Not a day goes by without someone asking me for a quick chicken recipe, or an easy step-by-step guide to cooking chicken curries. Mostly they just want reassurance: Is cooking chicken curry difficult? Will the curry call for a lot of ingredients? Will George Clooney like it? So, here’s a quick look at the basics of Chicken Curry Cooking, and how you can cook one in less than 15 minutes. Once you’re through reading, you’ll no longer need to hunt for recipes each time you cook chicken curry; you’ll be able to create your own!
Warning! This post is not about cooking gourmet Indian meals. It's for first time cooks who can use these steps to get the hang of cooking basic Indian chicken curries.
What are the most basic and important ingredients in Chicken Curry? By and large, all Indian chicken curry recipes have a base that contains onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, some whole spices, some seeds, and of course the Indian masalas the world loves so much. Here's a simple table to help you stock your kitchen with Indian cooking supplies:
Sliced, diced or pureed: Ginger, garlic, tomatoes, coconut, tamarind, onions, curd
Must-have masalas: Coriander, chilli, turmeric, pepper, meat masala
Whole spices: Black peppercorns, cloves, green cardamom, black cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, dried red chillies
Seeds: Cumin, coriander, nigella, black mustard seeds
Leaves for garnish: Coriander, mint, basil
The principles of cooking Indian Chicken Curries:
I. Cook in a pressure cooker if you want to save time.
II. Decide which whole spices, pastes and masalas you want to use for your chicken curry. For simple recipes, go with a maximum of three from each group above (except the garnish group). Therefore, you could prepare a delicious chicken curry using: Coriander, Chilli, Turmeric, Green cardamom, Star anise, Cumin seeds, Mustard seeds, Ginger, and Garlic, with the chicken of course.
III. Pay close attention to these four basic steps that come in the beginning of almost all Indian chicken curries:
Add oil.
Add whole seeds and whole spices.
Add onions.
Add ginger and garlic pastes.
Add the masalas.
IV. Add the chicken pieces to the cooker. Stir into everything. If it needs a little water, then add a splash. Mix in for 3 minutes over a high flame.
V. Add the gravy juice or water: so if it’s curd, add curd, if it’s coconut milk, add that. Chicken curry unlike most red meat curries call for something to carry the chicken’s flavour further. So add some curd, if you want it tangy, some coconut milk if you want it silky, or some tamarind paste if you want it a bit sweet and sour. If you only want a thin and light gravy, then simply add some water. At least 3/4th of the chicken in the cooker should be covered by liquid. The thicker this liquid is, the juicier your chicken curry will be.
VI. Cover the pressure cooker: This is the brilliant part. So you’re done with adding everything to your chicken curry? Now close the lid. Leave it on a high flame till the first whistle. Once the first whistle blows, simmer the flame and let the cooker sit on it for EXACTLY SEVEN MORE MINUTES.
Chicken’s done!
Remember:
Don’t be afraid of the chicken. It will not eat you.
Experiment with the spices, masalas, and flavours.
Use oil and salt sparingly. You don't need either to make the chicken curry yummy.
Here are my three favourite quick and easy chicken curry recipes to get you started:
Chicken Coconut Curry
Basil Chicken in Coconut Sauce
Garlic Pepper Chicken
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