As Good As Take Out Home Made Chicken Korma
I would love to say “better than take out: home made chicken korma”, but honestly there’s nothing that can beat the creamy comforting sauce from our local curry shop. However even my kids will agree this chicken korma comes a close second. I’m not sure its any healthier than the take away version, its certainly not authentic – but it is a LOT cheaper, and doesn’t make me feel so guilty.
This version of chicken korma is a fantastic teen crowd pleaser. I make this when I want to get on my kids good side, and it is a great entry level dish for curry fearing children.
But sorry, I don’t deliver!
Ingredients (Serves 4 greedy portions)
- 1 tablespoon Ghee, or a dash of olive oil
- 4-5 chicken breasts (approximately 750g)
- 2 onions chopped finely
- 3 cloves of crushed garlic,
- 1 diced red chilli (or 1/2 a level teaspoon of chilli powder)
- Grated fresh ginger (approximately an inch long piece/ the legth of one thumb joint) / 1 tablespoon *
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp of garam masala
- Pinches of salt and pepper to taste
- 400g coconut milk
- 250g plain yogurt
- 2 heaped teaspoons of ground almonds
*If you don’t have fresh ginger, use 1/4 level tsp of ground ginger.
Method
Roast the chicken – at 180 degrees C for around 25 minutes (or until cooked). 
While the chicken is roasting, sweat the onions and crushed garlic in a small amount of ghee or oil on a low heat. Place a lid on the pan and allow the mix to completely soften.
Remove the lid, and add the chilli, ginger, garlic, turmeric, coriander and garam masala.
Sweat down for a further 5-8 minutes.
Use a blender (hand/ stick blender or freestanding) to puree the onion garlic and spice mix to a paste.
This paste can be kept in the fridge for a couple of days.
Coat the roasted chicken pieces in the chicken korma paste, before adding the coconut milk. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Just before you serve add the yogurt and ground almonds, bringing the curry to a boil. Serve immediately with rice and/or naan bread.
The almonds create a really lovely rich creamy texture, but have a habit of sticking to the bottom and can cause the curry to burn.
We often put the curry in a casserole dish and keep in the oven until we are ready to serve it. If you do the same, leave out the yogurt and almonds until just before you serve. Depending upon how long you leave in the oven, you may need to thin the sauce slightly with a little water.
Add a large pile of popadoms, some chutney, and let those compliments flood in!