How to Cook Chicken Korma

Chicken Korma is a dish that has originated from the Mughlai cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. The cooks of the Rajput tribe who created this dish named it “Korma” in honor of the hero of their tribe Rajput Kurma. The term “Korma” suggests braising meat, and traditionally Korma is known as a dish made with braised meat in yogurt or stock. Korma was created by mixing two other dishes: The Persian dish “Ghormeh” and the Turkish dish “Qavurma” or “Kavarma.” The names of both of these dishes derive from the Turkish term “Qawirma,” which indicates a fried dish. Historically, Korma was served as a royal dish within the Mughal court for special occasions and celebrations. The term “Korma” first appeared in the writings about the royal court of Emperor Bahador Shah the second, the last Mughal emperor. This meal is now served in other countries such as Afghanistan.

Korma refers to a family of dishes, one of which is Chicken Korma. Similar to Korma, Chicken Korma is a dish in which the chicken is slow-cooked within a sauce or yogurt. The Chicken Korma is a type of curry. The term “curry” derives from the Tamil term “Kari,” which means “a sauce for the rice.” Curry as a dish has originated from Southeast Asia. You can make curry using fish, meat, and chicken, all of which need to be slow-cooked within coconut milk, curry paste, or yogurt. Chicken curry has fewer calories and is the best option for those who do not want to eat meat but still want to enjoy a curry dish.

Here is the recipe for the Chicken Korma or Chicken Curry that you can cook at the comfort of your home and enjoy the experience of the culinary wonders of Southeast Asia.

Ingredients for cooking Chicken Korma

• Chicken Breast: ½ kg
• Roughly Chopped Onion: two medium-sized
• Yogurt or Coconut Milk: 3 tablespoons
• Chicken stock: 400 ml
• Finely Chopped Garlic: 1 tablespoon
• Finely Chopped Ginger: 1 tablespoon
• Turmeric: ¼ tablespoons
• Red Chili Powder or Paprika: 1 tablespoon
• Garam Masala: 1 tablespoon
• Coriander Powder: 1& ½ tablespoons
• Cumin Powder: 1& ½ tablespoons
• Salt: ½ tablespoon
• Green Cardamoms: 14 to 16
• Cinnamon sticks: 2 or 3
• Bay Leaves: 4 leaves
• Ground Almonds: 50 g (optional)
• Cashew: 50 g (optional)

Chicken Korma recipe

1. First, you need to wash the chicken breast and remove all the bones and skin from it. Once you have removed the bones, cut the chicken breast into small pieces.
2. Grab a bowl and add yogurt, turmeric, red chili powder, Garam Masala, chopped ginger, chopped garlic, and salt to it. Stir a couple of times to see if the mixture is perfectly mixed and turns into a bright red or orange color.
3. Now that you have made your paste, it is time to let the chicken be marinated in it. Place the chicken pieces in the mixture, and start rubbing the paste all over the chicken breasts for a few moments.
4. Leave the chicken to rest inside the paste for a couple of minutes. The longer you let the chicken rest, the softer the chicken flesh and the richer its taste will be. Usually, 10 to 30 minutes is enough. However, you can also refrigerate the mixture to rest overnight if you like.

5. Place a deep frying pan on the stove. Pour some oil into it, and start heating it. Add 3 to 5 green cardamoms to the oil, and stir for 1 minute. When you fry cardamoms in hot oil, you extract that rich aroma out of them. This aroma will give your curry a divine taste.

6. Now, it is time to add chopped onions to the oil. Stir the onions in hot oil until they turn into a golden brown color and become crispy.

7. Remove the pan from the stove, and let it cool down. Pour the onions into a mixer. Add cashew, ground almonds, and some yogurt to it, and start blending till you get a white and thick texture. 

8. Now that you have made your gravy, you can take the marinated chicken pieces one at a time and place them inside a hot deep frying pan. Stir the chicken carefully until they are lightly fried but not entirely and still maintain their tender texture.

9. Now, it is time to add the gravy and chicken stock to the mixture and let them cook for a couple of minutes. Before closing the lid, you must add the remaining spices. Add Coriander Powder, Cumin Powder, Bay Leaves, Green Cardamoms, and Cinnamon sticks to the mixture. Add a little chili powder if you want your korma to turn red. Close the lid, and let it cook on medium heat.

10. Depending on how tender you want the chicken meat to become, the cooking time varies. Normally, it does not take more than 30 minutes for the dish to cook and become ready to serve.

11. Make sure not to overcook the chicken curry. If the chicken korma is overcooked, it becomes tough and chewy and loses its tender texture. Furthermore, do not overcook the dish if you do not want to lose all the delicious paste. The dish’s taste ultimately lies within the paste, and if it is reduced entirely, the dish will become bland. Make sure to preserve some of the paste to add it to the rice later when serving the dish.

12. Remove the Cinnamon sticks from the paste 3 to 5 minutes after cooking.

13. Open the lid, and start stirring the mixture. If your curry is too thick, you can add some chicken stock to it and let it cook for a couple of more minutes. Once the dish is ready, you can garnish it with a couple of bay leaves, coriander leaves, and ground Almonds.

• Note1: If you have an allergy to any of the nuts, you can remove them from the recipe.
• Note2: There is a common misconception about Indian foods that they all should be served so spicy and hot. Although in some provinces of India, Korma is served hot and spicy, usually the gravy in Chicken Korma is made mild, and traditionally it is not served as a spicy dish. Make sure to use the spices in this dish moderately; otherwise, you will ruin the traditional taste of the dish.

How to serve chicken Korma?

In India, this dish is traditionally served with basmati rice or bread. The bread served with Chicken Curry is called “Naan”. If you want to prepare the Naan at home, you can try our Lavash bread recipe.

Chicken Curry is the most popular curry dish in the world due to its divine taste and texture that matches all palates. You can make this dish with chicken legs too; in fact, some people prefer it that way. Furthermore, it is not necessary to debone the chicken; if you would like, you can leave the bones inside.

Chicken Korma is not an easy dish to make, but if you learn to cook it and cook it perfectly, it becomes your family’s favorite dish. Follow this recipe and treat your family to Indian cuisine at the comfort of your home. 

Please let me Know about your experience by writing it in the comments below!