Chicken Korma Recipe

Chicken korma recipe with video and step by step photos – Korma is a delicious gravy usually made with onions, spices, nuts, yogurt, seeds, coconut, vegetables or meat. It originated in the Indian subcontinent during the Mughal Era & later became immensely popular across the world.

There are so many ways a korma is made, most of them are adapted to the regional cuisines. So ingredients like coconut, poppy seeds, almonds, cashews & yogurt are most commonly used based on the region.

My recipe is pretty straight forward and uses only pantry staples. It will help you make a very tasty, flavorful, creamy and delicious chicken korma.

It is best served with butter naan, roti, paratha or with steamed basmati rice & Jeera rice.

Onions, nuts and yogurt form the base for this chicken korma. To begin with, first onions are sauteed in oil until golden and then they are pureed with the nuts and yogurt. Nuts help the gravy to thicken and impart a creamy texture.

Later it is spiced and cooked with marinated & sauteed chicken.

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Preparation for chicken korma

1. To a mixing bowl, add

• ½ kg chicken (1.2 lbs)
• 3 tablespoons plain yogurt (or coconut milk)
• 1 tablespoon ginger garlic (We usually rub the chicken with turmeric and then rinse off before cooking. Hence the yellow color here.)

2. Next add

• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder (or paprika)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon salt

3. Mix all of them and set aside until needed. You can also refrigerate this overnight.

4. While the chicken marinates, go ahead with the recipe. Heat 1½ tablespoon oil or ghee in a pan. Add 2 to 3 cardamoms. I used a bit more here as we like the flavor.

Preparation for chicken korma

5. Add 1 cup sliced onions (2 medium onions). Saute them stirring often until golden brown & caramelized.

6. This is how the onions look – golden brown & caramelized. Turn off the stove. Add 4 almonds and 6 cashews. Cool this completely.

7. Add the onions and nuts to a grinder or blender jar. Pour ¼ cup yogurt or coconut milk.

8. Blend to a smooth puree. If you do not have a powerful blender, then you may pour half cup water and blend. (remember to skip adding water later for the gravy)

How to make chicken korma

9. Pour 1 tablespoon oil to the same pan and spread the oil. Then add the following whole spices: (skip if you don’t have)

• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves
• 1 cardamom
• 2 inch cinnamon. I used Ceylon cinnamon so used more. If you are using cassia, just use a 2 inch thin strip. Saute the spices for a min.

10. Add marinated chicken and slit green chilli (optional).

11. Saute on a medium heat until the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away. This takes about 5 to 7 mins.

12. Add the onion paste. Pour ½ cup water.

13. Add ¼ teaspoon salt.

14. Add ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala and 1½ teaspoon coriander powder. You can also add little chili powder if you prefer red color korma.

15. Mix well. Cover and cook on a medium heat until the chicken turns tender and is soft cooked.

16. Taste test and add more salt if needed. Once done, if the korma is too thick, add some hot water to bring it to consistency. Sprinkle some coriander leaves.

Serve chicken korma with rice, jeera rice, roti, naan or paratha.

Tips to make chicken korma

1. Bone-in chicken tastes best in this recipe as the juices from the bones seep to the korma and make the gravy delicious.
2. Marinating the chicken is optional. It is just done to tenderize the meat. If you prefer to skip the step, add all of the marinade ingredients together to the pan along with chicken.
3. A korma curry gets its creamy texture from yogurt and nut paste. Traditional korma recipe does not use any kind of starch to thicken the curry.
4. The aroma comes from the fried onion paste, take care to fry the onions evenly.
5. If you have a nut allergy just skip the nuts in the recipe and add more yogurt.

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