Learn how to make a basic and easy paki-style chicken curry with coconut milk and spices. This is a relatively mild chicken curry recipe that's fabulous because it goes with everything - rice, chapati, pulao etc.
There are so many variations to a coconut milk chicken curry and this is my own. There's nothing special or majorly different in this recipe than the base of most paki curries but I do like my chicken curry in a particular way, and this is it.
While generally my non-vegetarian recipes are on the spicier side, both heat-wise and spice-wise, I like to keep coconut based curries on the milder side. That tends to brings out the flavour and sweetness of coconut milk which really should be the star in such recipes. I also like to keep tang to a minimum and so add tomatoes for the colour than for any major flavour.
You can adapt this chicken curry with coconut milk recipe in many different ways to suit your palates and I have mentioned some variations below, while I explain the flow of how I make it. If you use canned or packaged coconut milk, this is a very easy dish to put together in under 30 mins. Making your own coconut milk will obviously elevate the flavour of the curry but it's not essential in this dish, in my opinion. Since I like the gravy to be a bit on the thicker side.
Chicken Curry (with Coconut Milk):
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Serves: 5
Main Ingredients:
Chicken
Coconut Milk
Ingredients
Chicken: 1 kg (washed, cut into bite sized pieces)
Yogurt: 1/2 cup (curd)
Lemon juice: 1/4 lemon
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tbsp
Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder: 1 1/2 tsp
Poppy seeds: 1 tbsp (soak in little milk and make paste)
Red Onion: 2 (large, finely chopped)
Garam masala powder: 1 cardamom, 1/2 " cinnamon and 5 cloves finely ground
Star anise: 1
Cinnamon: 1"
Thick coconut milk: 3/4 cup
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsps (finely chopped for garnish)
salt to taste
Oil: 2 tbsps
Make a paste:
Green chilies: 3
Ginger: 1 1/2" piece
Garlic: 6 cloves
Method:
*Marinate the chicken in yogurt, coriander pwd, cumin pwd, turmeric pwd, lemon juice and half of the ground ginger-garlic-green chili paste for 10 mts.
*Heat oil in a cooking vessel, add the star anise, cinnamon stick and chopped onions and fry for 4 mts. Add the remaining ground ginger-garlic-green chili paste and saute for 4 mts. Add red chili powder and mix.
*Add the marinated chicken and cook on high heat for 4 mts, mixing once in a while.
*Reduce to medium heat, add salt and poppy seeds paste and mix well. Let the chicken cook in this paste for 8-10 mts, uncovered. Cook till oil separates. Add 1 1/2 cups water and mix. Bring to a boil, reduce flame and cook for 13-14 mts.
*Finally add garam masala pwd, mix well. Add thick coconut milk and cook on medium flame for 3-4 mts. Turn off heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
*Serve hot with white steamed rice, coconut rice, any flavored or rotis.
Tips:
You can add 4-5 tbsps coconut paste instead of coconut milk. Add the coconut paste at the time of adding the poppy seeds paste.
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