Tender & succulent pieces of chicken cooked in a medley of aromatic spices, flavors of coconut & cilantro. Serve cilantro chicken curry with rice or naan.
This recipe used fragrant spices, onions, and tomatoes. Chicken pieces are seared and cooked in aromatic gravy and get ready in 30 minutes of cooking time. Weeknight dinner is stress-free. Serve with some rice or naan and enjoy a family dinner.
Edited on 3/16/2021 to make it reader-friendly and add more details.
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ingredients
- chicken
- oil
- cloves
- cinnamon stick
- curry leaves
marinade
- paprika/Kashmiri red chilli powder
- garam masala
- Juice of lemon
- ground turmeric/turmeric powder/haldi
- ground coriander/coriander powder
- Salt to taste
grind to paste
- coconut milk (see recipe notes)
- cilantro leaves/ coriander leaves
- Serrano Pepper/ green chillies(adjust to taste)
- onions
- ginger -garlic paste
- tamarind pulp
step by step instructions
Cut the chicken into curry-sized/bite-sized pieces.
marination
In a medium-sized bowl, add the ingredients listed under marination along with the bite-sized chicken pieces and coat the chicken pieces well. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
grind to paste
Wash and pat dry cilantro leaves. Roughly chop the leaves.
Peel, wash, and roughly chop the onions. Place the onion pieces in a microwave-safe bowl and add 2-3 tablespoons of water. Microwave (high power) covered for 2-3 minutes or till the onions pieces are blanched.
In a food processor or blender, add the coconut milk, blanched onions, and all other ingredients listed under the "Grind to paste" section and make it into a smooth paste.
cooking
Heat oil in a skillet or kadhai on medium high heat and add the chicken pieces. Fry for a minute or two till the pieces brown on side. Flip over the pieces and fry the other side too. Remove from oil and keep it aside till it is ready to use.
To the same oil (add extra if needed), add the cloves, cinnamon stick and saute for a few seconds. Then add the curry leaves. Give it a quick stir. Pour the ground paste and the tamarind paste and bring to a boil. Add the browned chicken pieces and cook covered for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked well.
Remove the lid and cook for a couple of minutes uncovered to thicken the sauce.
Serve hot with rice or Naan.
serving suggestions
This is a delicious recipe that does well with plain rice or Jeera Rice.
If you do not want to serve rice, then a warm store-bought naan would be uh-maz-ing with this.
boneless or bone-in chicken?
Either should be fine. I typically tend to use boneless chicken because that is my family's preference.
does this curry use the "curry powder"?
This chicken curry does not use the curry powder available in the US grocery stores. "Curry", here means a gravy dish that is served either with rice or naan and has nothing to do with the curry powder. \
This recipe uses typical Indian spices (whole as well some ground) to bring in a lot of flavor and oomph to the dish.
what kind of coconut milk can you use in this recipe?
I use either canned coconut milk or coconut milk made using coconut milk powder.
Nowadays, I prefer this over canned coconut milk. Using the coconut milk powder does not seem to be leaving an after-taste which I find in certain brands of canned coconut milk.. I buy it either from my local Indian store or get it from Amazon.
I have not tried this dish with freshly squeezed coconut milk.
more chicken dishes
- Stovetop recipe for spicy oats crusted chicken thighs. This is an easy recipe with lots of flavors. You can adjust the spices to your liking and make a milder or spicier version.
- One of the easiest Chicken recipes I have ever come across - Chicken Ghee Roast. Chicken is simmered in spices roasted in ghee resulting in tender, juicy, and flavorsome pieces of chicken. This is a specialty from Mangalore and is very popular.
- Simple Chicken Roast is a finger-licking Kerala-style chicken curry where chicken is cooked in aromatic spices and coconut oil. The coconut pieces add a unique flavor and nice crunch to this semi-dry curry. It is a treat for your taste buds!
