Today I’m going to be showing you an amazing dish that’s perfect for a lazy Monday night. Curry chicken with yogurt! It’s super tasty, simple and only takes just over 30 minutes to make.
Curry chicken is one of my favorite dishes to cook. This particular recipe has a lot going on, but it’s worth the effort. Curry chicken with yogurt is delicious, and is a meal that everyone in my family enjoys.
Indian Chicken Curry (Murgh Kari)
This is a really good recipe for spicy Indian chicken curry. It’s pretty easy to make and tastes really good!
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Recipe Summary
Prep:
20 mins
Cook:
40 mins
Total:
1 hr
Servings:
6
Yield:
6 servings
Enjoy the lavishly delicious taste of chicken curry at home with this easy-to-follow recipe. Bold spices like ginger, cumin, and curry powder add rich layers of flavor to succulent chicken coated in a creamy tomato-based sauce. Fill your kitchen with the delightful fragrance of a creamy, spicy, and filling curry that the whole family will love.
Indian Chicken Curry Ingredients
Murgh Kari makes use of a potent spice blend that includes garam masala, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne pepper. Tomato, yogurt, and onion are also essential ingredients in this classic Indian main dish. Fresh minced garlic and ginger lend a pleasant sharpness.
Our top-rated recipe uses skinless, boneless chicken breasts for a tender, evenly cooked result, but other cuts like tenderloin and thigh make suitable substitutions.
How to Make Chicken Curry
Start by partially cooking your seasoned chicken breasts in a large pan, removing them after they’re browned. After setting the chicken breasts aside, cook garlic, onions, and ginger in the same pan to create the flavor base.
Once the onions are translucent, add in spices, tomatoes, yogurt, and chicken to cook thoroughly. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes for a wow-worthy chicken curry. Finish with fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon.
How to Store Chicken Curry
Leftover chicken curry can be refrigerated in a sealed container and enjoyed for two to four days. Freezing extends the time to two months — simply thaw and gently reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Yogurt Chicken Curry
Learn to make an easy and delicious Yogurt Chicken Curry. Gluten free and Nuts free.
Yogurt Chicken Curry – The chicken curry from Northern India which is must try for every Indian food lover. This flavorful curry has no sugars, no nuts, no creams but a simple and flavorful Indian mother sauce base made with yogurt, onion, garlic and spices.
This is a kinda curry which Indians love to enjoy with homemade whole wheat bread, crispy charred naan, or fresh steamed rice… any day of the week.
Time and again, when people ask me for a good chicken curry recipe…. I feel necessary to reach out and tell everyone what is a good chicken curry or how to make a chicken curry?
Now, every restaurant has a different definition of chicken curry and that’s what locals in that area are known too. Actually, even in India, every region has local variation of chicken curry. Yogurt based curry is, by-far, the most popular and authentic chicken curry of Northern India… where in South, coconut milk or tamarind is used as main substitute for yogurt.
In different regions… few change in spices originate a new kind of Chicken Curry. Like:
1) Addition of tamarind and potatoes and it becomes – Vindaloo
2) cream and it becomes Korma
3) greens instead of turmeric and it becomes saag chicken curry.
4) Lots of chilies and it is Kashmiri Chicken Curry
5) or lots of warm spices and you have the Khara Chicken Curry.
This list is so endless that it will be unfair if I just list one ingredient and say a name of curry.
This post I’m dedicating to making a perfect, homemade Indian-style… I mean, North Indian-style chicken curry which is made with thick Greek-style yogurt, warm spices, chicken, onion, and garlic. The curries you taste in buffets in US are nothing like this home-style curry. There is no sugar, no creams in this to mask the flavor of spices. It is not hot spicy curry but you will be able to taste every bit of love that has gone into it.
To make chicken curry, I start by grating the base mother sauce ingredients. Mother curry sauce or masala is grated mixture of onion, garlic, ginger and green chili. It is not a paste but coarse grated mix which is sauted in oil or clarified butter until oil shows on sides and onion, garlic are lite golden brown. These mild caramelized bits of onion give subtle sweetness to the curry. In this brown mixture, grated tomatoes are cooked until they fully disintegrate. This cooked mixture of onion and tomatoes – a.k.a mother curry sauce can be prepared up-to one week in advance.
Now, it is time to add the spices. A quick saute of spices awaken flavor, taking curry to whole new level.
After sauting the spices, the star ingredient – yogurt is added. Mostly, yogurt is hung or allowed to drain while masala cooks. This removes water content from yogurt leaving behind thick and creamy, whey like yogurt. I usually use Greek yogurt because it is closest and ready-to-use match of hung-curd (yogurt). I add yogurt in small batches and mix well after every addition to avoid curdling.
Once, yogurt is fully mixed… Only step left is to add chicken, water and then cook until chicken is fully cooked and gravy is thick. I complete this step in variety to vessels. In instant pot pressure cooker, slow cooker, dutch oven or simple heavy bottom deep sauce pan too. The time taken is usually same as time taken to cook the chicken in any of these.
Not that hard, right?
Make masala, mix-in add yogurt, add chicken!
Viola! Curry is ready!
Note:Coconut milk is a non-tangy non-dairy substitute for yogurt. If you want to keep curry dairy free.. You can also use almond yogurt instead.
