Chicken Korma is a buttery, spicy, and flavorful entreé that’s both comforting and hearty. Make this Indian curry recipe for dinner tonight!
Curries are delicious all year long, and because they are so easy to make, they’re definitely a favorite. However, in the winter months of the year, they are more popular than ever. The earthy spices and richness are just so perfect after a day out in the cold!
One of my other favorite Indian curry recipes is Chana Masala (Vegan Chickpea Curry), which is a fantastic meatless meal.
Entree definition: Chicken Korma
Korma is a type of curry that’s made with ingredients like yogurt, cashew or almond butter and turmeric powder. The flavor in this dish is full bodied and packs a delicious punch!
If you’ve never had it, make this chicken korma recipe for a casual weeknight dinner. You won’t believe what you’ve been missing out on!
Ingredient Notes
Note: This is just a partial list of ingredients. For the full ingredient list, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Greek Yogurt - This ingredient is key to creating the thick, creamy consistency of the korma. Use a plain, unflavored Greek yogurt.
- Almond Butter - If you’d like to swap this for cashew butter, that’s great! Your final product will be amazing either way.
- Turmeric - No curry or korma would be complete without turmeric! This musky, earthy addition helps develop the rich flavor of the dish.
- Green and Black Cardamom Pods - For the 4 green and 2 black cardamom pods, you can substitute ½ tsp ground cardamom total.
- Cinnamon Stick - You can substitute the cinnamon stick with ½ tsp of ground cinnamon.
- Cloves - For the 4 whole cloves, you can substitute ⅛ tsp ground clove.
- Cayenne Powder - Want your dish to be extra hot? Turn up the heat by adding more cayenne pepper!
Chicken Korma Recipe Video
This dish is so full of flavor, you won’t believe how easy it is to make. Watch the recipe video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
HOW TO MAKE THIS INDIAN CURRY:
- Whisk the ingredients. Whisk together the water, yogurt, almond butter, chili, salt and turmeric powder until fully combined.
- Heat up the spices and onion. Start off by first heating up the whole spices in your skillet with a dash of oil. After a few minutes, add the chopped onion and continue cooking until the onion is translucent.
- Add more ingredients. Add the garlic and ginger pastes to the onions and spices, and cook them for about 2 minutes. Then, add the chopped chicken pieces. Stir to mix everything together and cook for 5 more minutes.
- Add the yogurt mixture. Lower your heat and carefully stir in the yogurt mixture. While you’re simmering the mixture for about 10 minutes, you’ll notice the sauce thickening and becoming creamier. Once the sauce is thick enough to start covering the chicken pieces, you know it’s ready!
- Garnish and serve! Chicken korma is best when it’s garnished with ground red chile, chopped cilantro and chopped almonds or cashews. Garnish how you’d like, and enjoy!
FAQ
How should I serve chicken korma?
Serve this dish fresh and warm! If you want a heartier dinner, I recommend serving it over a helping of rice.
Rice is a great addition because the sauce will mix right into it, ensuring that you don’t miss a single bite of flavor.
How long does it stay fresh?
If you love this dish as much as I do, you can make a big batch and keep it in the freezer. When you’re ready to eat it, simply put it back in the skillet and heat it up again. In an airtight container, it will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
How do I make the sauce thinner?
My favorite thing about this recipe is the thick, creamy sauce. If you prefer a thinner sauce, though, that’s easy to accomplish. Simply add more water to the sauce, then stir to combine.
The more water you add, the thinner your end result will be, so use caution. Just add a little bit of water at a time, stopping when the consistency is where you’d like it to be.
Need ideas for a larger meal?
Try serving this along side my Butter Chicken and Creamy Restaurant Style Dal Makhani, too.
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Chicken Korma
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces boneless, skinless
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 2 tbsp garlic paste (See Note 1)
- 2 tbsp ginger paste (See Note 1)
Korma Sauce
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup almond butter (See Note 2)
- 1 tsp chili powder (See Note 3)
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp turmeric powder
Temper Spices
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 green cardamom pods (See Note 4)
- 2 black cardamom pods (See Note 4)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick 2-inch piece (See Note 5)
- 4 cloves (See Note 6)
- ⅛ tsp cayenne powder
Garnish
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup almonds or cashews toasted and chopped
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl whisk together the water, yogurt, almond butter, chili, salt and turmeric powder and set aside.
- In a large skillet heat the oil over medium heat. Add the whole spices and fry for 2 minutes. If using ground spices (See Notes), fry for 1 minute. Add the chopped onion and stir, sauté for 10 minutes until translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger pastes, stir to mix and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped chicken pieces, stir to mix and cook covered for 5 minutes.
- Add the yogurt mixture, stir to mix in, lower heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Sauce should thicken and coat chicken pieces. Season to taste with salt.
- Garnish with ground red chile, chopped cilantro and or chopped nuts.
Video
Notes
- Use ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger for every tablespoon of fresh ginger and use ½ teaspoon of ground garlic for every tablespoon of fresh garlic. Powdered ginger is more potent.
- Feel free to substitute cashew butter for the almond butter. It's absolutely delicious as well!
- For more heat ADD ¼ tsp cayenne powder total.
- For the 4 green AND 2 black cardamom pods substitute ½ tsp ground cardamom total.
- For the 2" cinnamon stick substitute ½ tsp ground cinnamon total.
- For the 4 whole cloves, substitute ⅛ tsp ground clove.
*The information shown below is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Nutrition
THANK YOU FOR ADDING SUBS. LOVE YOUR RECIPES BUT DON'T HAVE ALL THE INGRED.
Whenever I can Mary! Thanks for following along. 🙂
This is an excellent recipe, Kevin! Just like the one I had in Malaysia! Glad to see this and the other recipes you are adding! True Gems! You are correct, this is perfect for this time of year!
Thanks so much Julie, appreciate you taking the time to write this. Cheers!
This looks outstanding! I need to make this asap, but only after I make your butter chicken! Great recipe Kevin. Even though I know I can replace ground cardamon for the pods, I need to find the pods!
Thanks so much Elaine. If you ever need to find an ingredient, please check my Pantry section here on the site for all of the different culture's recipe ingredients. I have spice alternates and descriptions here in my Indian Spice section and where to find if you can't. Great talking with you the other day!
This is amazing, you will not be disappointed.
So full of flavor and satisfying will definitely be making again!
This Chicken Korma is looks incredibly delicious!
This Korma is amazing! Very tasty
This was a huge hit at my house!! Definitely making it again!
This is so good!! Perfect for dinner tonight!!
Thank you Sandra!
Such a fantastic recipe! My family would love this!
I love the flavors in this dish! It's incredibly delicious!
This chicken is so creamy! My family will love it for sure!
This looks so delicious and tasty! I can't wait to give this a try!