Easy Authentic Chicken Korma Recipe
User Reviews
5
-
Prep Time
10 mins
-
Cook Time
35 mins
-
Total Time
45 mins
-
Servings
4
-
Calories
561 kcal
-
Course
Side Dish, Main Course, Lunch
-
Cuisine
Indian
Easy Authentic Chicken Korma Recipe
Description
This Chicken Korma recipe starts by marinating bone-in chicken with yogurt, garlic and ginger pastes, chili and coriander powders, and salt. The sauce includes clarified butter, golden fried onions, and a blend of whole spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace ground into powder. A paste of soaked almonds and cashew nuts thickens and enriches the gravy. The cooked sauce is gently combined with the marinated chicken and simmered in hot water for depth and tenderness.
The dish delivers a creamy, mildly spiced curry with a fragrant profile from the whole and ground spices, enriched with nuts and yogurt for a smooth texture. The process requires frying onions to golden brown carefully, avoiding over-browning to keep the flavor balanced. The korma can be served with rice or flatbreads, suitable for a hearty and flavorful meal.
To ensure even flavor and texture, the onions should be fried uniformly golden rather than brown. For those with nut allergies, substituting cream for the nut paste is recommended. The recipe’s detailed spice balance and marination make it approachable for home cooks aiming for authentic flavors without heavy heat.
Ingredients
For the marination
- 500 grams chicken bone-in, skinless, 1.1 pounds
- 1 teaspoon PLAIN yogurt fresh
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
For the gravy
- ½ cup neutral cooking oil frying the onion + cooking, generic cooking oil
- 2 onion thinly sliced, medium-sized
- 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 bay leaf
- 7-10 green cardamom depending on size
- 3 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick approx. 2 inches long
- 1 nutmeg 1 small pea-sized
- 1 mace petal blade
- ½ cup PLAIN yogurt fresh
- 10 almond soaked in water for 2 hours, raw
- 8 cashew nuts soaked in water for 2 hours, raw
- ½ teaspoon kewra water optional
- 1 ½ cup water hot, filtered
- almonds optional, soaked and skinned, few
Instructions
Preparation
- Crush 3-5 green cardamom pods, 1 mace petal blade, 1 small pea-sized nutmeg into a powder.
- Whisk the yogurt until smooth and set aside.
- Nut paste: remove the almonds skin and grind the almonds and cashews to make a fine and smooth paste. Add 1-2 tablespoon water if required.
Marinating the chicken
- Take 500 grams (1.2 lbs) of chicken in a mixing bowl. Add in 1 teaspoon plain, fresh yogurt, 1 teaspoon garlic paste, ½ teaspoon ginger paste, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, and 1 teaspoon salt (or as required).
- Mix everything well and set aside for 30 minutes.
Frying the onions
- Heat a pan or pot with ½ cup of oil. Once the oil is hot enough add in thinly sliced onions and saute continuously over medium to high flame until the onion turns golden brown. It will take around 7-10 minutes.
- Once done take out the fried onions with a slotted spoon and spread on a paper towel to soak up excess oil and allow to completely cool down.
- We are going to use the same pot for cooking. Hence leave out 1 tablespoon of oil in the pot and remove the rest.
- Once the onion cools down, coarsely grind them and transfer to a bowl to use later.
Stir frying chicken
- Heat the same pot with 1 tablespoon of ghee.
- Add in 1 bay leaf, 3-5 green cardamoms, 3 cloves, and 1 cinnamon stick approx. 2 inches long.
- Saute for a couple of seconds and add in the marinated chicken.
- Saute occasionally over medium to high flame for 5-7 minutes.
Making chicken korma
- Simmer the flame and add in beaten curd, coarsely ground onions, and nut paste. Stir everything well to avoid yogurt from splitting.
- Cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, until oil separates.
- Then add in freshly crushed cardamom, mace, and nutmeg powder, ½ teaspoon kewra water, a few soaked, skinned almonds if adding, and 1 ½ cup of hot water.
- Stir to mix. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked and oil starts separating from the sauce.
- Classic chicken korma is ready to serve. Serve hot with naan, paratha, or steamed basmati rice.
Notes
- Do not overbrown the onions; achieve an even golden color for optimal flavor.
- If you have nut allergies, replace the nut paste with cream.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 561 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 561kcal | 28% |
| Carbohydrates | 13g | 4% |
| Protein | 19g | 38% |
| Fat | 49g | 75% |
| Saturated Fat | 9g | 45% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 11g | 65% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 26g | 130% |
| Trans Fat | 0.2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol | 78mg | 26% |
| Sodium | 673mg | 28% |
| Potassium | 408mg | 9% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 4g | 8% |
| Vitamin A | 308IU | 6% |
| Vitamin C | 7mg | 8% |
| Calcium | 110mg | 11% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