For my family, it is a meal we grew-up with. So, no one say “no” or no one even speak while enjoying a bowl of chicken yogurt curry with their favorite side of naan/bread/rice. The only voice you will hear is to ask for some more gravy!! 🙂
I’m wrapping-up today’s post very quickly because I need to get up to cook dinner… I might cook the same chicken curry again… feeling nostalgic after sharing this post with you…
Honestly, all ingredients for this recipe will be in your pantry. I bet! If you can’t find spices, use mix of garam masala and curry powder instead. Enjoy a cozy winter night with a hearty chicken curry, made Indian home-style!
Enjoy and don’t forget to share with me your favorite childhood recipe that you still fell nostalgic about.
Have a wonderful day! -Savita
Serve Homemade Naan Bread on the side:
Yogurt Chicken Curry
Total Time: 40 minsPrep Time: 5 minsCook Time: 35 minsCuisine: Indian (Main Course)Difficulty: Easy
Yields: 4 – 1 Cup Servings – Serves: 4
(No. of servings depends on serving size.)
Ingredients
1.5 lbs Chicken (boneless or bone-in chicken thighs)1 Cup Yogurt (Greek style yogurt)1 Cup Red Onion4 Garlic (cloves)1 inch Ginger1 Serrano pepper (or 2 small green chili)1/2 Cup Tomato Puree (or 2 ripe tomato, grated)3 tbsp Canola Oil2 tsp Coriander Powder1 tsp Cumin Powder1/2 tsp Turmeric1 tsp Chili Powder1 Mace (Javitri) (blade)1 tsp Garam Masala1 tsp Salt
Smart Swap:Replace chicken with paneer for a vegetarian yogurt curry.
Directions
- 1.In a food processor, grind onion, garlic, ginger, green chili to a coarse paste.
- 2.Heat oil in deep pan or pressure cooker. Add onion mixture and cook stirring often until mixture is medium brown, 5-8 minutes.
- 3.Add all spices and saute for 30 seconds. Add grated tomatoes with salt and cook until oil separates (5-8 minutes). Reduce heat to low. Add **yogurt in small batches and stir quickly after each addition to mix in so that it not curdles. Add chicken and cook in masala for 2 minutes.Additional Notes:**Don’t use watery sour yogurt for this recipe. Read Notes.
- 4.Add 1 cup water, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is fully cooked (15-20 minutes). Or if using pressure cooker, add 2/3 cup water, cook under high pressure for 10 minutes. If gravy is too thick, add little more water. If gravy is too thin, boil mixture to evaporate some liquid.
- 5.Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with naan bread. Enjoy!
Savita’s Notes:
**Yogurt Use Note Please don’t use regular watery sour yogurt for this curry. It will curdle. Yogurt should be thick Greek yogurt which is not very sour. If you are not sure about yogurt use or afraid it will curdle.. Use half yogurt and half cream and mix it in last step after the curry is ready.
DAHIWALI CHICKEN CURRY: CHICKEN CURRY WITH YOGURT
A quick and simple chicken curry can be easily tamed to suit one’s tastes and preferences, and this Dahiwali Chicken Curry or Chicken Curry with Yogurt recipe is super easy and robust in flavour.
When it comes to simple everyday meals, I find it hard to succumb myself to the traditional Indian daily routine of Dal-Sabzi, translated, simply meaning a lentil and vegetable preparation. My idea of a simple Indian lunch would mainly consist of a quick Chicken Curry and a side of rice and a salad.
Often, when I talk to people on the topic of curries, the most common concern I get confronted with is the amount of time, and not to mention the effort that comes with it. I for one, beg to differ. For me, curry is nothing but a smooth blend of flavours brought together to highlight a star ingredient. True, you can spend hours toasting, pounding, and grinding spices to form the smoothest of pastes; you can spend days marinating and chopping to achieve the most delicate blend possible, and you can also lose yourself in a cloud of spices and herbs that would fill your kitchen and your home with an aroma almost so ambrosial, you would think you woke up in a foreign land.
But then again, you could do what I do on days when all I have at my disposal are a few measly minutes at the brink of lunch-time with a rumbling tummy to cater to.
DAHIWALI CHICKEN CURRY (CHICKEN CURRY WITH YOGURT)
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoon light cooking oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3-4 green cardamom pods bruised
- 3-4 whole cloves
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1-2 green chillies finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ¼ turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
- salt to taste
- ½ cup plain yogurt beaten till smooth
- 2 large boneless chicken breasts diced into 1-inch cubes
- a handful fresh coriander leaves chopped for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat oil in a thick-bottomed pan and add in cinnamon stick, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves. Once they begin to sizzle, add in onions and green chillies, and fry for 3-5 minutes on medium-high heat till onions turn pink and tender. Add in ginger and garlic pastes and saute for another minute or two till fragrant.
- Add in red chilli powder, turmeric, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala, and fry for a minute. Mix in chopped tomatoes and salt, and cook for a few minutes till tomatoes pulp and releases oil around the sides of the pan. Slowly stir in beaten yogurt forming a smooth gravy base.
- Add chicken pieces, water if necessary, and allow to cook covered for 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat till done. Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves and serve piping hot with a side of rotis or rice, and a salad.