Chicken korma is the flagship Indian dish which speaks volume of the rich heritage of Indian cuisine and is loved in all parts of the country till date! You can’t miss this authentic recipe of chicken korma from your repertoire!
Chicken korma is an age-old recipe which has been passed over from generations to generations. Because of the same reason, you may find multiple versions of chicken korma recipe across India which would vary a little among themselves.
That’s the beauty of diversity of our country which speaks volume of its cultural integration. I am sure you will agree with me that culinary richness is an integral part of any culture or country and this recipe of chicken korma is one of those many recipes which bears all the exquisiteness of our beautiful country called India!
Long back I had posted a recipe of chicken korma – that was the time when I was at a very early stage of my culinary journey and was doing lots of experiments. There was nothing wrong with that earlier recipe of chicken korma; that was just a korma in a different style and we enjoyed it thoroughly!
Traditional chicken korma has proudly taken its place in all Indian restaurants’ menu and if I am not too wrong, this chicken korma is one of the most frequently ordered dishes in any restaurant. The traditional chicken korma is mildly spiced and has a thick base of gravy made of either cashew or almond paste – feel free to use whichever is handy with you at the given time.
The nut-paste gives the chicken korma gravy a distinctive character which is the primary attraction of this dish. The gravy of chicken korma is so addictive that you won’t be able to leave even the last drop of that rich & creamy sauce!
The chicken korma is best served with butter soft naan which is perfect to scoop in the succulent chicken along with the buttery gravy. But, if you happen to be a rice lover like me, opt for plain white Basmati rice to enjoy the richness of chicken korma to its entirety!
I just recovered from a severe food poisoning! Last two days had been terrible and I wish no one goes through such awful experience! So, to relax my mind and soul, I sat here today to talk to you guys alongside sharing the pending recipe of chicken korma which was sitting in my laptop for way too long now!
Seriously guys, being sick is the most distressing experience ever! I had a store-bought pizza for dinner from a very popular chain and all hell broke loose from the midnight! After multiple anti-biotics and killing my taste buds, I am feeling much better now.
After this terrible episode, I’m craving for some homemade comfort food like rice & dal with mashed potato or simply rice and light fish curry which is any Bengali’s ultimate comfort food. That reminds me that being a Bengali, my blog must hoard more Bengali fish curry recipes which I hardly take into consideration.
These are the times of realization how good and beneficial homemade foods are! I wish I had given that extra bit of effort to cook even a very humble meal that night which could have saved me from two days of severe suffering! But as they say – we can’t escape from our destiny!
Please do not repeat my mistake and make this amazing chicken korma at home to treat yourself with the best possible food that is homemade food made with love & care! The food prepared in giant kitchens for popular chains do not always possess best of standards and it’s best avoided as much as possible.
Cooking at home is not as intimidating as these business owners want us to believe; so, don’t fall in their trap and risk your health. Bloggers like us try to help you with uncountable recipes to make at home and enjoy quality time with family which, according to me, is the best outcome of homemade food! Enjoy!
- Skinless whole chicken – 1 kg, cut into 10 to 12 medium pieces (you can also use only chicken leg and thigh pieces)
- Ginger – 2 inch piece
- Garlic – 10 to 12 cloves
- Onion – 2, large, thinly sliced
- Cloves – 6 to 8
- Green cardamom – 6 to 8
- Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
- Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
- Coriander powder – 2 tsp
- Red chilli powder – ½ tsp
- Garam masala -1 tsp
- Cashew nuts – 20 to 25
- Thick yogurt – 6 tbsp
- Vegetable oil – 4 tbsp
- Salt to taste
- Make a smooth paste of cashew nuts with 2 tablespoons of yogurt and couple of spoons of warm water. Set aside.
- Make a paste of ginger and garlic adding spoonful of water if needed to aid smooth grinding.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Once the oil is hot, tip in the whole spices – cardamom, cloves and cinnamon and let them sizzle for a minute until they become fragrant.
- Then add the sliced onions with half a teaspoon of salt. The salt will help the onions caramelize faster.
- Sauté the onions, stirring regularly, for 15 minutes. When the onions turn golden, add in the ginger and garlic paste and sauté for another five minutes.
- Now add the powdered spices – turmeric, coriander and red chilli. Stir well for couple of minutes.
- Once the spices are nicely sautéed, add the chicken pieces and stir to coat them well with all the aromatic spices for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- When the chicken is seared well, take the pot off the fire/heat and mix in the yoghurt. This will prevent the yogurt from curdling in heat. Add about ¼ cup of water and mix well.
- Place the pot back on flame, cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, stirring from time to time.
- Finally, stir in the cashew-yogurt paste (also called cashew cream) and sprinkle the garam masala over the chicken pieces. Season with salt to taste and give everything a good mix.
- Simmer the chicken for 5 more minutes to let the spices integrate with the cashew cream. Adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding little more water if needed or boiling off any excess.
- Turn off the flame and serve the warm and delicious chicken korma with butter naan!
whonomstheworld says
This was hands down one of the best chicken korma recipes I’ve ever tried. The cashew sauce really made this recipe a HUGE hit.
Anders says
Hi Priyanka, does a Korma not have coconut milk in it? And what type of yoghurt do you recommend? Plain low-fat/full-fat? Greek?
Thank you.
Flavor Quotient says
Hi Anders, ideally Korma does not have coconut milk. And you should use full-fat yogurt to get the rich taste of Korma. Hope this helps. Sorry for the delay in response.
Megan R says
This recipe is filed under “instant pot”, but it seems to be an on-the-stove recipe. Do you have an instant pot adaptation?
Thanks!
Priyanka says
Hey Megan! Thanks for visiting! Yeah, this is on-the-stove recipe and currently I don’t have an instant pot adaptation, but I will share that soon! Thanks for the request!