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Chicken Curry is flavorful Indian-inspired dish made in just 30-minutes. Tender chicken is cooked in a homemade curry sauce that’s perfect over rice!
Chicken Curry Recipe
If you have never made chicken curry before, then prepare to be amazed by this recipe! This classic Indian dish is very approachable to make with very simple ingredients and it comes together in about 30-40 minutes. Personally, I have been a big fan of Japanese curry for many years which is very similar to Indian curry ingredient-wise, but with the addition of grated carrots and apple into the sauce, giving it a sweeter, more mellow flavor.
Once I tried Indian curry, I really enjoyed how different its flavors were from the curry I was familiar with. It has a deep, spicy flavor that keeps you coming back for more bite after bite.
Most of the ingredients needed for this recipe are things you probably already have in your pantry such as crushed tomatoes, cumin, rice, etc., but for the more exotic items such as turmeric, curry powder, and garam masala, you will need to plan ahead and make sure you have them for this recipe. I was able to find all three at a few of the major grocery chains in my area but alternatively, they are available on Amazon for just a few dollars and they are worth having on hand because they can be used in so many different recipes.
How to Make Chicken Curry
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt some oil, then saute onions and garlic.
- Once the onions have softened and the garlic is fragrant you will add crushed tomatoes and lots of spices. Bring the mixture to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Transfer the sauce to a food processor. Be careful because it will be very hot. Add two tablespoons of water to the tomato mixture and blend until the sauce is smooth.
- In the same skillet (you can wipe it out first with a paper towel), heat some more oil and add diced chicken breast. Cook the chicken until it’s mostly cooked through, then add the sauce back to the pan.
- Stir in Greek yogurt until the sauce is a smooth consistency and the chicken is completely coated, and cook gently for another 10 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
There are two main ways to serve this recipe – over white rice or on naan bread. I really enjoyed it on a garlic herb naan bread I had in my pantry but either is amazing! as for rice, the best choices would be basmati or jasmine rice but if you don’t have either on hand, any white rice or even brown rice would be pretty tasty as it will definitely take on the flavors of the curry.
What to do with leftovers
Generally speaking, chicken curry freezes well. However, this particular recipe would be very difficult to reheat because of the yogurt. We recommend you cover and refrigerate, then enjoy within 3-4 days.
More Chicken Dinners to try:
- One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice
- Pulled Chicken (Crockpot BBQ Chicken)
- Juicy Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Chicken Fried Rice
Chicken Curry
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts diced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 clove
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons plain greek yogurt
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, combine 1 tablespoon of oil, diced onion, and garlic. Once onions have softened and garlic is fragrant, add in tomatoes, curry powder, garam masala, paprika, chili powder, cumin, and turmeric. Lower the heat to medium and cook about 10 minutes, occasionally stirring.
- Remove the sauce from the pan and transfer to a food processor. Blend until smooth with the 2 tablespoons of water. Be careful as the sauce will be very hot.
- In the same skillet used for the sauce, place the remaining oil and chicken over medium-high heat. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook until the chicken is almost completely cooked through before adding the sauce back into the pan. Stir in the Greek yogurt and until everything is well combined and smooth before reducing the heat to medium-low for 10 minutes.
- Serve with cilantro as garnish over either rice or with naan bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
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I made this recipe today and will make it again for sure. Thank you for sharing. I used four cloves of garlic, and added more of each spice, doubling the chile powder and tumeric and added fresh spinach at the end. Delicious. Served with rice.
Very tasty. Have made this recipe a few times. We love it.
Nice! Thanks for your feedback Cecilia.
Can I use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt? How can I make this a chicken & vegetable curry?
Yes you can use sour cream, and you can add some sauteed vegetables if you like.
Very good. I let simmer, without yogurt, for 30-40 minutes on low to allow the spices to mingle with the chicken and sauce. Really good.
Chili powder? Like the one you put in chili?
This recipe looks great! Can’t wait to try it. Can I make this in a crockpot?
I think it would work in a crockpot. The sauce will likely be thinner. Just make sure your chicken is fully defrosted and cook on high for about 3-3 1/2 hours.
Oh my word this turned out awesome. My boy bought me spices for Christmas so I had them on hand. Sounds gross but I switched for full milk and it was great. Restaurant good. Thank you for sharing.
You are so welcome David! Thanks for stopping by.
Can I replace Greek Yogurt with Coconut Milk?
Coconut milk is a different, thinner consistency, but it would work.
Can you make this without the garam masala? Ive never heard of it and I don’t have it on hand.
Hi Linda, Garam Masala is a spice blend used in Indian cuisine. It can contain as many as 30+ spices, but you can make a simplified version at home. Here’s a recipe I found: feastingathome.com/garam-masala-recipe/
Hello. Want to make this on the weekend. Do you think it would work, as is, in a slow cooker?
Thanks
I think it could work in the slow cooker with some modifications. I would saute the onions separately, but you could also add them raw to the pot (then skip the oil). Cook the chicken in whole breast pieces and don’t add the water or yogurt. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Remove the chicken and blend the sauce. Shredd the chicken into big pieces and put it back into the sauce adding water if needed, and also adding the yogurt. Keep in mind that I haven’t tested this method, but I think this will work.
How many servings or did it in the post?
It’s listed on the recipe card, but it’s 4 servings. Enjoy!
This is some hot shit I’m cooking this for my food class
Nice! thank you for stopping by.