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Chicken Korma (Chicken in Rich Yogurt Curry) is a milder form of curry and is distinguished from other curries by its rich gravy and smooth texture, mainly because of its heavy incorporation of yogurt as part of its main ingredients.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been an avid admirer of Indian cooking, especially the amalgamation of spices involved in developing each unique curry.
Procuring these spices from the local Indian grocery store always bring back fond memories of the “spice trips” mom and I used to take to the Little India in my hometown of Penang.
The heady, robust fragrance of the variety of spices is inevitably what hits me first, sending images of juicy chunks of meat braising in a thick, rich, full-flavored curry to my brain as I try to hold back the drivel on the corner of my mouth while patiently awaiting mom to finish haggling with almost every shopkeeper along the street before my taste buds get to do the Bollywood boogie with the Chicken Korma and Squid Curry over a fluffy bed of basmati rice.
Along with Chicken Tikka Masala and Butter Chicken, Korma is undoubtedly one of the more popular items that can be found on the menu of any authentic Indian restaurant.
Korma, also spelled as Khurma or Kurma, is a milder form of curry and is distinguished from other curries by its rich gravy and smooth texture, mainly because of its heavy incorporation of yogurt as part of its main ingredients.
Although it may seem like a complicated dish at first, what with all the different spices involved, Korma is actually not that difficult to master.
The main thing is to tweak it to your fancy.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my take of this world-renowned dish of Indian origin – the Chicken Korma.
It is definitely a “must try” dish for any gathering and I am highly confident that it will impress not only yourself, but also your friends and family as well.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe is only 329 calories per serving.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Chicken Korma
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cut into pieces
- 2 1/2 tablespoons butter (ghee or oil)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2 inch cinnamon stick, lightly bruised
- 2 cardamons
- 2 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 black peppercorns (lightly crushed)
- 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
Marinade:
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Garam Masala
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder or paprika
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (lightly whipped)
- 2/3 cup fried onions (lightly crushed)
Instructions
- Marinate chicken with Marinade ingredients for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Heat up wok with 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, stir-fry the items listed under Ingredients and let the whole spices to sizzle a bit until fragrant. Toss in the marinated chicken (with the marinade) and continue to stir-fry for 10 minutes.
- Turn heat to medium-low, cover the wok and cook for 30 minutes, or until the oil slightly separates, chicken is tender enough, and you have achieved the gravy consistency that you prefer.
- Salt to taste, and add some water if the dish appears to be too dry. Dish out and serve with basmati rice or Naan bread.
Notes
Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
i have made this twice now. I used coconut milk instead of yogurt. omigosh sooooo delicious.
thank you.
😊👍
I’ve been making this curry for over 5 years. It’s so delicious with veg pulao or garlic naans.
The flavor of bone in chicken pieces or boneless thighs seems to hold up well to the luscious gravy. Adding 1 whole cup of onions is better than 2/3cup!
Hi Ellen, thanks for trying this recipe. Please try more recipes on my site: https://rasamalaysia.com/recipe-index-gallery/
Curd throws allot of water how much cornflour to mix
I used 1 1/2 tablespoons red indian chili powder as in the recipe and my mouth is burning and all I can taste is the hot, not the flavor even though I like some hot in my dish…? did you mean american chili powder?
The recipe says 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder or paprika, so yes it’s regular chili powder I get here in the US which is pretty mild and not hot. I am not sure about red Indian chili powder I have never used that.
Thanks for this recipe… It’s really delicious! I’ve cooked this twice and getting better at it. Do be generous with the spices (cloves, cardamom etc) as it gives the dish more depth. I added twice the amount. And yes, add the fried onions to the marinade. There is nothing that’s meant to be crispy in this recipe. Best with naan. Yumms!
I’d like to echo MollyCuddy’s question from 2012 re: the onions as I dont see a response.
Am I including the onions or shallots in the marinade? Won’t they become rather soggy?
Prepping this recipe now and would like to get it right :)
A few weeks ago my wife bought about 8 pounds of yogurt of which I only used 4 pounds of so I needed some recipes before the other 4 pounds went bad. I was looking for recipes that used it as a marinade with chicken and I came upon this Chicken Korma. Originally I wanted to do the Butter Chicken, it is one of my favorite foods, but by the time we drove all over Dallas looking for both types of Masala it was tool late to let it marinated long enough so we settled for this recipe. It I doubled the portions and it was wonderful. We spooned it over basmati rice for a real treat. One question I did have though, how do you bruise a cinnamon stick?
Tomorrow we will be trying the Butter Chicken. I’ve got the marinade already made and the chicken sucking it up in our fridge for tomorrow.
Just lightly pound it.