The Best Chicken Korma

5 from 223 votes

Delicious and authentic chicken korma is a flavorful dish that features tender chicken cooked in a rich and creamy sauce infused with aromatic spices.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Hindu

Servings:

Calories: 441kcal

Author: Shilpa Kerur

Ingredients

For the marination:

2 lb chicken thigh cut into small pieces
½ cup yogurt
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon red chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garam masala

For blending:

¼ cup ghee or oil (use store-bought or homemade ghee)
2 medium onion thinly sliced
¼ cup cashews
½ cup yogurt

For the curry:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1-2 bay leaves
2 cardamom pods
5 cloves
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 inch cinnamon stick
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon red chili powder adjust as per taste
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon salt adjust as per taste

Finishing touch:

½ teaspoon garam masala (use store-bought or homemade garam masala)
2 tablespoon cilantro
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon almond flakes

Instructions

Marinate the chicken:

In a large bowl, take yogurt, ginger garlic paste, ground turmeric, red chili powder, and garam masala. Mix well.
Add the chicken pieces and mix well, making sure all the chicken pieces are well coated. Cover it and let it marinate for 20-30 minutes while you make the korma.

Make the masala paste:

Take cashews in a small bowl and soak them in some water while you fry the onions.
In a heavy bottom pan or Dutch oven, heat the ghee.
Add the onions and fry them until the onions are golden brown. This may take around 15 minutes. Let the onions cool down slightly.
Set aside around one tablespoon of fried onions for garnish. Transfer the remaining fried onions to a blender along with soaked cashew and yogurt. Blend into a smooth paste.

Make the korma curry:

Next, in the same pot or Dutch oven, add the whole spices to the ghee (cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and black pepper). Saute for a few seconds.
Add the marinated chicken and saute on medium heat for 5 minutes or until the raw smell of the ginger garlic paste goes.
Add the fried onion paste along with the powdered spices (ground coriander, ground cumin, red chili powder, and ground turmeric).
Add ½ cup water, Mix well, and bring it to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken is fully cooked.
Once the chicken is cooked, add garam masala. Increase the heat to help the sauce thicken. Turn off the heat and top with cilantro and almond flakes.

Video

Notes

Ground cashews used in the paste add creaminess and thickness. Soaking the nuts in water before grinding them can help in achieving a smoother texture. Sometimes, I also use blanched almonds along with cashews in this recipe.

Mughlai dishes often use kewra water or rose water as a finishing touch. I have not used it in my recipe as we personally do not prefer it. If you like, add ¼ teaspoon of kewra water or rose water along with other garnish.

See the tips section above for more useful tips to make this dish.

Nutrition