Meera Sodha's Mum's Chicken Curry Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Mother's Day

by: Food52

April17,2017

4.4

7 Ratings

Meera Sodha's Mum's Chicken Curry Recipe on Food52 (1)

Serves 4

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Author Notes

"I left Lincolnshire at the age of 18 to go to university in London. Secretly homesick, I would stop in Indian-owned newstands on the way back from class, lingering over the magazines and quietly listening to the owners speaking in Gujarati, just for comfort.

When it came to food, I was at the mercy of the dorm chef, a Jamaican with an adventurous streak who would create delights such as corn and strawberry salad, indiscriminately seasoning everything with pepper. With every bite, I'd be thinking about home and my ultimate comfort food, my mum's curry chicken."

Excerpted from Made in India (Flatiron 2015). —Food52

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

2 tablespoonsghee or unsalted butter
1 tablespooncanola oil
1 teaspooncumin seeds
two 1 3/4-inch cinnamon sticks
2 large onions, finely chopped
one 2 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 fresh green chiles (or 1 teaspoon chili powder)
Salt
³/₄ cupplus 2 tablespoons strained tomatoes (such as Pomì)
2 tablespoonstomato paste
1 ¹/₂ teaspoonsground cumin
¹/₂ teaspoonground turmeric
3 tablespoonswhole-milk yogurt (plus extra for serving)
2 pounds3 ounces skinless chicken legs, or 1 3/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
3 tablespoonsground almonds
1 teaspoongaram masala

Directions

Put the ghee and oil into a wide-bottomed, lidded frying pan on a medium heat. When it's hot, add the cumin seeds and cinnamon sticks. Let them infuse in the oil for a minute, and then add the onions. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
Meanwhile, put the ginger, garlic, and green chiles into a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt and bash to a coarse paste.
Add the paste to the pan and cook gently for 2 minutes, then pour int the strained tomatoes and stir. Cook the strained tomatoes for a few minutes, until the mixture resembles a thick paste, then add the tomato paste, ground cumin, turmeric, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or to taste).
Whisk the yogurt and add it slowly to the curry. Cook it through until it starts to bubble, then add the chicken. Pop the lid on the pan and continue to cook on a gentle heat for around 30 minutes. Add the ground almonds and the garam masala and cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve it with a tower of chapatis, hot fluffy naan, or rice, and offer yogurt at the table.

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13 Reviews

Amanda T. January 22, 2024

This was delicious -- and not terribly difficulty. A lot of flavor for not a lot of effort.

[emailprotected] March 13, 2023

Amazing curry upgrade from the creamy “cheap” curry, which is also good. I made it mild for my family but it would likely be even more delicious spicy.

rob May 27, 2020

A very reliable recipe that is none the less enjoyable. Cooking the sauce until it is quite thick and then adding the chicken seems to be the answer to the common problem of runny and over cooked chicken curry.