- A delicious chicken wrap made with juicy, flavorful green chutney chicken, fresh vegetables, and drizzled with generous amounts of cooling tzatziki sauce. It is amazing - the flavors all come together to make a quick & filling meal. Green chutney is made with cilantro and mint leaves and some warm spices. This a very healthy and delicious dinner idea.
Cilantro Chicken Curry
Tender & succulent pieces of chicken cooked in a medley of aromatic spices, flavors of coconut & cilantro. Serve cilantro chicken curry with rice or naan.
Ingredients
- 2.2 lb (1 kilogram) chicken
- 1 tablespoon oil (plus extra if needed)
- 2-3 cloves
- 1-inch cinnamon stick
- 10-12 curry leaves
Marinade
- 2 teaspoon paprika/Kashmiri red chilli powder; adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon garam masala; adjust to taste
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric/turmeric powder/haldi
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander/coriander powder
- Salt to taste
Grind to paste
- 400-milliliter coconut milk (see recipe notes)
- 1 small bunch (about 2 to 2.5 oz) cilantro leaves/ coriander leaves
- 2-3 Serrano Pepper (adjust to taste)
- 2 medium-sized (300-350 grams ) onions
- 1 tablespoon ginger -garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon tamarind pulp
Instructions
Preparation
- Cut the chicken into curry-sized (bite-sized) pieces.
Marination
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the ingredients listed under marination along with the bite-sized chicken pieces and coat the chicken pieces well. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Grind to paste
- Wash and pat dry cilantro leaves. Roughly chop the leaves.
- Peel, wash, and roughly chop the onions. Place the onion pieces in a microwave-safe bowl and add 2-3 tablespoons of water. Microwave (high power) covered for 2-3 minutes or till the onions pieces are blanched.
- In a food processor or blender, add the coconut milk, blanched onions, and all other ingredients listed under the "Grind to paste" section and make it into a smooth paste.
Cooking
- Heat oil in a skillet or kadhai on medium-high heat and add the chicken pieces. Fry for a minute or two till the pieces brown on the side. Flip over the pieces and fry the other side too. Remove from oil and keep it aside till it is ready to use.
- To the same oil (add extra if needed), add the cloves, cinnamon stick and saute for a few seconds. Then add the curry leaves. Give it a quick stir. Pour the ground paste and the tamarind paste and bring to a boil. Add the browned chicken pieces and cook covered for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked well.
- Season to taste.
- Remove the lid and cook for a couple of minutes uncovered to thicken the sauce.
- Serve hot with rice or Naan.
Notes
1. I have not tried this dish with freshly squeezed coconut milk. I prefer to use the coconut milk made using Maggi Coconut Milk powder in this recipe. You can also use coconut milk in cans. The cans are usually 420 ml, so you can use the whole can and boil a little extra time to thicken the sauce.
2. If Paprika is not available, use Kashmiri red chilli powder for color. The Serrano pepper is the one that adds heat to the dish. If Serrano pepper is not available, use any spicy green peppers of your choice.
3. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
4. I prefer to blanch the onions in the microwave to avoid the bitterness it imparts when using ground onions.
5. If you want to make it spicy, here are few more ideas. Increase the number of green peppers, marinate with additional black pepper or use Cayenne pepper while marinating.
Dolphia Nandi says
Sree,
I am surprised that I did not comment on this post of yours!
1. I love the photographs your husband has clicked here and fab job in styling!
2. I love anything and everything with cilantro and to be frank I look for innovative chicken recipes always!! So thanks for sharing this.
Framed Recipes says
Thank you Dolphia.
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Jyothi - Currytrail.in says
Curry with curry powder is a big no for me as well. The fresh ground masala is what makes a good curry and that is what I believe in. Flavor of the cilantro and those fresh aromatic spices....mmm I can imagine the taste of this curry in mouth right now. 😀 Beautiful clicks as always, Love the 3rd one more. The pis of those fresh cilantro, the beautiful light, that black beautiful board...all so gorgeous!
Framed Recipes says
Thanks Jyothi.