Chicken Madras - Khin's Kitchen Easy Chicken Curry Recipes (2024)

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Easy Chicken Madras Recipe - with tender chicken pieces in homemade flavourful Madras curry sauce. Serve with your favourite naan, flatbread, or basmati rice, and make it a perfect curry night!

What's your favourite curry? Chicken Madras is our favourite easy go-to curry! It's one of the popular curry dishes across the UK, you can find it in most Indian restaurants and takeaways. If you are a fan of spicy chicken curry, you may want to try our popular curry dishes such as Chicken Rogan Josh, Garlic Chilli Chicken Curry, Naga Chicken Curry or if you are looking for milder curry, Chinese chinese curry might be perfect one.

Chicken Madras - Khin's Kitchen Easy Chicken Curry Recipes (1)

Story behind this dish ?

Chicken Madras is basically a spicy red chicken curry. The main difference with regular chicken curry is the spice mixture and flavour in the Madras curry sauce are hotter than regular curry.

Is it an authentic Indian curry? I would say no. This is a British-Indian style curry recipe and the taste and flavour are more likely to British taste. Most British-Indian style curries are mild, rich, and creamy.

Chicken Madras - Khin's Kitchen Easy Chicken Curry Recipes (2)

Indian Curry Sauce Base

Restaurant Indian curries add their pre-cooked sauce base in their curries. Curry sauce base usually consists of onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, masala, chilli powder, turmeric, oil, and ghee. Vegetables and spices used may vary according to the restaurants or family recipes.

All the onions, vegetables, and spices are cooked until soft, tender, and reduced to half. Then blend it into a smooth paste, and later add in the curry for creamy smooth curry texture.

But can you make restaurant-style chicken curry without pre-cooked base sauce? Yes, definitely you can, with our simple recipe tips. This curry sauce is not completely smooth, but it's so rich, tasty, and flavourful. You can cook everything in one pan and no need to use a food processor. Less clean up and less time-consuming. Perfect curry to cook for busy days. I can guarantee that's worth your time and effort!

Chicken Madras - Khin's Kitchen Easy Chicken Curry Recipes (3)

Here is how to make it with Simple Steps:

You need only 3 simple steps to make this dish.

  1. Marinate the chicken pieces with turmeric, paprika, hot curry powder, salt, and a splash of oil.
  2. Saute' the shallots, garlic, ginger, spices, and tomato puree. Then cook the chicken with low heat until soft and tender.
  3. Make a taste test and add salt and chopped coriander. Ready to serve!

Ingredients explained:

Chicken: I usually use boneless chicken thigh or breast for this recipe. If you wish you make with bone-on chicken pieces, lamb, or beef, cook few more minutes until the meat is tender.

Madras Powder: What is Madras Curry Powder? It's a powder mixture of turmeric, chilli, coriander, mustard, fenugreek, cumin, fennel, and black pepper. Spices are roasted with low heat until fragrant then grind it into powder when it's cool.

You can buy hot or mild Madras curry powder in most supermarkets and Indian/Pakistani grocery stores.

Madras powder substitutes: Use regular curry powder and add extra cayenne pepper powder or hot chilli powder according to your preference.

Tips to make Madras Curry Sauce without blending:

1. Use shallot onions as they are less in moisture and melt in the curry easily. It's important to stir well with medium heat until they are caramelized and slightly brown before you add the chicken.

2. I love to add tomato puree instead of chopped tomato or tomato passata for quick dinner recipes. It brings vibrant red colour to the dish and also saves time from blending it in the food processor to achieve a smooth paste.

3. Use warm water while you are cooking, as cold water can stop the cooking process and take more time to tender chicken and sauce ingredients.

Chicken Madras - Khin's Kitchen Easy Chicken Curry Recipes (4)

What to serve with Madras Chicken?

Simply serve up with cooked basmati rice, plain naan, garlic naan, chapati, roti, or flatbread. Garnish with chopped coriander and you can add lime wedges, onion, and cucumber slices on the side.

