basic chicken curry was something I thought will be helpful for the newbies. I have kept the recipe very very simple & have not used any fancy ingredients like canned tomato puree, stock or any sort of cream. There is no blending & grinding work involved.
So even if you are a novice with just a basic kitchen set up, just go ahead and give this recipe a try. I am sure you will cook an awesome chicken curry!
The entire dish is slow cooked, that’s what makes this chicken curry uniquely delicious & flavorful.
More similar recipes,
Butter chicken recipe
Chicken korma
Chicken tikka masala
Methi chicken
How to make chicken curry
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in heavy bottom pan. When the oil turns hot, add
- 1 small bay leaf (or 1 sprig curry leaves)
- 2 inch cinnamon piece
- 4 cloves
- 3 green cardamoms. (All of these are optional but recommended)
2. Add 1 cup very finely chopped onions and 1 chopped green chili pepper. Saute the onions till they turn golden. To speed up, I used another tbsp of oil here and this is optional.
3. Add 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste. Make sure the onions turn golden before adding ginger garlic.
4. Saute ginger garlic for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the raw smell disappears completely.
5. Add ½ cup tomatoes (chopped or mashed or pureed). Also add ¼ teaspoon turmeric and ½ teaspoon salt.
6. Next fry until the tomatoes turn completely mushy and the raw smell has gone.
7. Add 1 teaspoon red chili powder and ¼ cup whisked yogurt (curd). To substitute yogurt, you can soak 12 cashew nuts or almonds or 3 tablespoons white poppy seeds in ½ cup hot water for 30 minutes. Blend it to a smooth paste & add here.
8. Saute on a medium flame until the mixture becomes thick and begins to smell good. Optional – If you do not like chunky onions in your curry, then cool and blend this with water to a smooth puree.
Slow cooking chicken curry
9. Add the following ingredients
- ½ kg chicken (about 1 lb)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves or mint leaves.
10. Saute for 3 to 4 mins or until the chicken turns pale.
11. Cover and cook on a low flame for about 3 to 4 mins so the chicken absorbs the flavors. Meanwhile, heat 1 cup water in a separate pot. You can also microwave the water in a cup for 1 min.
12. Pour ½ to ¾ cup hot water or as needed. Using cold water often makes the meat tough & hard.
13. Make sure you use just enough water to partially cover the chicken. Cover and cook on a low to medium heat until soft tender. It took about 10 mins for me. This may vary depending on the age of the chicken or the size of the pieces. Do not cook on a high temperature.
14. Lastly check whether the chicken is done by pricking it with a fork. It must be soft and should fall off the bone easily. Taste the curry and add more salt if need. Also add ½ teaspoon more garam masala if you feel the curry is low on flavor.
When the curry reaches a desired consistency switch off the stove. Add some coriander leaves for garnish. Keep covered until you serve.
Serve chicken curry with rice, jeera rice, ghee rice or chapathi. Also have a simple raita or onion wedges to go on the side.
Authentic Indian curry does not use
- Canned tomato puree
- Curry powder
- Cornstarch or
- Any kind of stock or broth
So this recipe does not use any of the above mentioned ingredients & will give you a real Indian chicken curry with a burst of flavors & deliciousness.
Tips to make best chicken curry
1. Choosing chicken
You can make this curry with boneless or bone-in chicken. But bone-in chicken yields the best curry as the juices from the bones sweep to the curry. So bone-in chicken also thickens the curry without adding any thickener.
Most traditional Indian households use the whole chicken that is cut to equal sizes. The curry is made with all the pieces – thighs, breasts etc. But if you are choosy you can use whatever you like.
2. Whole spices
To begin with I do temper the whole spices like bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves & cardamom. If you do not have these you may skip. But the flavor from the whole spices is much more intense than the ground powders so I use them.
3. Garam masala – ground spice powder
Garam masala is an Indian spice blend made by dry roasting the spices & pounding them. For this chicken curry recipe you will need a very good spice powder.
I have used this homemade garam masala. However you can also use any store bought powder that is of good quality & aromatic.
Substitute: A good substitute to garam masala is a curry powder. You can again choose something good from a popular brand. But please note that a curry powder does not have the same aroma & spice level as the garam masala powder.
4. Taste enhancer or thickener
Traditionally chicken curry was made without any thickening agents. To enhance the taste, one of the ingredients like coconut, yogurt, nut paste or poppy seeds paste were used.
Back home in India, my mom would always use poppy seeds paste for the chicken curry. Since poppy seeds are in the country I live, I either use yogurt or cashew paste here.
So feel free to use fresh yogurt if you do not own a blender.
5. Onions & tomatoes
I have used chopped onions & tomatoes here. Some regions use them by grating or pureeing. However it is up to you to make a choice.
