Chicken Curry
There are always some favorites & we can never get tired of cooking or eating over & over again, this simple chicken being one of them. I have grown up eating this on a lot of lazy weekends, when we all sat together & spent hours on the dining table, catching up with each other. There is nothing fancy about this chicken curry, it’s very simple, straightforward and quick to make.
There are endless variation to a Chicken Curry, every household having their own way to do it. This one does not have any special spice or magic in it, except for the very common ones used almost everyday in an Indian home. This brings back memories of my childhood & my mom, & how the aroma of this would make us hungry & we could not wait for lunch/dinner to be served. Based on the simple onion tomato Curry Sauce, this is probably the most commonly cooked chicken curry in our home & it is magic repeated everytime.
Ingredients:
Chicken with bones but Skinless – about 15-20 pieces cut into 3 inch pieces
For marinade:
- 2 Tablespoons of Ginger Paste (I use Fresh Ginger, & blend it into a paste at home)
- 2 Tablespoons of Garlic Paste (Use Fresh Garlic cloves & blend into a paste)
- 1/2 Onion Chopped
- 4 Tablespoons Yogurt
- Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
For Curry:
- 5-6 Tablespoons of Oil
- 1″ stick of Cinnamon
- 2 Green Cardamoms
- 2 Cloves
- 2 large Red Onion ( Peeled & sliced thinly lengthwise)
- 2 tablespoons ginger paste
- 2 tablespoons garlic paste
- 2 cups chopped Tomatoes (or 1.5 cup Tomato Puree)
- Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Red Chili Powder (Optional/more or less to taste)
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander Powder (Optional – skip it if you do not have any)
- 2 Green Hot Peppers like Thai Bird Chili (Optional)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- Fresh Chopped Cilantro/Coriander for garnish
Preparation:Wash the chicken well, & combine all ingredients of the marinade with the chicken pieces. Let it sit for a couple of hours, overnight being better.
Place a Thick Bottomed Stock Pot or Dutch oven on the stove. Add the Cinnamon, cardamoms & cloves & dry roast them at medium heat for a few minutes till they are fragrant. Take care they do not turn dark & burn.
Add the oil to the pan, & when the spices starts to sizzle, add the sliced onions, green chili & the sugar. Stir fry at high heat till the onions starts caramelizing & turns light brown.
Pick up the pieces of chicken from the marinade & add them to the pan. Save the marinade.
Fry the Chicken turning them sometimes so both the sides slightly brown & the oil & the onions coat the chicken pieces.
Add salt, turmeric, red chili powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander powder, the rest of the marinade & tomatoes. At medium heat fry for about 15 -20 minutes till the oil starts to separate. Stir & scrape out the bottom of the pan frequently. If you feel that it is getting sticky at the bottom of the pan, sprinkle some water & scrape it out… (Don’t burn the mix, it should not turn dark brown or black… )
When the oil separates & starts to leave the side of the, add 2.5 cups of water. Stir to mix, Cover & cook for another 15 -20 minutes or till the chicken is tender & cooked.
This should have some gravy, like a soup, & enough to soak up the bread. If you need less gravy, uncover & boil it down.
Garnish with fresh cilantro/coriander & serve with Rice or Flatbread!
We usually enjoy this chicken curry over a weekend lunch, when we can all relax & sit together & eat. Sometimes with plain rice, & sometimes with some flat breads dunking then in the sauce. The chicken curry would be mostly accompanied with some cucumber tomato salad, fresh squeeze of lemon on the rice & the curry & ending with sweet Bengali Chutney.
Here are some appreciations:
Thank you Parita for: 
Thank you Susan for: 
Related Posts:
Curry Sauce
Curried Chicken in Cardamom Infused Coconut Sauce
Murgh Malai Tikka Kabab
Jamaican Curry Goat
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May 23rd, 2009 at 8:28 am
Yum looking chicken curry-and it looks spicy too!!! Just my kind of curry
Great blog,great recipes!!
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:36 am
Mmmm, who can resist this! Looks so good!
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:01 pm
[...] Chicken Curry | eCurry – The Recipe Blog [...]
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:18 pm
Soma, absolutely true, nothing like a quick chicken curry to save the day. Anybody who sees it but never steps inside the kitchen would think we slaved away over the stove.
This looks delicious.
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Totally! My fave is a dry roasted chicken dish that amma makes as a quick one. By far the yummiest
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:54 pm
[...] Stir fry at high heat till the onions starts caramelizing & turns light brown. Pick up the pieces of chicken from the marinade & add them to the pan. Save the marinade. Fry the Chicken turning them sometimes so both the sides slightly … Go to Source [...]
May 23rd, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Bhaat … amar ektu bhaat diye chaaaai.
Ki darun rong hoyeche jholtar Soma! Dining table e khawar por o onekkhon boshe thaka … golpo shesh na howar ekta alada moja ache … tai na? 
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Soma chicken curry is always delicious and I adore this recipe has a lot of personality… really so mouthwatering!
