Name: The ultimate makeover: Chicken korma
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 medium onions chopped; 3 garlic cloves; about 2cm piece fresh root ginger (to give you 2 tbsp finely chopped); 5 cardamom pods; 1 cinnamon stick; 600g boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces; 2 tsp ground coriander; 1 ½ tsp garam masala; ¼ tsp ground mace; ½ tsp ground black pepper; 150ml natural yogurt not fridge cold; 100ml full-fat milk; 2 small green chillies deseeded and shredded; handful coriander leaves and stems, coursely chopped; 1 tbsp flaked almonds toasted; 250g basmati rice cooked with a generous pinch saffron

Home
Recipes
The ultimate makeover: Chicken korma

The ultimate makeover: Chicken korma

Angela Nilsen

Save recipe

Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 45 mins

A star rating of 3.3 out of 5.10 ratingsRate

loading...

Try this healthier, more fragrant version of a popular Indian classic

Skip to ingredients

Alternatives

Complete the dish

Showing items 1 to 3 of 3

Easy mango chutney naan breads

A star rating of 4.6 out of 5.46 ratings

Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium onions

chopped
3 garlic cloves
about 2cm piece fresh root ginger

(to give you 2 tbsp finely chopped)
5 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
600g boneless, skinless chicken

breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tsp ground coriander
1 ½ tsp garam masala
¼ tsp ground mace
½ tsp ground black pepper
150ml natural yogurt

not fridge cold
100ml full-fat milk
2 small green chillies

deseeded and shredded
handful coriander

leaves and stems, coursely chopped
1 tbsp flaked almonds

toasted
250g basmati rice

cooked with a generous pinch saffron

Keep the screen awake with cook mode on the Good Food app.

Nutrition: per serving

kcal402
fat12g
saturates3g
carbs33g
sugars7g
fibre1g
protein43g
salt0.35g

low

Method

step 1

Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a deep sauté pan or wok. Tip in the onions, then fry over a medium-high heat for about 12-15 mins, stirring occasionally, until a rich golden colour and the pan is sticky on the bottom. While they cook, chop the garlic and ginger. Make a slit down the length of each cardamom pod just deep enough to reveal the tiny seeds. Remove the onions from the heat. Transfer a third of them to a small blender along with the garlic, ginger and 2 tbsp water. Whizz together to make a paste that is as smooth as you can get it. Set aside.
step 2

Return the onions in the pan to the heat, add the remaining oil, cardamom pods and cinnamon stick, then stir-fry for a couple of mins. Stir in the chicken, ground coriander, 1¼ tsp of the garam masala, mace and black pepper, then stir-fry for another 2 mins. Reserve 3 tbsp of the yogurt, then slowly start to add the rest, 1 tbsp at a time, stirring between each spoonful. When all the yogurt has gone in, stir in the oniony paste and stir-fry for 2-3 mins. Stir in 150ml water, then the milk. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 20 mins, scattering in the chillies for the final 5 mins, by which time the chicken should be very tender. Remove the cardamom pods and cinnamon. The flavours mellow all the more if refrigerated overnight. When gently reheating, splash in a little water if needed to slacken the korma sauce.
step 3

Finish by stirring in the chopped coriander. Taste and add a little salt if you wish. Swirl in the reserved yogurt. Spoon the korma into bowls, scatter a few almonds over each portion with a sprinkling of the remaining garam masala. Serve the saffron rice on the side.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2009

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?1 star out of 52 stars out of 53 stars out of 54 stars out of 55 stars out of 5

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

CommentQuestionTip

Overall rating

A star rating of 3.3 out of 5.10 ratings

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access

Get 3 months of Good Food All Access for just £6. Find triple-tested recipes that take the stress out of deciding what to cook, spend less time planning, and more time enjoying the season.

Subscribe now