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.
Laila says
Hi Swasthi,
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I tried it for our dinner. I add with some boiled potatoes. My husband loved it. I served this curry with chapati. I bookmarked this recipe.
Laila from UK
swasthi says
Hi Laila
You are welcome! Glad to know the recipe worked out. Thank you!
Nada says
Great recipe, family loved it. Thanks for sharing! I did few change and added 2 small spoons of tomato paste with 1/4 cup of chopped cherry tomatoes. Also I didn’t have garlic ginger paste, so I used garlic and added 1 small spoon of ground ginger. I used chicken breast chopped to small pieces. It turn out great. I served the curry with home made porota bread, it was my first time making it but it turned out great.
swasthi says
Hi Nada,
Welcome! Glad to know it turned out good. Love all the variations you made.
Thanks for leaving a comment
Doug says
Hello Swasthi, thank you so much for this recipe. It was my first time to make a true chicken curry. I followed the recipe exactly and all your tips were super helpful. I have since made this dish well over 6 times! I am actually making it as I type this. My question to you is do you remove the cardamom pods and cloves? I remove the bay leaves and cinnamon since they are easy to find in the curry.
Thank you so much!
PS I am also looking for a recipe for curry potatoes, onions and peas….any suggestions?
swasthi says
Welcome Doug,
Wow! so glad to know you made it 6 times. Yes we discard the cardamom pods and cloves while serving. You may skip using them but they infuse a great aroma as the curry is simmered.
I have this peas potato curry and this potato curry. If it is for a special occasion then you may try this Dum aloo. Hope this helps. Thank you so much for rating.
Dee says
Delicious!!
swasthi says
Thank you
Deepanjali says
I made this today. Turned out really yum! Thank you for your precise measurements and instructions.
swasthi says
Welcome Deepanjali
Glad to know!
🙂
Pamela says
Hi Swasthi,
I was looking for an easy but flavorful chicken curry recipe ’cause my husband made this special request for dinner. And, I found your amazing blog!
( Shame on me, I forgot the garlic.. nevertheless it was supertasting..)
Grazie, from Italy.
swasthi says
Hi Pamela
Glad to know it turned out tasty. Thanks for leaving a comment
F says
It was so good!
swasthi says
Thank you
carole says
Very good thank you so much. Love your recipes.
swasthi says
Welcome Carole
Thank you
🙂
Premila says
Love love your recipes. They are so easy to follow and I especially like the “optional” parts, meaning I can use whatever I have in my kitchen. This chicken curry tasted amazing, even without the yogurt.
swasthi says
Thank You Premila
Glad to know!
🙂
Pilar says
This is my first time ever making curry. My mother and partner were so pleased! Thank you so much for the recipe!
swasthi says
Hi Pilar
You are welcome! Glad to know! Thank you
Rebecca Smeda says
This curry is out of this world. Thanks for the education. I now have a curry box with the spices – ground coriander, garam masala, cloves and so on, so when I do this again I just pull out the box. So so exciting!!!
swasthi says
Glad to know Rebecca!
🙂
Dhruv S says
Your recipes are amazing.. thank you for creating this website
Aaqida says
very nice article and way of explaining thank you this really helped me a lot.
swasthi says
Glad to know
Vivek says
Hello Swasthi
I noticed that the curry had a strong and raw onion taste. I blended raw onion to a fine paste, then fried it on the pan for a long time. Should I have fried the chopped onion first and then made it into a paste, to avoid the raw onion taste?
Thanks
swasthi says
Hi Vivek,
Some kind of onions don’t go well if pureed especially the red onions. They are good used in chopped form. Try with white onions. Try blanching the onions first and then puree them. This reduces the raw smell. Alternately you can also fry them and make a paste. Hope this helps.
Thanuja says
Hello swasthi
Love the way you explain. Tried this curry with combination of cashew and poppy seeds. Used only one medium tomato. Remaining followed the same. Felt taste was not tangy. What might be the reason?
Thank you in advance
swasthi says
Hi Thanuja
Welcome! If you alter the recipe the results will not be the same. You can squeeze in some lemon juice when you serve. It did not taste tangy because you used less tomatoes. Next time try with lemon juice or more tomatoes.
Karan says
Hi, I’ve used this recipe many times and it turns out great. I want to point out that there is a difference in your text recipe and your photo recipe at the stage after the chicken is added to the dish. In the photo recipe you’ve written that the chicken must be cooked for 3 mins open and then another 3-4 mins with the cover. This second part isn’t there in the only text recipe. The only text recipe says to add water after the initial 3 mins of open cooking.
swasthi says
Hi Karan
Thanks for the mention I will update it. Glad the curry turns out great.
Greet says
Fantastic !!
swasthi says
Thank you
Lia says
I followed the recipe exactly. I had all the ingredients, but added potatoes and carrots because I’m vegetarian and my husband isn’t 😊 Thank you for the easy instructions. I would love to try it with poppy paste next time!
swasthi says
Hi Lia
You are welcome! Glad to know the curry turned out good. Yes do try it with poppy paste. Just make sure the paste is very smooth. Tastes great. Thank you!
Abi says
Made this today. I didn’t have chilies but next time I would definitely add them as I want the final dish to be more spicy. Great thickness to the gravy with just under 1/2 cup of hot water. I also used Greek yogurt instead of curd. I used boneless chicken breast and it still turned out great!
swasthi says
Thank you!
Glad to know it turned out good.
shiva says
I’m a novice chef but this turned out amazing even without the cashews.
thanks for posting !
swasthi says
Glad to know
Jennifer says
You don’t seem to have a section on the cookware you recommend. That would be helpful.
swasthi says
Yes I don’t have. I don’t do product promotions or affiliate marketing. If you are looking for any particular cookware I can help you. Thanks for reading.
Sonia says
Cooking it right now smells amazing. I didn’t thicken it as I didn’t have the cashews and stuff, should I just leave it or do you have any suggestions.
swasthi says
Hi Sonia
Thank you.You can skip the cashews. If you prefer a creamy taste, then you can little coconut milk or cream.
Melissa says
Thought this was absolutely delicious – huge hit with the family. Only thing I changed was I added Greek natural yoghurt as well as coconut cream (very small can), I also used chicken stock instead of hot water. I used chicken breast pieces, came out very soft and tender. Quickest recipe and very easy to follow.
Thank you!
swasthi says
Hello Melissa
You are welcome! Glad to know your family loved it.
Thank you!