• CourseDinner
  • CuisineIndian
  • KeywordAll-Seasons, Flavor, For Foodies, One Pan Dinner, Saucy
Servings Prep Time
4people 15minutes
Cook Time Passive Time Total Time
30minutes 30minutes 1 hr and 15 min
Servings Prep Time
4people 15minutes
Cook Time Passive Time Total Time
30minutes 30minutes 1 hr and 15 min
Tips
Make your own Madras Curry to control the heat or just buy it if you like to elevate the spice.
Degree of Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients
Marinade
Curry
  • 2lbs chicken2 thighs and 2 legs or 2 chicken breasts cut into pieces
  • 3tbspn oil for sautéing
  • 1medium onionpeeled and chopped
  • 1tspn grated ginger
  • 3cloves garlicgrated
  • 2sprigs fresh curry leaves
  • 11″ piece cinnamon
  • 3-4pods green cardamom
  • 1tspn chili powder
  • 2tspn Madras Curry Powder
  • 1can chopped tomatoes and their juice
  • 3tbspn tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup tamarind sauce
Garnish
  • 3-4sprigs fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
  1. Gather all ingredients before starting recipe.
  2. Combine chicken pieces with marinade and work the marinade into the chicken. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  3. Lightly crush whole spices in a mortar and pestle, set aside.
  4. Heat oil in a medium sauté pan over medium high heat.
  5. Add chopped onions, ginger, curry leaves and sauté until the onions begin to color, about 5-6 minutes.
  6. Add grated garlic and stir to combine, about 1 minute. Add crushed whole spices and cinnamon and stir to combine, sauté for about 2 minutes.
  7. Add chili powder and Madras curry powder and sauté for another minute.
  8. Add chicken pieces along with the marinade and stir to combine well.
  9. Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste stir to combine and then cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the juices come out of the chicken and the chicken has cooked through, about 20 minutes.
  10. When the chicken is done, add 6-8 more curry leaves and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to sit for a half hour to an hour. Reheat when ready to serve.
Recipe Notes

I altered the original recipe to suit my tastes and, in my opinion, to make it easier to cook. I did make my own Madras Curry Powder. I had all the ingredients on hand and this allowed me to control the heat. Not that there is none, I did include the generous number of whole black pepper corn as well as the chili powder, so it does have some heat. But you can control this by increasing the quantity called for in the recipe, or add your own hot chili if you like the flavor.

I also substituted the fresh tomatoes that were originally called for with chopped canned tomatoes as I find that the flavor and color you get from canned is more predictable than using fresh.

Lastly, I also added tomato paste to counter balance the sourness of the canned tomatoes. This worked well to enhance the flavor of the tamarind sauce as well as the texture and color of the dish.