This chicken curry recipe is simple and easy to make, with tender chicken pieces in a rich, aromatic, and flavorful curry sauce. Serve this curry with soft naan, roti, chapati, steamed rice, or jeera rice.
If you love classic Indian dishes like butter chicken or paneer butter masala, this chicken curry recipe will be your new favorite.
Why you’ll love this Indian chicken curry?
Chicken curry, also known as curried chicken, is a traditional Indian side dish made by simmering chicken with spices, onions, tomatoes, and herbs. All basic ingredients from your kitchen. This curry is perfect for weeknight dinners, family gatherings, or festive meals like Eid, Christmas, or Thanksgiving.
- It has Authentic Indian flavors.
- Easy one-pot curry recipe
- Curried chicken is gluten-free and dairy-free.
- Adjust the spice levels to suit your taste.
- Serve with rice or any Indian bread for the best results.
Also, check out some of the best accompaniments for naan and roti.
Ingredients
Chicken: Boneless or bone-in chicken can be used to make the curry. I highly recommend using bone-in chicken for the best results.
Whole spices: Bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon are basic whole spices that add intense flavor to your dish. If unavailable, you can skip them, but add them when possible for a richer taste.
Kitchen king masala: You can substitute with garam masala, biryani masala, meat masala, or curry powder if kitchen king masala is unavailable; adjust to your taste preference.
Cashew: Cashews make the gravy rich and thick and add sweetness. If needed, you can use poppy seeds or almonds instead. If none are available, substitute with yogurt or curds in the recipe that are not sour.
Tomatoes: Use freshly chopped tomatoes; you can also puree them for a smoother texture. If needed, canned tomatoes can be used, but this will affect the flavor.
Herbs: For Indian cooking, use cilantro (coriander leaves) and mint leaves.
Onions: For this chicken curry, finely chop the onions. You can even use the chopper if needed.
Check out the recipe card for the full list of ingredients.
Step-by-step instructions
- Soak cashews in hot water for 20–30 minutes. Blend to a smooth paste.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Add onions and green chilies. Sauté on medium for 8–10 minutes until translucent.
- Add ginger-garlic paste. Sauté until fragrant.
- Add tomatoes, turmeric, and salt. Sauté until tomatoes are soft.
- Add cashew paste, red chile powder, Kitchen King masala, and coriander powder. Mix thoroughly.
- Add chicken thighs, cilantro, and mint. Mix well, then cook for 3 minutes, until the chicken turns pale.
- Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in 1 cup of hot water. Cover and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
- Taste check and adjust salt and spices if needed. Garnish with extra coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with rice or Indian breads.
Tips
- Optional Marination: If you have time, before starting the recipe, marinate the chicken thighs with 2 tablespoon curds, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Kitchen King, and 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste for 30 minutes.
- Bay leaves and whole spices are optional, but they add deep flavor to your dish.
- Instead of cashews, you can use almonds or 3 tablespoon of poppy seeds to make this curry.
- I recommend using hot water for cooking the chicken. Using cold water makes chicken hard.
- For a South Indian twist, add a sprig of curry leaves along with whole spices, and toward the end, add ½ cup of coconut milk.
- For a restaurant-style finish, add 2 to 3 tablespoon of heavy cream. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water.
What to serve with chicken curry?
Chicken curry pairs best with rice dishes and Indian flatbreads that soak up the gravy.
- Some of the best rice to pair with chicken curry are steamed basmati rice, ghee rice, jeera rice, and onion rice.
- Indian breads are good for scooping chicken gravy, including soft naan, rumali roti, chapati, and paratha.
More Indian chicken recipes
Recipe card
Chicken Curry Recipe | Curried Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 1 Bay leaf optional
- 3 Cardamoms optional
- 2 Cloves optional
- 1 inch Cinnamon optional
- 3 Onions medium, finely chopped
- 2 Green chilies slit
- 1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
- 3 Tomatoes finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 12 Cashews
- 1 teaspoon Red chile powder
- ½ to 1 tablespoon Kitchen King masala or garam masala, or curry powder, adjust to taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoon Coriander powder adjust to taste
- 500 g Chicken thighs bone-in
- 3 tablespoon Cilantro coriander leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon Mint leaves pudina, chopped
- 1 cup of hot water for cooking
Instructions
- Soak cashews in hot water for 20–30 minutes. Blend to a smooth paste.12 Cashews
- Heat oil in a pan. Add bay leaf, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon, and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute.2 tablespoon Oil, 1 Bay leaf, 3 Cardamoms, 2 Cloves, 1 inch Cinnamon
- Add onions and green chilies. Sauté on medium for 8–10 minutes until translucent.3 Onions, 2 Green chilies
- Add ginger-garlic paste. Sauté until fragrant.1 tablespoon Ginger garlic paste
- Add tomatoes, turmeric, and salt. Sauté until tomatoes are soft.3 Tomatoes, ½ teaspoon Turmeric, ¾ teaspoon Salt
- Add cashew paste, red chile powder, Kitchen King masala, and coriander powder. Mix thoroughly.1 teaspoon Red chile powder, ½ to 1 tablespoon Kitchen King masala, 1 to 2 tablespoon Coriander powder
- Add chicken thighs, cilantro, and mint. Mix well, then cook for 3 minutes, until the chicken turns pale.500 g Chicken thighs, 3 tablespoon Cilantro, 1 tablespoon Mint leaves
- Cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in 1 cup of hot water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat until chicken is tender.1 cup of hot water for cooking
- Taste check and adjust salt and spices if needed. Garnish with extra coriander leaves.
- Serve hot with rice or Indian breads.
Video
Notes
- Optional Marination: If you have time, before starting the recipe, marinate the chicken thighs with 2 tablespoon curds, ¾ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon Kitchen King, and 1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste for 30 minutes.
- Bay leaves and whole spices are optional, but they add deep flavor to your dish.
- Instead of cashews, you can use almonds or 3 tablespoon of poppy seeds to make this curry.
- I recommend using hot water for cooking the chicken. Using cold water makes chicken hard.
- For a South Indian twist, add a sprig of curry leaves along with whole spices, and toward the end, add ½ cup of coconut milk.
- For a restaurant-style finish, add 2 to 3 tablespoon of heavy cream. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water.
Nutrition
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Rebecca Smith says
You can't beat a good chicken curry! I am definitely going to be giving your recipe a try!
Karen says
I never attempted to cook chicken curry before, I felt it was intimidating for me. Your recipe is delicious, thank you so so much for sharing.
Rhian says
A butter chicken curry is one of my favs, but my hubby doesn't like the spices in curries. So I may need to try making something like this and tweak a few things to get him invested x
Jen says
I love LOVE Indian food! I've attempted to make Butter Chicken, but use a jar sauce rather than make the curry by scratch. I'll have to try this recipe one day!
Jupiter Hadley says
I love a good curry! These steps are really easy to follow - thank you for sharing your recipe.