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Chicken Curry

Basic curry recipe with chicken
Harpreet Kaur

  • Prep Time
    20 mins
  • Cooking Time
    40-45 mins
  • Serves
    2-3
  • Cuisine
    Indian

I learnt this basic Punjabi chicken curry recipe from my parents and it is an all-time favorite of mine even to this day. This curry can be eaten with rice, roti, naan or any other Indian bread.

What you will need

How to make

  1. Cut, wash and keep the chicken aside.
  2. Heat oil in a pan or a dutch oven. Add cumin seeds and onions. Sauté until the onions turn light brown.
  3. Reduce flame to low and add ginger-garlic paste and chopped green chilly. Sauté for 15 seconds.
  4. Now add turmeric powder and sauté for 15 seconds or until the raw smell of turmeric goes away. Add the remaining spices (coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala powder, red chilli powder and kasoori methi) and sauté for additional 15 seconds.
  5. Add tomatoes and increase the flame to medium. Cover and cook until the tomatoes are soft and the mixture starts leaving the oil on the sides. This is an indication that the tomatoes are completely cooked.
  6. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 5 minutes.
  7. Add water (as per how much gravy you would like). Cover and cook for 20 minutes (stirring in between) or until the chicken is cooked through. If using Instant Pot, set to “Manual” and “High Pressure” for 7 minutes and then let the pressure release naturally (NPR).
  8. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Tips & Alternatives to try

  1. I like to use small-sized chicken or cornish hen for my chicken curry. If your using a full sized chicken, increase the amount of spices and an additional tomato in the given recipe.
  2. I always use fresh ginger and garlic. You can use the readymade ginger-garlic paste but the flavor won’t be the same as using fresh. I use the stems and leaves of cilantro since the stems have a lot of flavor but this is your choice.
  3. I like to add a few drops of lime juice to the curry and mix before serving. This adds to the taste of the dish.
  4. The amount of spices I have given in this recipe can be adjusted according to your taste and palette. For example, if you like your curry more hot, you can increase the amount of red chilly powder or green chilies.
  5. If you are making this for a party, you can make it a day before and refrigerate. The curry tastes even better the next day. Heat before serving.