Chicken Korma

Anyone who has scrolled through more than 5 recipes on this blog has probably figured out that I enjoy Asian and Indian dishes. While doing some recent travel, I was going through some of my kindle books. One of them is an Indian Cooking book, which featured Korma. Though I did not follow the recipe to a T, that was the inspiration for me to give this one a go.

Korma (which has a few names, including Qorma), is thought to have come from Turkey, Azerbaijan & Persia, and is part of Mughlai cuisine. Traditionally, bone-in chicken is used for the dish, but I used what I had in my freezer which = chicken breasts. Read more about the history here. One thing I really enjoy when I try out new dishes is digging in and learning more about the origins. Food is such a fascinating journey; spice combinations and cooking methods are diverse across the world, and I don't think you can ever stop learning on the topic.

I chose to use methods from a few different recipes. Some Korma recipes use tomato puree, others use sauce. Some use heavy cream, and others no broth. I'd read on one site that the use of puree or cream takes away from the flavor of the dish and is used by some restaurants. Whether or not this is accurate is not a topic I dug in on, but, I figured with so many variations in how the dish is made, I had a little bit of creative freedom to find my own path.

Step one is making a marinade for the chicken, similar to Butter Chicken. I used a mix

One thing is for sure: the dish starts with soaked cashews. I'm no stranger to this, and actually really love a good cashew sauce (see Creamy Cashew Pasta). You just soak the cashews in water for about 20 minutes to get them sauce-ready.

A quick blend in the food processor and voila! A base sauce.

On to the real cooking. I heated a large skilled up and added cooking oil and crushed bay leaves, cooking them for about a minute just to get them fragrant. I then added a chopped onion to the pan and sautéed for a couple of minutes, following that up with the addition of ginger and garlic. I cooked these little guys all together for a few more minutes, until the onions started to become translucent.

At that point, I created a well in the center of it all and added my chicken breast. I had one large chicken breast, but this can be done with chicken thighs, multiple chicken breasts, etc. You name it. Either way, I stuck the chicken in the center, yogurt still intact, and let it cook over that medium heat for 3-5 minutes. I flipped it and repeated, then moved to the next step.

Meanwhile, I added yogurt and seasonings to the food processor and blended again to finish my sauce.

I added chicken broth and tomato sauce to the pan, gently mixed it together, and covered it. I lowed the heat to low and let it all simmer for 15 minutes.

We're almost there! I removed the chicken from the pan and sliced it, then tossed it back in. Finally, I stirred in the yogurt mixture and covered it for another 10 minutes.

The final dish was served over some basmati rice.

Be careful with this one. It's one of those can't stop eating kind of dishes. It isn't spicy (at least it wasn't to me!), but was a really delightful take on curry. Some recipes had you make a cornstarch slurry to mix in and thicken it, but I did not find that necessary at all. The Greek yogurt helped make this a thick sauce.

Every curry I've made before had coconut milk, and the Greek yogurt really did well here. The seasoning and tomato made for a really rich flavor and I was quite happy with the final product. And look at the simplicity; it isn't a dish that takes too long to make at all. Five stars, my favorite kind of meal!

Chicken Korma Recipe

Ingredients:

For the chicken:
2 chicken breasts or 3-4 chicken thighs

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons minced garlic (or garlic paste)

1 teaspoon ginger paste (or minced ginger)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon turmeric

For the sauce:

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons cooking oil (I used avocado)

2 bay leaves, crushed

1 onion, diced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon ginger paste

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon Garam Masala

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 cup chicken broth

1 can tomato sauce (6 ounces)

2 cups cooked rice  (I used basmati)

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, mix yogurt, garlic, ginger, chili powder, cumin, and turmeric together. Coat both sides of the chicken, then place in the bowl, cover, and place in the fridge. Marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight.

Add cashews and water to a small bowl and allow to soak for 20-30 minutes. Place water and cashews in a food processor and blend until smooth. In a large skillet, add oil and heat to medium. Add crushed bay leaves and cook for about a minute, stirring frequently. Add diced onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Then, add garlic and ginger and continue cooking until onions begin to become translucent, about 3 more minutes. Add marinated chicken to the center of the pan (create a well in the onions) and lower heat to medium-low. Cover pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip chicken. Cook for 3-4 more minutes, then pour chicken broth and tomato sauce into the pan. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes on low heat. Remove chicken from heat and slice into strips. Slowly add the yogurt mixture to the pan and return chicken to heat. Cover and cook for 10 more minutes. Serve over cooked rice.

In the food processor, add seasonings and Greek Yogurt. Blend until smooth.