Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma is a fragrant and lightly spiced curry and one of my absolute favorite Indian curries. Tender cubes of chicken bathed in a luscious and creamy sauce with plenty of Indian spices. This guilt-free chicken korma recipe is pure comfort food! Thanks to a short ingredient list, you can whip this up any time you need a warm and comforting meal!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings:

Calories: 349kcal

Author: Nancy Buchanan

Ingredients

1 onion sliced
1 green chile, chopped i used a jalapeno
¼ cup unsalted cashews
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon ginger garlic paste OR 1 Tablespoon grated ginger and garlic
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 ½ inch chunks
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Place the onion, chiles and cashew nuts in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the onion, chiles and cashew nuts. Place the onions, HALF the chiles and cashew nuts in a blender or small food processor. Puree for 2 - 3 minutes until a smooth paste is formed, adding a bit of the cooking water if needed to make a smooth paste.
Taste the puree. If it's spicy enough, discard the remaining chiles. If not, add more chile and puree until the paste is spiced to your liking.
In a large saute pan, heat the pan over medium-high heat. Blot the chicken dry with paper towels. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add ginger and galic paste (or grated ginger and garlic) and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside, about 3 - 4 minutes.
Add the coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric and salt. Cook for another minute. Add the onion puree and stir to combine. Add two tablespoons of water to the blender or food processor, swirl and pour into the pan. Cook for another 10 - 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings. Garnish with a drizzle of cream and a sprinkling of garam masala and mint leaves if desired. Serve.

Notes

It's really hard to determine how spicy a chile is by looking at it! So when making the onion puree I always start with either ¼ or ½ of the chile. After pureeing taste the puree to gauge the heat. If you like it spicier, add more chile!
Adding the ginger garlic paste to the oil (and not when you add the chicken!) makes a huge difference in flavor. You can buy ginger garlic paste at some supermarkets and you can also find it at Indian markets. It's a wonderful ingredient to have on hand!!
Blotting the chicken dry helps you to get a good sear on the chicken so don't skip this step!
As I mentioned, this dish freezes beautifully so make extra!

Nutrition