Cooking for a crowd? You can simply double or triple the amount of this recipe. Perfectly fine to make one day ahead and serve the next day. Store it in an air-tight container in the fridge and reheat until piping hot just before serving.

Here is more of our restaurant-style curry recipes that you might like:

  • Chicken Tikka Masala
  • Easy Butter Chicken Recipe
  • Chicken Hyderabadi
  • Lamb korma
  • Chicken Jalfrezi
  • Chicken and Chickpea Curry
  • Chana Bhaji
  • Lamb Tikka Masala

📖 Recipe

Chicken Madras - Khin's Kitchen Easy Chicken Curry Recipes (5)

Chicken Madras

Easy Chicken Madras Recipe with tender chicken pieces cooked in homemade Madras curry sauce.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British Indian, Indian

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 294kcal

Author: Khin

Ingredients

  • 3 cloves Garlic ( finely grated or chopped )
  • 1 tbsp Ginger ( finely grated or ginger paste )
  • 3 Shallot ( or onions, finely chopped )
  • 2-3 tbsp Tomato puree ( or tomato concentrate )
  • 2 tbsp Oil ( vegetable oil or neutral flavour oil )
  • 2 tbsp Ghee ( ghee or unsalted butter )
  • 1 tsp Salt ( or add salt according to taste )
  • 1 tsp Dried fenugreek leaves ( Kasuri methi )
  • Coriander ( to serve and garnish )
  • cup Water ( suggest to add warm water, add more water if needed )

Chicken & Marinade

  • 1 lb Chicken breast ( 450 g, boneless chicken thigh or breast )
  • ½ tsp Turmeric
  • ½ tsp Paprika
  • ½ tsp Curry powder ( Madras curry powder or garam masala )
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Cooking oil

Spices

  • 1 tsp Madras curry powder ( or hot curry powder )
  • 1 tsp Paprika powder ( or Kashmiri chilli powder )
  • 1 tsp Cumin seeds ( jeera seeds )
  • 1 Cinnamon stick ( optional )
  • ½ tsp Turmeric

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Cut the chicken breast into medium bite size pieces. Mix the chicken pieces well with turmeric, paprika, curry powder, salt and oil. Let it sit aside and marinade for 10-15 minutes.

  • Gather all the spices, finely chop and grate the shallots, garlic, ginger and coriander.

  • In a large pan, heat the oil and ghee over medium-high heat. Saute' the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick for few seconds.

  • Add the chopped shallots and stir until translucent then follow with the garlic and ginger paste.

  • Stir continuously, until shallots are light brown. Then place the chicken pieces, turmeric, paprika and curry powder, and stir for 1 minute.

  • Follow with the tomato puree and pour the warm water in. Stir well until all the ingredients are combine evenly.

  • Crush the dried fenugreek in hand and sprinkle over the chicken. Close the lid and cook with low heat for 8-10 minutes until the meat is tender.

  • Add salt to taste. ( Make a taste test and adjust salt according to your taste. If the gravy is too thick, add a bit more water to your preference consistency. ) Turn off the heat and transfer to serving plate.

  • Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with basmati rice or naan.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 1011mg | Potassium: 558mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 106IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

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Chicken Madras - Khin's Kitchen Easy Chicken Curry Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to a good curry? ›

Tips for the Perfect Curry
  • Use fresh spices. For the best results, always try to use fresh spices. ...
  • Give the spices a toast. ...
  • Wrap up your whole spices. ...
  • Blitz your tomatoes. ...
  • Onions are the key. ...
  • Don't overcook your chicken. ...
  • Keep your garlic and ginger fresh. ...
  • Add exciting toppings.

How can I make chicken curry taste better? ›

The easiest way to fix a bland and tasteless curry is by adding spices like red chili powder, cumin, coriander, garam masala, curry leaves and turmeric. Just make a quick tempering and pour over the curry to give it a nice punch of spices and herbs.

