The BEST Authentic Chicken Korma
This is a warm, deeply flavorful Chicken Korma recipe that has all the authentic flavor with simple, easy-to-follow instructions. Tested & perfected!!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup neutral oil
- 2 tbsp ghee or sub more oil
- 2 large onions sliced*
- 2 lbs bone-in, cut up, skinless chicken (or sub chicken thighs) cleaned and excess skin removed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/8 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 8-10 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 inch piece ginger crushed
- 2 small tomatoes* (optional) quartered
- 3/4 cup plain, whole-milk yogurt
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red chili powder or to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika powder or Kashmiri red chili powder optional – for color
- 2 1/8 tsp salt or to taste depending on amount of chicken
- 2-3 green chili peppers chopped
Finishing:
- 1-2 black cardamom pods (optional)
- 1 piece whole mace or sub pinch ground mace or cinnamon
- ½ tsp garam masala
- pinch nutmeg powder
- 1/2 tsp diluted kewra essence or sub rose water
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves chopped, optional - for garnish
- 10-12 blanched almonds for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over high heat. Once hot, add the oil and onions and sauté the onions until they are golden brown (~20-25 minutes depending on quantity). Remove the onions from the pan and transfer them to a food processor. Add tomatoes (if using) and yogurt to the food processor and process until mostly smooth.
- In the same pan used to brown onions, heat ghee (or oil) and add the whole spices, garlic, and ginger. Sauté for 30 seconds or until the garlic and ginger begin to darken. Add the chicken and fry it until it changes color (~5 minutes).
- Add the yogurt mixture to chicken along with the ground spices, salt, and green chili peppers and sauté until the mixture comes to a light simmer (~2-3 minutes).
- Lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and allow it to cook for 15 minutes. Uncover and stir in the black cardamom (if using), mace, garam masala, and nutmeg powder. Cover and cook again for 10 minutes.
- Raise the heat to high. Add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water (depending on how thin you'd like the curry) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and allow chicken to simmer for another 2-3 minutes. The oil will have risen to the top. Sprinkle the kewra essence and stir. Turn off the heat and garnish with cilantro and blanched almonds.
Video
Notes
*See notes: If you prefer not to use tomatoes, simply increase the amount of yogurt if desired.
Nutrition
Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 941mg | Potassium: 378mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 558IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 2mg