Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry  

"No pain no gain, nana" -Pavana

1. Cut the chicken. 

The most flavorful chicken curry uses whole chickens, because the bones contain a lot of the chicken flavor. Chicken curry with just breast or thigh meat is less flavorful. Use a 2.5 to 3 lb chicken. 


Tip: Keep a plastic bag nearby to keep your discarded meat, along with a separate bowl for the chicken pieces you wish to use in the curry,


  1. Rinse the inside and outside of the chicken thoroughly with plain water in the sink.

  2. General: The innards will always come in a package in the inside. Discard it. Also remove any skin on the outside of the main body.

  3. Tailbone: Using a large, sharp butcher knife, first cut the tailbone off and discard.

  4. Drumsticks: Next, cut off one of the legs. The leg includes both the upper thigh, the lower calf, and the knee joint. Cutting through will require you to break some bones with the knife. Cut the leg right above the knee. The knee and lower part is a drumstick. Keep the drumsticks aside for the curry.  

  5. Thighs: For the thigh pieces, cut off excess skin and fat and discard. Cut the thigh piece into two pieces and keep aside for the curry. 

  6. Breasts: Find the brain stem. Next to it, there is a bone with a dent on top of the arm. Cut a two inch gash into the dent and use the sectioned off piece as a grip to rip the meat off the main stem of the body. The meat that rips off should include the breast attached to a wing. Cut off the wings. Cut the remaining breast into three pieces of equal size and add to the bowl.

  7. Wings: Cut off the wings. Cut each wing at the elbow. Cut off the talon. Add the remaining two pieces from each wing to your curry bowl.  

  8. Wishbone: You’ll be left with a big carcass. Along the spine, you’ll find the wishbone. Google it to figure out what it looks like. Cut through the tendons that attach the wishbone to the carcass. Grab the body underneath the wishbone talons with one hand, the top of the spine with the other, and pull the two body pieces apart. On the half without the wishbone attached, cut off any remaining spinal gizzard. Discard any excess fat. Cut through the bone so that this chunk turns into three pieces. On the half with the wishbone attached, use your intuition to chop it up into chunks. The spine and bones will provide good flavor.


2. Marinate the chicken.


For the chicken bowl, add 2.5 tsps of salt to the chicken, 2 tbsps of chili powder, ½ tsp of turmeric, 1 tsp of cumin powder, 3 tbsps of coriander powder, 3 tbsps of garlic-ginger paste. Mix thoroughly around the chicken and let it sit for 20 minutes.


For garlic-ginger paste:

Peel 2 bulbs of garlic and chop 5 or 6 inches in length of ginger into 1 inch pieces. Blend with 1 tbp of olive oil and 1/8 of a tsp of turmeric, along with 1/8 of a cup of water (eyeball the water -- it's there just to help the blades rotate). Blend until smooth. Store the paste in a clean container in the fridge. It will keep well for a few months. You may notice it will turn green over time; this is normal. You can still use it when it is green. 

3. Prepare the vegetables.


For three pounds of chicken, use one large yellow onion and dice it. Set it aside. Dice two roma tomatoes and set them aside.


4. Cook the chicken.

In a large nonstick wok, add 1/3 of a cup of vegetable oil and ½ tsp of cumin seeds, and turn the heat on to medium. Once the cumin seeds begin to crackle, add the diced onions, 1/2 tsp of salt, and cover.


After 10 minutes, add 2 tbsp of garlic-ginger paste and the chicken. Cook on high heat for 10 more minutes uncovered. Cooking it uncovered will help the raw smell of the chicken go away.  


Next, add the diced roma tomatoes, 3-4 curry leaves (along with one or two stems for flavor), 1/4th of a tsp of cardamom powder, 1/4th of a tsp of cinnamon powder, and 1/8th of a tsp of cloves powder. Stir and cook on medium heat for 10 or 15 minutes covered.


After this time passes, change the heat to low, add 3-4 more curry leaves, and cook for another 20 minutes. Once a layer of oil floats to the top, that’s how you know it’s cooked and ready to eat. 

Comments

  1. Reddypuram RecipesMay 26, 2025 at 10:15 AM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Reddypuram RecipesMay 26, 2025 at 10:18 AM

    Nikki’s Allium Free Chicken Curry for 4 Hungry People + Some Leftovers

    Shopping List
    10 chicken thighs with bones
    1 can of full fat coconut milk
    1 small piece of ginger
    2 bags of coriander leaves (do not skimp)
    1 tomato
    1 bulb of fennel
    1 lemon
    Olive oil
    White basmati rice
    Butter

    Spices
    Mustard seeds
    Cumin seeds
    Coriander seeds
    Red chili pepper flakes
    Cumin powder
    Coriander powder
    Turmeric powder
    Dried curry leaves (in spice section of Harvest)

    Prep
    1. Cut the skin off each chicken thigh. Cut off as much meat from the bone as you can, and cut them into small 1/2 inch pieces. Throw the fat and skin away, but save the bones. Set it to the side
    2. Dice the fennel bulb, throw the talk and leaves away.
    3. Mince 3 big tablespoons of ginger
    4. Dice the tomato
    5. Chop up 2.5 full cups of coriander leaves

    Cooking
    1. In a big pot, pour 1/2 cm depth of olive oil into the pan and turn the heat on high
    2. Add 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp of coriander seeds, 1/2 tsp of red chili pepper flakes into the oil
    3. Once the mustard seeds start to crackle, add the fennel and ginger
    4. Reduce the heat to medium high and let the fennel soften, maybe for 5-10 minutes
    5. Once it is 3/4 softened, add the tomato, 1 tbsp coriander powder, 1 tbsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder, and 20 or so dried curry leaves. Stir everything around in the pot and let it fry for another 2 minutes
    6. Add the can of coconut milk and mix it all around. Bring the coconut milk to a simmer.
    7. Add in all of the chicken, along with the bones.
    8. Let it cook for 10 minutes or so. Once the chicken is halfway cooked (still a bit pinkish), add 1 big cup of coriander leaves. Stir and allow to continue cooking on a simmer.
    9. Once oil and fat have floated to the top, chicken should be cooked. Add remaining coriander leaves.

    Eating
    1. Cook 3 cups of basmati rice with 3 or 4 tbsp of butter and 1 tsp of cumin seeds
    2. Serve!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Reddypuram RecipesMay 26, 2025 at 10:19 AM

      Pooja's version uses 1 medium yellow onion and garlic

      Delete

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