This is my favourite easy chicken curry recipe, I have been craving it all day so I just put some on, dinner can’t come quick enough!!! Chicken Curry is a traditional Indian dish made by simmering chicken pieces with plenty of spices, herbs, onions and tomatoes.

Tender and succulent pieces of chicken in a flavourful curry sauce. You can use any veggies, I love mushrooms for the texture and we had courgettes and tomatoes in the fridge. I usually put in broccoli or cauliflower but you can use any. You could also sub low fat coconut milk or add more water to a full fat tin. I usually add some water just after the spices to prevent sticking to the bottom anyway.

Ingredients for Chicken Curry Recipe:

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 fresh cloves of garlic, finely grated
• thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
• punnet of cherry tomatoes
• ½ kg chicken
• 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves.

Spices:

• 1 small bay leaf (or 1 sprig curry leaves)
• 2 inch cinnamon piece
• 4 cloves
• 3 green cardamoms. (All of these are optional but recommended)
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• coriander leaf, tbsp

How to make Chicken Curry:

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in heavy bottom pan. When the oil turns hot, add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms.
2. Add 1 cup very finely chopped onions. Sauté the onions till they turn golden.
3. Add the ginger and garlic.
4. Sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes or until the raw smell disappears completely.
5. Add the cherry tomatoes and turmeric and ½ teaspoon salt.
6. Cook until the tomatoes turn completely mushy and the raw smell has gone. I mash them with a fork as I cook them. Watch out for hot tomato juice splashes though!
7. Sauté on a medium heat until the mixture becomes thick and begins to smell good.
8. Add the chicken, garam masala, coriander powder and coriander leaves. Sauté for 3 to 4 mins or until the chicken turns pale.
9. Cover and cook on a low heat for about 3 to 4 mins so the chicken absorbs the flavours.
10. Pour enough hot water (cold water often makes the meat tough and hard) to partially cover the chicken. Cover and cook on a low to medium heat until the chicken is soft tender and cooked through. Do not cook on a high temperature.
11. Taste the curry and add more salt if needed. Also add ½ teaspoon more garam masala if you feel the curry is low on flavour.
12. Keep covered until you serve with basmati rice or naan. Add some fresh coriander leaves for garnish.

Tips from the Cook:

• Fine chop the onions so they cook down to a jammy texture in the curry. I use my blender to chop them, just a few pulses.
• You can use tinned chopped tomatoes, you will need higher amount of ground spices.
• Ground spices oxidize overtime (during their shelf-life) whole spices boost and impart the flavours slowly as your curry simmers. Whole spices like bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms impart additional flavour to the curry. While they can easily be left out if you do not want to fish them out at the end, I advise giving them a try whenever possible. You will find the flavours of the curry more robust and intense.

I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe. Keep in touch on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for updates and feel free to ask me any questions you may have.

Emma x