Slow cooking
The specialty of this chicken curry is slow cooking. Do not rush or be in a hurry to finish up cooking quickly. A slow cooked dish will be worth the effort as it really stands out in taste & flavor.
A dish prepared on a high flame will yield you only a hotchpotch curry and not the one that you will really love & enjoy.
Serving suggestions
You can serve this chicken curry with plain rice , basmati rice, Jeera rice, ghee rice or even with roti, paratha or naan.
Can I make this chicken curry creamy?
Yes you can make this chicken curry creamy by adding 4 tbsps of cream or thick coconut milk towards the end.
Related Recipes
Chicken curry recipe | How to make chicken curry
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
- ½ kg chicken (500 grams or 1 pound (preferably bone-in))
- 2 to 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup onions (3 medium onions) (fine chopped)
- 1 to 2 green chilies slit (skip for less spicy)
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste or minced ginger garlic
- ½ cup tomatoes (2 medium tomatoes, pureed or finely chopped)
- ¼ cup yogurt (substitute with 12 cashews or 3 tbsps poppy seeds, refer notes)
- ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt (adjust as needed)
- ½ to 1 cup hot water (or coconut milk)
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves or mint leaves finely chopped
Spice powders (or use curry powder as needed)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder or smoked paprika (½ tsp for less spicy)
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (½ tsp more if needed, adjust to taste)
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
Whole spices (skip if you don’t have)
- 1 bay leaf or 1 sprig curry leaves
- 4 cloves
- 2 inch cinnamon piece
- 3 green cardamom
Instructions
Preparation
- First heat oil in a deep pan, then add whatever whole spices you have – bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves & green cardamoms. Fry them till you get an aroma, just for a min.
- Add chopped onions and chilies. Saute till the onions turn deep golden in color.
- Next add ginger garlic paste and saute till you get a nice aroma. This just takes about a minute.
- Then add tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Mix well and cook until the tomatoes turn soft & mushy.
- Pour yogurt (or cashew paste), red chili powder, garam masala & coriander powder.
- On a low heat, cook until the mixture smells good and the raw smell goes away.
- Add chicken and coriander leaves. Fry till the chicken turns white or pale in color. This takes around 3 mins.
- Cover and cook on a low heat for 3 to 4 minutes. This step is very important as the chicken absorbs all the flavors of the spices.
- Meanwhile in a separate pot, heat up 1 cup water. Using cold water most times toughens the chicken so it is good to use hot water.
How to make chicken curry
- Pour hot water just enough to make a thick curry. Do not add too much water. Chicken curry will become runny. Sometimes chicken lets out lot of moisture. So use only as needed.
- Cover and cook on a medium to low flame till the chicken is soft cooked and the curry turns thick.
- Taste the curry & add more salt if needed.
- You can also add another ½ tsp garam masala at this stage if you feel it is less in flavors.
- Cover and cook on a low flame for 3 to 5 mins. When the chicken is cooked completely it will fall off the bone easily.
- Lastly garnish with coriander leaves, cover and off the heat. Serve chicken curry with butter naan or jeera rice.
Notes
- You can also skip the whole spices if you do not have. But they add a more intense flavor to the curry.
- To substitute yogurt, soak 12 cashew nuts or almonds or 3 tablespoons of white poppy seeds in half cup water for 30 minutes. Later blend it in a small grinder to make super smooth milk.
- If you don’t like chunky curry with onions and tomatoes then blend the onion tomato masala with half cup water in a blender.
- Adding cold water to chicken sometimes makes it hard or tough. So use hot water.
- This chicken curry can be cooked in coconut milk instead of water. Do not pour cold coconut milk. Heat up and add.
- Please choose a good garam masala for the recipe especially if using store bought. Some brands sell really pungent garam masala. Use it with caution.
- You can also use 3 to 4 tbsps of cream or thick coconut milk towards the end if you prefer. Just add it towards the end and turn off.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
If you are using naatu kodi / kozhi (country chicken) you can make this chicken curry in a pressure cooker and cook for 4 whistles on a medium flame.
Shweta says
How would the dish turnout minus yogurt and cashews?
swasthi says
Yes you can. A lot of readers have made it without both and loved it.
Gisela says
Love this recipe! For someone that doesn’t do too much Indian dishes, it’s nice to have a recipe that doesn’t require a ton of ingredients, yet feels authentic and tastes amazing. Thank you for making sharing this and taking the time to teach!
swasthi says
Welcome Gisela
Thank you so much!
🙂
Kalpana says
I love it ! Thanks for sharing 🙂
swasthi says
Welcome Kalpana
Abhinav Gupta says
I love reading your blogs for knowledge and tips. Out of all the blogs, I found yours to be most precise, to the point and lots of good info in succinct manner. I am also a foodie and good cook so your tips resonate with me with practical knowledge. Thank you Swathi. Please keep in touch.
swasthi says
Hi Abhinav
Thanks for taking time to leave a comment. I have moderated your comment to remove your phone no.
