Chicken curry recipe without coconut – Learn to make simple chicken curry with gravy using basic ingredients. It tastes delicious, chicken turns out soft, tender and juicy. This can fairly be made in less than 50 minutes.
This chicken curry recipe is one of the easiest that even a novice cook or bachelor can follow. There is no marination needed or grinding any masala. It can be prepared with any readymade garam masala or biryani masala, whatever is available. I have mentioned some substitutes for certain ingredients, you can use whatever you like.
Any chicken curry tastes best when made with bone-in chicken, however boneless also can be used.
This simple chicken curry goes very well with plain rice or any Indian flat breads like roti / chapathi, butter naan or flavoured rice like Pulao, jeera rice or ghee rice or paratha. Any variety of raita too go great in this meal.
For more chicken curry recipes, you can check this collection of Chicken gravy recipes
Simple chicken curry recipe
Indian chicken curry recipe
Simple Indian chicken curry made delicious, spicy and hot with minimum ingredients. This is a basic curry that can be tried even by beginners. It pairs great with rice, roti or paratha.
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
- ½ kg chicken or 500 grams (preferably bone-in)
- 2 to 3 tbsp Oil
- 1 cup onions or 3 medium onions (fine chopped or grated or paste)
- 2 green chilies slit
- 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
- ½ cup tomatoes finely chopped or puree (deseeded)(2 medium tomatoes)
- salt as needed
- ½ to 1 cup hot water
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped or mint or pudina
Spice powders (or use curry powder as needed)
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder or haldi
- ¾ to 1 tsp red chili powder (adjust as needed)
- 1½ tsp garam masala powder (adjust to suit your taste)
Dry spices (refer notes)
- 1 bay leaf small or tej patta or curry leaves
- 4 cloves or laung
- 2 inch cinnamon or dalchini
- 3 green cardamom or elaichi
For taste (optional)
- 2 tbsp yogurt or curd or 10 cashews or 3 tbsp poppy seeds (ground to smooth paste)
How to make the recipe
How to make chicken curry
First heat oil in a deep pan, add all the dry spices and fry till you get an aroma, just for a min.
Add onions and chilies. Fry evenly till golden.
Next add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes off.
Then add mashed tomatoes or puree, turmeric and salt. Mix well and cook until the tomatoes turn soft.
Pour yogurt or cashew paste, red chili powder, garam masala. coriander powder or curry powder.
On a low heat cook until the mixture smells good and the raw smell goes away.
Add chicken and coriander or mint leaves. Fry till the it turns white or pale. This takes around 3 mins.
In a separate pot, heat up 1 cup water. Sometimes chicken lets out lot of moisture. So use only as needed. Using cold water most times toughen the chicken.
- Pour hot water just enough to make a thick gravy. Do not add too much water, curry will become runny.
- Cover and cook on a medium flame till it is cooked soft.
- Check and adjust the salt.
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 add coriander leaves, cover and off the heat.
Serve chicken curry with rice, chapathi or jeera rice, ghee rice or pulao.
Recipe Notes
You can also skip the dry spices if you do not have. But using them with lend a good aroma to the curry.
Adding cold water to chicken sometimes makes it hard or tough. So use hot water.
You can also use 3 tbsps of cream or thick coconut milk if you prefer. Just add it towards the end and turn off.
If you are using naatu kodi / kozhi (country chicken) you can make this chicken gravy in a pressure cooker and cook for 4 whistles on a medium flame.
Preparation for chicken curry recipe
1. Heat 2 tbsps of oil in a kadai or heavy bottom or nonstick pan. Saute cinnamon, small bay leaf, 4 cloves, 3 cardamoms in hot oil just for a min to turn them fragrant. You can also use shahi jeera or cumin if you like.
2. Add 1 cup very finely chopped onions and slit green chilies. You can also use onion paste or grated onions. Stir well and fry until the onions turn golden.
3. Make sure the onions turn golden before adding 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste. At this stage i used another tbsp of oil and this is optional.
4. Saute ginger garlic until the raw smell disappears completely.
5. Add deseeded finely chopped and mashed tomatoes along with turmeric and salt. You can also use tomato puree or grated tomatoes.
6. Next fry until the tomatoes turn completely mushy and the raw smell has gone.
7. Add ¾ to 1 tsp red chili powder and 2 tbsps thick curd (yogurt) or cashew paste from 10 cashew nuts. There are a few readers who mentioned in the comments section below they made without yogurt or cashew paste yet it turned out delicious. So you may want to skip it. This time I have used cashew paste.
8. Saute on a medium flame until the mixture begins to leave the sides of the pan. Take care not to burn the mixture. At this stage the raw smell of the ingredients must go away completely.
How to make chicken curry without coconut
9. Add ½ kg chicken (about 1 lb), 1½ tsp garam masala powder and handful of coriander or pudina leaves. I have used 1 tsp of this biryani masala and ½ tsp of this simple garam masala. You can use any readymade good masala.
10. Saute for 3 mins or until the chicken turns pale.
11. Cover and cook on a low flame for about 3 to 5 mins for the chicken to let out moisture. While it gets cooked, heat 1 cup water in a separate pot. You can also microwave the water in a cup for 1 min.
12. Pour hot water as needed. Using cold water may turn the meat tough or hard.
13. Make sure you use just enough water to partially cover the chicken. Cover and cook on a medium heat until soft tender. It took about 10 mins for me. This may vary depending on the age of the chickn or the size of the pieces. Avoid cooking at high temperature. If using country chicken i.e naatu kozhi / kodi then add a small piece of betel nut. Pressure cook on a medium heat for 4 whistles.
14. Lastly check whether the chicken is done by pricking it with a fork. It must be soft and should come off from the bone easily. Taste the gravy and adjust the salt. When the gravy reaches a desired consistency switch off the stove. Add some coriander leaves. 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.
Beverly says
If I’m using curry powder how much do I use and what step do I add it in? Thanks in advance
swasthi says
Hi Beverly
Just add it one step ahead of adding the chicken. Add the curry powder and saute it well for 1 to 2 mins. Then add the chicken. How much to use depends on how spicy it is. Begin with 1½ tsp. After you saute the mixture, taste it and add more if desired. You can add upto 3 tsps.
Sunil says
Nice,a helpfull blog
Michelle Lopez says
Just wondering if/when you take out the cinnamon and cardomon pods@
swasthi says
Hi Michelle
We usually do not take it out. Resting the spices in the curry until served enhances the flavor. You can just remove them when you serve it.
Donella Coutinho says
Hi, this is my go to chicken recipe! I have tried this recipe on my blog and have made it many times since. It turns out absolutely delicious everytime
swasthi says
Thank you so much Donella.
So glad to know you like it.
Beata says
Hi Swasthi,
I made recently this simple and quick chicken curry and it came so delicious
swasthi says
Hi Beata
Happy to know the curry turned out delicious. Thanks for the comment.