Authentic Chicken Korma Recipe

Authentic chicken korma recipe: Juicy chicken pieces in an unforgettably rich, mild, fragrant gravy – this authentic chicken korma is one of the BEST recipes you can try at home.

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Chicken korma is one of the popular curries at Indian restaurants around the world. 

There are many versions of chicken korma recipes found online that are very different from the real authentic korma dish. 

Growing up in an Indian home, chicken korma was always served on special occasions like weddings and family functions. 

I have made this more times than I can count and it has always been a hit with everyone around. 

You can use this same authentic chicken korma recipe to make mutton korma or lamb korma.

More Indian Chicken Curries

• Chicken Changezi
• Chicken Lababdar
• Andhra Chicken Curry
• Punjabi Dhaba Style Chicken Curry

What is Korma?

The Mughal influence on Indian food led to the origin of Korma. Korma or qorma typically means ‘braise‘. A korma recipe always begins with braising. 

The gravy or sauce of korma is made with aromatic whole spices, yogurt, fried onions, and nuts like almonds, cashews, and sometimes coconut.

Authentic Chicken Korma

An authentic traditional chicken korma is a rich, mild, gravy-based dish with layers of flavor. The authentic recipe uses no turmeric, no tomatoes, and no coriander leaves. 

Traditionally chicken korma was prepared by marinating the chicken, then braising the chicken in ghee and whole spices. But I used a combination of oil and ghee. 

Later the chicken is gently simmered in yogurt, fried onion, and nuts-based sauce until cooked. 

The sweetness of the fried onion and nuts balances the tanginess of the yogurt. In addition, the nuts impart a thick and creamy, luxurious texture to the dish. 

Your whole house will fill up with a magnificent aroma as you begin cooking this dish. 

Chicken Korma Ingredients

• Chicken: I have used bone-in skinless chicken. Boneless chicken breasts or thighs can be used as well;
• Oil and Ghee: I have used a combination of oil and ghee(clarified butter). You can use oil only if that is what you prefer;
• Yogurt: use plain, fresh yogurt;
• Ginger & garlic paste, Coriander powder, Chili powder: I have used Kashmiri red chili powder that is non-spicy. You can use whatever is available with you;
• Onion: slice the onion as thinly as possible for a quick and even frying;
• Whole spices: authentic chicken korma uses bay leaf, green cardamoms, cloves, nutmeg, and mace. Skip whichever is not available;
• Nuts: I used a combination of almonds and cashews. You can also add some shredded coconut if you like; 
• Kewra water: kewra water is a distilled extract from pandanus flowers, commonly used in many indian and Mughlai dishes. It adds that sahi (royal) flavor to the korma. You can find it in Indian grocery stores or on amazon here (affiliate link). If it is hard to find, I would suggest skipping it. It won’t affect the taste anyway;
• Water: hot, filtered water; 

Equipments

• Mortar and Pestle
• Pan with Lid

Chicken Korma Recipe Step By Step

Preparation

1. Crush 3-5 green cardamom pods, 1 mace petal, 1 small pea-sized nutmeg into a powder. 
2. Whisk the yogurt until smooth and set aside.
3. Nut paste: remove the skin of the almonds and grind the almonds and cashews to make a fine and smooth paste. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water if required. 

Marinating the chicken

1. Take 500 grams (1.2 lbs) chicken in a mixing bowl. Add in 1 teaspoon plain, fresh yogurt, 1 teaspoon garlic paste, ½ teaspoon ginger paste, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon coriander powder, and 1 teaspoon salt (or as required). 
2. Mix everything well and set aside for 30 minutes. 

Frying the onions

1. Heat a pan or pot with ½ cup of oil. Once the oil is hot enough add in thinly sliced onions and saute continuously over medium to high flame until the onion turns golden brown. It will take around 7-10 minutes. 
2. Once done take out the fried onions with a slotted spoon and spread on a paper towel to soak up excess oil and allow to completely cool down. 
3. We are going to use the same pot for cooking. Hence leave out 1 tablespoon of oil in the pot and remove the rest.
4. Once the onion cools down, coarsely grind them and transfer to a bowl to use later. 

Stir fry the chicken

1. Heat the same pot with 1 tbsp of ghee. 
2. Add in 1 bay leaf, 3-5 green cardamoms, 3 cloves, and 1 cinnamon stick approx. 2 inches long. 
3. Saute for a couple of seconds and add in the marinated chicken. 
4. Saute occasionally over medium to high flame for 5-7 minutes.

Making chicken korma gravy

1. Simmer the flame and add in beaten curd, coarsely ground onions, and nut paste. Stir everything well to avoid yogurt from splitting.
2. Cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, until oil separates.
3. Then add in freshly crushed cardamom, mace, and nutmeg powder, ½ teaspoon kewra water, a few soaked, skinned almonds if adding, and 1 ½ cup of hot water. 
4. Stir to mix. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked and oil starts separating from the sauce.
5. Classic chicken korma is ready to serve. Serve hot with naan, paratha, or steamed basmati rice. 

What to serve with this Chicken Korma?

It is best paired with naan, paratha, or steamed long grain basmati rice. Pulao or any flavored rice also goes well with this. It also pairs beautifully with my mediterranean yellow rice.

Making Ahead and Storage 

The best thing about this dish is, you can cook it ahead of time if you wish. Allow it to completely cool down, then transfer to an airtight glass container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. You can also freeze it for up to a month. Just thaw the korma and reheat it either on a stovetop over a low flame or in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, before serving.

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