Simple Chicken Curry

Dinner | Indian

Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 20 min Servings: 4

This is the kind of curry I throw together on a weeknight when I want something hearty but don’t have time for a 3-hour braise. It’s not from any one place, it's just something I built using what i had in the pantry and fridge. Simple ingredients, easy steps to follow and a tasty curry after 40 minutes.

My Chicken Curry Explained

Building the base

Every good curry starts with toasting whole spices in hot oil before anything else goes in. We use cinnamon stick and green cardamom pods here, both of which release their oils into the cooking fat and flavour everything that follows. Once they’re fragrant, the sliced onions go in with a pinch of salt and cook down until they’re properly golden. Don’t rush this step. The colour you get on the onions is the colour and depth you get in the finished sauce.

The chicken and dry spices

We're using chicken thigh so it stays juicy through the simmer and has more flavour than breast. Cut into bite-sized pieces, the chicken goes in after the onions and gets stirred through, then the dry spices (cumin, garam masala, Kashmiri chilli) hit the pan along with the grated garlic and ginger. We toast everything briefly in the fat for a minute before adding water to deglaze and lift the fond off the bottom of the pan. The fond is concentrated flavour, don’t leave it behind.

The simmer

Tinned tomatoes go in next, water swilled through the tin so nothing is wasted. Drop the heat to low and let the curry simmer gently for 5 to 7 minutes. The sauce will start to thicken and the chicken finishes cooking through. Asparagus goes in at the end for a 2 minute simmer so it stays bright green and crisp-tender.

Ingredient Notes

Chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless thigh is the cut for this curry. It stays moist and tender through the simmer where chicken breast would dry out. Cut into bite-sized pieces (around 1cm x 4cm strips) so it cooks quickly and the sauce has plenty of surface area to cling to.

Kashmiri chilli powder: This is what gives the curry its deep red colour without adding aggressive heat. The 0.5 to 2 tsp range lets you dial the spice level to your taste. If you can’t find Kashmiri, swap in regular chilli powder at half the amount and add a teaspoon of paprika for the colour.

Whole spices: Cinnamon stick and cardamom pods release more flavour than the ground versions, and they’re essential to the base of this curry. Fish them out at the end if you don’t want anyone biting into a whole cardamom pod, or leave them in and warn everyone at the table.

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Microplane or fine grater
Heavy-based pot with lid
Wooden spoon
Small saucepan

Ingredients

Basmati rice to serve (1 cup rice + 1.5 cups water)
2 brown onions, sliced thin
3cm piece ginger, finely grated
5 cloves garlic, finely grated
2 bunches asparagus, sliced into 5cm pieces
600g thigh fillets, cut into 1cm x 4 cm
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp neutral flavoured oil
1 cinnamon stick
7 green cardamom pods
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp garam masala
0.5-2 teaspoons Kashmiri chilli powder
2 tbsp greek yoghurt, to serve
coriander to garnish

Directions

Start by placing the rice on to cook.
Next, in a large heavy-based pot over high heat, add the oil, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods, and cook this for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant.
Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and cook them down for 4-5 minutes moving them constantly.
Once the onions have good colour on them, add the chicken and stir through.
Add a little more salt and the rest of the dry spices (cumin, masala, chilli powder), the ginger and garlic, and stir through and let toast for a minute. Now, add ½ cup of water and stir, getting any fond off the bottom of the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add the tin of tomatoes and then add some water to the tin and add to the pot to make sure you have all of it. Stir through and turn the heat to low and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
Add the sliced asparagus, stir through and simmer for another 2 minutes.
Serve over rice, with a dollop of yoghurt and garnish with coriander

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Bloom the spices in fat

The dry spices need a minute in the hot oil with the chicken to bloom. This activates their aromatic oils and stops them tasting dusty in the finished curry. Watch carefully and keep stirring, they’ll go bitter if they burn. Once you can smell them properly, the water goes in to stop the cooking.

Swap tomato for coconut milk

Swap the tin of tomatoes for a 400ml tin of coconut milk and you’ve got a coconut chicken curry. The cooking method is identical. You could also do half tomato, half coconut milk for the best of both.

Swap the veg to suit your fridge

This curry was built around what’s in the fridge, so substitute freely. Broccolini, zucchini or green beans all work in place of the asparagus, added in the last 2 minutes. Spinach wilted through right at the end works beautifully. Frozen peas thrown in for the last minute are a fast way to add green.

Storage

Leftover curry keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the flavour is often better on day 2 as the spices keep developing. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. The curry freezes well for up to 3 months. Store without the rice and cook fresh rice when you reheat. Defrost overnight in the fridge.

FAQs

Is it spicy? No, this curry is fairly mild. Add extra chilli in there to bring up the heat.

Can I make it vegetarian? Yes. Swap the chicken for chickpeas (drained tin), cauliflower florets or paneer cubes. Brown them off the same way the chicken would have been browned, then continue with the recipe. Reduce the simmer time slightly so the vegetables don’t go to mush.

Why thigh instead of chicken breast? Chicken thigh has more fat and connective tissue, which keeps it juicy through the 10 minute simmer. Chicken breast will go dry in the same cooking time. If you do want to use breast, cut it into slightly larger pieces and add it in the last 5 minutes of cooking to keep it tender.