What does Madras mean in curry? ›

The dish. Chicken Madras is an Indian curry consisting of pieces of chicken in a spicy, tomato sauce. The word Madras refers to the use of a particular kind of curry powder – a precise mixture of herbs and spices from southern India, from the city of Chennai (formerly Madras).

How to make curry taste like restaurant? ›

Simple suggestions for restaurant good quality curries:
  1. Fry your onions till they are golden brown.
  2. Fry your spices but don't burn them. ...
  3. Use good quality spices. ...
  4. Seasoning. ...
  5. Use fatty yoghurt (greek style works) in curries to make them richer. ...
  6. Patience. ...
  7. Use a neutral vegetable oil. ...
  8. Experiment.
Jun 24, 2018

What is the most important spice in curry? ›

Fenugreek (Methi)

This Indian spice is what people say "smells like curry." Of all Indian spices, this spice may be the most essential. You may use up to a few tablespoons in a family size dish near the end of the cooking process, but start with a teaspoon. Fenugreek seeds also have many health benefits.

How do restaurants make curry so creamy? ›

The actual sweetness and creaminess of such curries meanwhile, usually comes from fried onions and either cashews and/or dairy products. Instead of (or in addition to) onion, ground coconut may be used. White poppy seeds and/or watermelon seeds are also used in some creamy sauces.

What vegetables to put in curry? ›

The curry base is made with onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red chilli powder and garam masala. I prefer to go with potatoes, carrots, peas, green beans, cauliflower, corn and bell peppers. Though you can use other veggies like baby corn, sweet potato and broccoli, the curry will have different flavors.

Is Madras a healthy curry? ›

Each ingredient that make up Madras Curry has its own magical healing powers. Coriander is rich in immune boosting antioxidants and may help lower blood sugar. It may benefit heart and brain health and it can even help fight infections.

What is the difference between curry and Madras curry? ›

Madras curry always has a hot, citrusy, spicy and even herbaceous flavor. Unlike most curries, Madras doesn't rely on warm brown spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and anise. Every family in India has its own Madras curry recipe, and even store-bought versions vary a lot.

What curry is similar to Madras? ›

If you like madras-style curries, here is an option to experiment with, a Rajasthani-style curry called laal maas, which translates as 'red mutton'. Traditionally made with game meat, the intense heat was added to mask the strong gamey taste.

What is the secret ingredient in Indian curry? ›

It's the ringer that makes so many Indian dishes exceptional. It's a flavor that you can't pinpoint in a dish or even fully explain but that lingers on your taste buds long after all the other spices. Once you start cooking with asafoetida, every Indian dish you eat without it will taste like it's missing something.

Do you put onions in curry? ›

Onions are an essential part of everyday cooking in India and are found in many local dishes and are the base for curries. Some curries use a lot of onion, others just a small amount but onions are always in there somewhere. The best onions for use in curries are firm white onions.

What can I add to my curry? ›

There's no limit to the imagination: Pink-tinged pickled onions and twisted lime both provide acidity, toasted nuts (we recommend almonds, peanuts, and fried cashews) add an oft-missing texture and nuttiness, and fresh herbs such as mint and cilantro, chives, or fried curry leaves will deliver earthy zestiness.

What are the most important ingredients in curry? ›

The most common ingredient in curry dishes is garlic. Onion, cilantro, tomatoes, vegetable oil, fresh ginger root, white sugar, coconut milk and chicken stock are also common ingredients in curry recipes. For herbs and spices, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne pepper are popular.

What calms a curry down? ›

Yogurt or sour cream can cool down the curry. Adding a pinch of sugar or ketchup can counteract the spiciness. Starchy foods like potatoes or rice can absorb heat. Acidic ingredients like lemon juice, lime juice, or vinegar can cut through the spiciness.

What gives curry its thickness? ›

Add dairy. Many curry sauces have a creamy texture, so try adding more dairy—like Greek yogurt, heavy cream, or a thick non-dairy ingredient like coconut cream—to thicken a watery curry sauce.

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