Andre says
I moved to a country away from home about 5 years ago and had a craving for curry. I found this recipe and it was spot on! I have been making it ever since and everyone that has tried it, asked to make it again! Thank you so much for this recipe!
swasthi says
Welcome Andre
Glad to know! Thank you so much for leaving a comment.
Steve says
Made this tonight with the okra and onion vegetable dish, both turned out really well. I think this site is excellent and found the recipes easy to follow. NowI have restocked the spice cupboard I intend to work through quite a lot of your recipes. Thank you!
swasthi says
Welcome Steve
Glad they turned out good. Thank you so much!
Thejus suresh says
My first try and it tastes great. The recepie is just awesome. Thank you Swasthi.
swasthi says
Welcome Thejus
Glad it turned out good.
thank you
AndrewG says
Hi Swasthi,
A very flavoursome chicken curry – thank you. Found my way to your site after a glowing recommendation on the psychovertical podcast – HE3.
I have only question – the recipe requires 1 cup chopped onions (3 medium onions). I think you must have smaller onions in Singapore compared to Australia ! 2 medium onions got me about 1.5 cups. I assume for this and other of your recipes I should stick to the cup amounts ?
swasthi says
Hi Andrew,
You are welcome! Yes please follow the cup amounts for best results. Thanks for rating the recipe. Hope you enjoy the recipes!
Gian says
Tnx for the recipe im using the common curry powder and turmeric powder sadto say theres no garam massala here in the philippines bec this country is very imcomplete…tnx anyway
swasthi says
Hi Gian,
You are welcome! Try making your own garam masala if you can’t find it in the stores. The flavor is completely different from curry powder.
Sasha B says
Hi Swasthi,
Thank you for such an amazing recipe! After trying many different recipes I only use this one now to make chicken curry for my husband- he loves it!
Just a quick question regarding the onions, you say to get a deep golden colour but in the picture they look more sautéed. Which is it better to do for this recipe?
Thank you
swasthi says
Hi Sasha,
You are welcome! We usually saute the onions till light brown which gives a good flavor to the curry. It is not necessary though. You may try that. In the picture they look different because I fine chopped the onions in the food processer. They release lots of moisture and look very different in the pan. Hope this helps
Sasha B says
Yes thank you!
Jenn says
Hello, very happy to find your blog. Last night I taught my sister and brother in law to make this recipe, and we all loved it. Much better than curries I have made in the past with curry powder. We had it with basmati, dal and raita. It was wonderful! I look forward to trying more recipes from your blog.
swasthi says
Hello Jenn,
Glad to know! Thank you so much for leaving a comment
🙂
Evi says
Hello, today I’m making this recipe and really smells amazing till now. I have a question. I have a mix tikka masala and garam masala. Why in a tikka masala chicken you use garam masala? Is the same mix? Similar? Or in India there is no tikka masala mix and is a European invention? Can you clarify me pls? Thank you!
swasthi says
Hi Evi,
Welcome! In Indian cuisine, tikka masala is a dish and not a spice powder. Tikka masala sauce, seasoning powder etc are other inventions & not authentic Indian. Hope this helps
Evi says
Thank you very much!
Shift says
I’ve started using your website quite a bit.
Thank you.
Really easy to follow.
Good feedback from people after I used one of your recipes.
Could I ask…this chicken recipe…is it for one person. Reason I ask is I need to cook for 30 people and don’t know how much chicken to use (boneless breast chicken,)
swasthi says
Welcome!
Glad to know. This recipe serves 3. I have never cooked chicken curry for so many people. If you are an advanced cook and know how to handle so much chicken, then you may 10x this recipe. You may need to cut down the ginger garlic slightly. This recipe is best made with bone-in chicken (like whole chicken). This is just my opinion. Hope this helps.
Dr Satyen Nabar says
Your website is absolutely wonderful. Thanks to the lockdown, I decided to learn cooking and have now prepared several of your chicken and paneer dishes. This particular chicken curry was the first one I started with as a beginner and was pleasantly surprised and delighted that it turned out tasty enough for my wife and kids to appreciate. Very meticulous recipes, explained in such easy-to-understand detail. You make cooking a very enjoyable process. Thanks a lot Swasthi! Keep up the great work.
swasthi says
Hello Dr.Satyen
You are most welcome! So glad to know your family enjoys your food. Thanks much for leaving a comment.
Sunil Kumar Das says
Chicken Masala can be used inplace of Garam Masala or Curry Masala?
swasthi says
Yes it can be used.