Easy Chicken Korma

Easy Chicken Korma. A simplified version of this popular mild curry dish. Low on the heat side but high on the flavour side.

Easy Chicken Korma

Here’s an easy version of the classic Indian take-out dish. Although I am one, Spouse is not a big fan of the spicier hot curry dishes.

She prefers a much milder version and chicken Korma with its delicately spiced flavours without a lot of heat is her favourite.

Lots of spice flavour without a lot of heat.

It is a curry dish that we often make in addition to other Indian dishes to please everyone at the table. As with all curry recipes, you can always make it your own by adjusting any of the spices to suit your taste.

Easy Chicken Korma.

Here I’ve grilled the chicken on the backyard gas grill for extra flavour. But you can also broil or pan sear it instead before adding it to the curry to simmer.

Trim all of the skin and visible fat from the chicken thighs. You can use chicken breast if you prefer.

I like to use boneless skinless chicken thighs because for my taste, they have much more flavour than chicken breast meat.

You can of course, use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead. Careful though, they will only need to simmer in the sauce for about half the time that chicken thighs do.

Easy Chicken Korma

Nutty flavour is key

For me, the flavour from ground nuts really makes the dish in a good korma. I love the toasted ground cashews in this recipe but you could easily use ground, unsalted, toasted almonds or even hazelnuts as well.

No matter what nuts I use, I always like to garnish the plate with toasted cashews anyway. That’s  just because they are my favourite and they add great flavour and crunch to the dish.

Roasted cashew nuts.

We usually serve korma with steamed jasmine rice and fresh naan. Also, as a kind of shortcut naan, we now often serve our super easy 2 or 3 ingredient Yogurt Flatbreads as well.

Yogurt Flatbreads

For another family favourite curry, try our Easy Butter Chicken recipe too.

Originally published June 2013. Updated May 2020.

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Yield: 8 servings

Easy Chicken Korma

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Easy Chicken Korma - a simplified version of this popular mild curry dish. Low on the heat side but high on the flavour side.

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Ingredients

To marinate the chicken

• 3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, or breasts, see note above
• 2 tsp mild yellow curry powder
• 2 tbsp garam masala
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

For the sauce

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 white onions
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp olive oil, you can use clarified butter or ghee if you prefer
• 4 large tomatoes, diced small
• 2 tbsp freshly grated ginger root
• 1/2 cup ground toasted cashews
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups plain low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 small red chili, minced (more or less to taste)
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 4 tsp mild yellow curry powder
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• pinch saffron, optional
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions

1. Drizzle the chicken with the 3 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle on the spices, salt and pepper. Massage into the meat and cover, leaving to marinate for at least a couple of hours or overnight.
2. Grill the chicken until fully cooked but not dried out. Set aside.
3. For the sauce begin by pureeing together the onions garlic and water.
4. In a large saucepan heat the olive oil or ghee.
5. Add the pureed onion mixture and cook over medium heat for a few minutes stirring constantly. Add all of the remaining ingredients.
6. Simmer slowly for about 30-40 minutes.
7. Add the chicken and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes. (At this point you can also add canned rinsed chickpeas and vegetables like bell peppers, cauliflower, etc if you like)
8. Serve with steamed jasmine rice and/or naan. Garnish with chopped toasted cashews or almonds if you like.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1 serving
Amount Per Serving Calories 479Total Fat 29gSaturated Fat 10gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 164mgSodium 617mgCarbohydrates 15gFiber 3gSugar 7gProtein 41g

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