Cheers!
Gera
May 23rd, 2009 at 9:27 pm
[...] Chicken Curry | eCurry – The Recipe Blog [...]
May 23rd, 2009 at 10:03 pm
looks so yum,,Soma i am droolin here,,,
May 23rd, 2009 at 11:35 pm
Its hard for me to even recollect how does a chicken curry made by me tastes…it had been years since i last made …..and the last time i had it was when my mom send in some, and since we never like to eat any nonveg from restaurants or any food joints, i really miss our trip to Goa some 8 yrs back where i really indulged in chicken and mutton curries made by a cook in the Hotel, right in front of us(open kitchen).And honestly this one looks even better than that…really…
Dear , you should seriously think about opening some restaurant or atleast some TakeAway kind of facility …Indians around you will bless you for that, not to forget the moolah and creative satisfaction that comes along with it
May 24th, 2009 at 12:10 am
Oh my…this reminds me of home =) I love curry and would buy lots of instant curry packets from home. I’ve never tried making from scratch…would love to try it one day!
May 24th, 2009 at 7:05 am
Sounds and looks amazing!
I wish I could have a bowl with naan bead right now!
May 24th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Wow that chicken curry looks so so delicous.
Just looking to the pic i am drooling here i can imagine eating them with rice, or appmos.
Soaking up all that gravy.
Yuumy yumm.
May 24th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Chicken curry looks lovely !! I always love chicken in this simple yet so very tasty form !! U r more than just a sister to me…U r my mentor and am soo proud of you !!
May 24th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I hear what you say….the simple chicken curry that one can never tire of, no matter how many times you make it! Yours looks yum
May 24th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
Hi Soma,
it’s so true for every household….it’s a never fail recipe for a perfect family lunches. The aha’s and mmmmmm’s the family utters after the first bite/morsel is untradeable with anything in this world!! 
I can nod in acceptence for the home made chicken curry’s praise
The chicken curry u’ve cooked up looks so fingerlicking good…..
Enjoy!
May 25th, 2009 at 1:15 am
Gorgeous looking chicken curry!
And you bet…nothing like mangsho/murgir jhol – bhaat on a Sunday afternoon….
May 25th, 2009 at 3:34 am
There is magic in the everyday. A dish that brings back good times and those we love, that is beautiful magic.
It looks wonderfully tasty too ;o)
May 25th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Aaaaahhhh… I love recipes that bring good memories with them! I still have to try this one. I’ll keep your recipe close ;D
May 25th, 2009 at 6:53 am
love the color and looks yummy…
May 25th, 2009 at 2:13 pm
Hmm, the spicy look is just inviting, I had chick curry too today!
May 25th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
This looks so good! Love curries and love anything spicy!
May 25th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
This tomato based chicken curry looks excellent! Getting hungry just looking at it!
May 25th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Looks good even for a vegetarian like me.
May 25th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Color looks so good. This is the basic and hearty chicken recipe ever!
May 25th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
This is lot simpler than many vegetarian dishes. Looks amazing!
May 26th, 2009 at 5:25 am
Shokal shokal dekhe kihide peye gelo, ar ajke amar niramish
May 26th, 2009 at 5:52 am
Just give me a big bowl of Basmati and watch the curry vanish. Oh, a cold beer would be nice too!
May 26th, 2009 at 8:02 am
What a beautiful looking curry! I love the sound of the side dishes too.
May 26th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Wow, this looks incredibly good, Soma! I could eat a whole bowl of it now!!!
May 26th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
one of my favorite dishes of all time!
May 27th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
This definitely is something I would eat and be interested in making. As soon as I saw that plate, I thought of making it before even looking at the ingredients. The ingredients don’t seem too difficult to find. Can I use fresh garlic and ginger instead of paste? Would it make too much of a difference? I’ll put this recipe on my list to make. Thanks for sharing.
Nihal, I always use fresh ginger & garlic to make the paste at home.. just chop & blend them.. I should have mentioned that. I just took it for granted that it will be understood. Sorry about that.. I’ll update the post.:-)
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June 7th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Great post – what a great inspiration to make chicken curry from scratch. Thanks!
August 30th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
This was tonight’s dinner and it was excellent!
December 17th, 2009 at 2:07 am
Indian curry is one of the most ordered Indian cuisines in restaurants in London. A unique combination of hot spices and other ingredients and thick gravy has made Indian curry popular the world over.
January 26th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
Hi,
First time on this website but the curry and your other recipes look great! i’m not sure what type of chicken to buy but do you think boneless skinless breasts would work okay as well?
Thanks!
Any kind of chicken would work. It is just a personal preference. I use the leg part as dark meat tends to get softer and absorbs more sauce and flavor. If you use the breast pieces make sure to cut in to small pieces.
I have other chicken curries using chicken breasts & they worked out just fine: http://www.ecurry.com/blog/curries/gravies/curried-chicken-in-cardamom-infused-coconut-sauce/