Chicken Korma Recipe: A Slow Indian Classic for Sunday Cooking
Chicken korma is a mild North Indian curry in which chicken simmers in a sauce built from fried red onions, cashews, and yogurt rather than tomatoes. The sauce is pale gold and nutty instead of red and tangy, and the chili stays low and adjustable, which is why it is the dish people order when kids are eating.
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This chicken korma recipe takes about 1 hour 20 minutes, including a 30-minute marinade, and serves 6. Two things decide whether it works: browning the onions properly rather than just softening them, and soaking the cashews so the paste blends completely smooth.
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Why You'll Love This Chicken Korma Recipe
- An authentic chicken korma is mild by design, and the chili powder is the only dial you ever need to touch.
- One batch of fried onions does double duty: most blends into the sauce; a good handful goes on top for crunch.
- No jarred korma paste and no food coloring.
- It reheats better than most curries, so it is a strong Sunday cook for Monday.
- One heavy pot plus a blender.
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What Makes Korma Sauce Different
Most Indian curries start with onions, then tomatoes, then spices. A classic chicken korma recipe does not. It builds its korma sauce from cashews and fried red onions blended with yogurt into a thick paste, and that paste is both a thickener and a flavor base. This korma sauce recipe is the Indian korma sauce a home kitchen makes, not the sweetened jarred kind.
That is also why korma is mild without tasting flat. In a tomato-based curry, the heat arrives alongside acidity, and the two fight each other. Here, the spices are aromatic, with nothing acidic to compete with, so the small amount of chili reads as warmth rather than heat.
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Boneless chicken thighs. I prefer boneless thighs because they do not dry out the way chicken breast can. If breast is what you have, cut the pieces larger and add them later.
- Raw cashews. Soak them while the chicken marinates, which is what gets the paste completely smooth. Keep a couple of spoonfuls back unsoaked for the top. I have used blanched almonds along with the cashews when I did not have quite enough cashews on hand. The sauce still came out smooth and creamy, with a slightly nuttier flavor, and it is a good option if you want to use what is already in the pantry. For a nut-free version, raw sunflower seeds blend to a comparable thickness.
- Red onions. Sliced thin and fried in ghee until deep golden brown. This is the longest active step and the one worth not rushing. Pale onions give a sauce that tastes of raw allium; properly fried ones give the sweetness that stands in for the tomato you are not using.
- Whole spices. Cinnamon, green cardamom, cloves, black pepper, bay, and cumin bloom in the fat left from the onions before the chicken goes in. Ground versions are not a fair swap, since the point is a slow release across the whole simmer.
- Full-fat plain yogurt. Low-fat and nonfat split the moment they meet a warm pot. Greek yogurt works and makes a thicker sauce, so loosen it with a splash more water if needed. This is also what makes the marinade work, and a simple chicken korma recipe lives on it.
- Cream. It softens the finish rather than defining it. Full-fat canned coconut milk in place of both the yogurt and the cream gives you a dairy-free coconut korma recipe that still tastes like korma.
- Kewra or rose water. Optional and easy to overdo. A traditional chicken korma recipe finishes with a few drops for an aromatic lift. A quarter teaspoon is plenty.
How to Make Chicken Korma
- Marinate the chicken. Toss the chicken with yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, salt, and garam masala until every piece is coated. Cover and leave for 20-30 minutes. Cover the cashews with water at the same time so they soften while you work.
- Fry the red onions. Cook them in ghee over medium heat, stirring often. After about 15 minutes, they should be deep golden brown, with the edges starting to turn darker. At that point, the pan smells sweet, rich, and almost slightly nutty. If you pull them too early, they still look pale and watery, and the finished korma will not have the same depth. This is one step where it is worth giving the onions extra time. Lift out about a quarter cup onto a paper towel for the garnish; they crisp as they cool.
- Blend the onions, cashews, and yogurt. Let the remaining fried onions cool a little, then blend them with the drained cashews and yogurt to a smooth, creamy paste. Add water only if the blender stalls.
- Add the marinated chicken to the whole spices. In the fat left in the pot, warm the cumin seeds, bay, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and cinnamon until fragrant. Add the yogurt-marinated chicken with all of its marinade.
- Cook the marinated chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the raw smell of the marinade has gone. It does not need to be cooked through yet.
- Add the korma paste. Stir it in along with the ground coriander, ground cumin, red chili powder, turmeric, and salt, and mix until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Add water and simmer. Pour in the water and bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Finish the korma. Stir in the garam masala and cream, and cook uncovered a moment longer if you want the sauce thicker. Adjust the salt, then scatter the cilantro, reserved fried onions, almond flakes, and halved cashews over the top.
