Quick chicken curry

Find more recipes at fussfreeflavours.com

No ratings yet

This easy mild chicken curry is so fast to make, adaptable, and can be on the table in about 30 minutes, making it the perfect mid week dinner, ready before takeout would arrive! Perfect for batch cooking and filling the freezer.

Servings:

Author: Helen Best-Shaw

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Ingredients

2 tbsp ghee or oil
500 g chicken thighs - 1
1 large onion
2 tsp ginger paste - 2
2 tsp garlic paste - 2
1½ tbsp medium curry powder - 3
2 tsp paprika - 3
1 tsp ground cumin - 3
1 tsp ground coriander - 3
1 tsp garam masala - 3
1 tsp turmeric - 3
400 g can chopped tomatoes - 4
400 g can coconut milk - 5
120 ml chicken stock
2 tsp cornflour (optional to thicken)
1 tbsp butter (optional)

To Serve

coriander / cilantro

Metric - USA Cups

Instructions

Fry the chicken - Cut the chicken into similar sized pieces, about 2cm / 1 inch.
Melt the ghee, or add the oil to a deep frying pan, skillet or casserole, add the chicken and fry over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until it has some colour.
Whilst the chicken is cooking peel and dice the onion.
Cooking pan – one that is 22-25cm / 9-10 inch is ideal, non stick helps but is not essential.
2 tbsp ghee or oil, 500 g chicken thighs
Fry the onion - Remove the chicken from the pan, add the onion and fry for a few minutes until it start to get some colour and is fragrant.
1 large onion
Add the spices - Add the garlic and ginger paste, curry powder and spices. Stir and cook for another minute or so.
2 tsp ginger paste, 2 tsp garlic paste, 1½ tbsp medium curry powder, 2 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp turmeric
Add the remaining ingredients - Return the chicken to the pan, add the canned tomatoes and coconut milk. Rinse out the tomato can with the stock and add to the pan. Give everything a good stir.
400 g can chopped tomatoes, 400 g can coconut milk, 120 ml chicken stock
Cook - Bring to a gentle simmer, cover with the lid ajar, or use a splatter guard to allow the steam to escape and the curry to reduce, whilst not making too much of a mess of your stove top.
Let the curry cook for about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time, until it is reduced and thickened.
Season (& thicken) - Taste and check the seasoning and thicken if necessary by mix teaspoonful or two of cornflour/cornstarch in a small bowl with the same volume of sauce from the curry to form a “slurry”, before stirring it back into the curry until it thickens.
2 tsp cornflour (optional to thicken)
Finish & serve - for a restaurant finish stir through a knob of butter before serving. Garnish the curry before serving with some thinly sliced chillis and coriander leaves.
1 tbsp butter (optional), coriander / cilantro

Notes

Ingredients

Chicken Thighs are always my first choice for chicken pieces. Because they have more fat they have more flavour and are also cheaper than chicken breast. You can also use chicken breast.
Prepared garlic and ginger paste - This is central to easy Indian cooking at home, and a massive time saver. Depending where you buy you can buy a jar of mixed ginger and garlic, or individual jars of just the one ingredient. Leftovers can be portioned into an ice cube tray and frozen.
If you do not have them then use 3 cloves garlic and a 1 inch piece of ginger root. the rest of the ginger root can be stored in a tub in the freezer.
Spices - the base flavour of this curry is from the curry powder. Add the other spices if you have them. If not add in extra curry powder. For a hotter curry use a hot curry powder and/or some chilli powder.
Canned tomatoes - you can also use passata. I buy mid-range, mid-priced tinned tomatoes. You don’t need the most expensive, but avoid the cheapest budget range. Mid priced supermarket own brand is perfect here.
Coconut milk - regular canned coconut milk. you can also use a small can of coconut cream, and add extra stock.

Storage

Fridge – Allow to cool, and as soon as it is cold pack into an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for 3 months.

Freezer – Cool and pack into an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To use, defrost and reheat in a pan on the stove top, or heat in the microwave, making sure it is properly hot before serving.

Variations

Use leftover roast chicken – fry the onions and spices, and then add the cooked chicken along with the canned tomatoes, coconut milk and stock.

Add extra vegetables – you can make this curry go far further buy adding some extra vegetables, or pulses. Fry sliced peppers or mushrooms along with the onions, add a bag of spinach at the end of cooking (add on top of the curry, pop the lid on and leave to wilt for a minute, stir in and repeat if needed). Or add a can of any type of bean or pulse – rinse and add – chickpeas would work very well.

Adjust the spicing and heat to taste. swap the curry powder for a hotter blend, or add some chilli powder along with the other spices

Hints and tips

Take time to fry the spices and chicken properly, so that they are fragrant and the chicken is thoroughly cooked on the outside and well covered in the spice mixture.

Curries lend themselves very well to batch cooking and it is easy to double this recipe up, BUT if you do so don't double the stock.

I don’t recommend halving this recipe – the spice quantities become fiddly and a smaller batch is more likely to dry out. It freezes and reheats so well it is the perfect dish to cook once and eat twice.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only.

• Unless stated otherwise cup conversions have been made with an online tool. For accuracy please check with your favoured conversion tool. We recommend buying inexpensive digital kitchen scales.