What to Serve With Chicken Korma
Indian chicken korma is rich, so the plate wants something plain alongside it and something sharp.
- Jeera rice, cumin-scented basmati that takes 20 minutes and does not compete with the sauce.
- Restaurant style garlic butter naan for anyone who would rather scoop than spoon.
- Spinach dill raita, the cold, tangy contrast this dish is missing on its own.
- Cilantro mint chutney with peanuts gives you a sharper hit than raita.
Korma FAQs
The chicken korma vs butter chicken question comes down to the base. Butter chicken is tomato and cream, tangy and red-orange, with the chicken usually grilled first. Korma is fried onion, nut, and yogurt with no tomato, so it is paler, nuttier, milder, and cooks entirely in the pot. If tomato is what you want, crockpot butter chicken is the one to make instead.
It is one of the mildest curries there is, but it is not heatless. The red chili powder is the dial. Cut it to a quarter teaspoon, and the dish reads as sweet and nutty; push past a teaspoon if the table wants more. Everything else in the list is aromatic. Either way, it stays a quick chicken korma on a weeknight.
No. An authentic chicken korma gets its body from cashews, fried onions, and yogurt. Recipes that add tomato are working backward from a generic curry base, and the result tastes closer to a mild tikka masala. The same holds for any authentic korma recipe, chicken or otherwise.
Yes. Raw sunflower seeds blended in the same quantity give comparable thickness. Melon seeds, if you can find them, are the traditional alternative and are closer still.
Yes, and a chicken korma without cream is closer to how it is cooked at home, where an Indian korma recipe leans on the nut paste for richness instead. Skip the cream at step 8 and add a spoonful of yogurt off the heat.
I have never had this sauce split. Keeping the heat moderate and allowing the ingredients to come together gradually gives you a smooth, creamy sauce. That means letting it come to a gentle boil at step 7 and then dropping straight to a covered simmer rather than letting it gallop. If a sauce has already broken, take it off the heat and whisk in a little cream off heat until it comes back together.
It keeps 4 days refrigerated and is arguably better on day two once the spices settle. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water. For the freezer, leave out the cream and freeze up to 3 months, then stir the cream in after reheating. Add the fried onions and nuts fresh either way.
Once you know how to make chicken korma, the same base carries the rest of the family. Shahi paneer korma is the vegetarian one and lamb korma the weekend version, and both belong on the same shortlist of easy Indian dinner recipes when you want quick Indian dinners that are not another stir-fry.
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Equipment
- Enameled cast iron braiser or Dutch oven 5 to 6 quarts
- High-speed blender
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 lb chicken thighs (boneless, skinless) cut into 1½ inch pieces
- ½ cup full-fat plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the korma paste
- ¼ cup ghee
- 3 medium red onions thinly sliced
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup full-fat plain yogurt
Korma base
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamom pods
- 5 whole cloves
- ½ teaspoon whole black pepper
- 2 tsps ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder adjust as per taste
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup water
To finish
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- Reserved crispy fried onions
- ¼ cup sliced almonds toasted
- 2 tablespoon roasted cashews
- Cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Add the chicken, yogurt, ginger-garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, salt, and garam masala to a bowl. Mix thoroughly so the marinade coats every piece. Cover and set aside for 20-30 minutes.
- Place the cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Let them soften while you prepare the onions.
- Heat the ghee or oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the sliced red onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove about ¼ cup of the onions and reserve for serving.
- Let the remaining fried onions cool slightly. Drain the cashews, then blend them with the onions and ½ cup yogurt until you have a smooth, creamy paste.
- Return the pot to medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, bay leaves, cardamom, cloves, black pepper, and cinnamon stick to the remaining fat. Cook briefly until fragrant.
- Add the marinated chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the raw aroma of the marinade has gone. The chicken does not need to be fully cooked at this stage.
- Stir in the blended onion mixture, ground coriander, ground cumin, red chili powder, turmeric, and salt. Mix well until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Pour in the water and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
- Stir in the garam masala and heavy cream. Cook uncovered briefly if needed to bring the sauce to your preferred consistency.
- Turn off the heat and scatter the cilantro, reserved fried onions, roasted cashews, and almond flakes over the top.
Notes
- Soak the cashews before blending. It is what creates a smoother, creamier sauce.
- For an even richer korma, blanched almonds can be used along with the cashews.
- Take your time browning the onions. They should be deeply golden but not burnt, since they provide much of the flavor and color for the sauce.
- For a more traditional aromatic finish, add ¼ teaspoon kewra water or rose water along with the garnish.
- Nut-free: swap the cashews for an equal volume of raw sunflower seeds.
- Make ahead: keeps 4 days refrigerated, freezes 3 months without the cream. Add garnishes fresh.