This is another in my 30 minute curry series that ticks all the boxes in next to no time. My 30 Minute Chicken Madras is not only quick to make but tastes just as good as the takeaway if not better. Following I'm going to show you how it's done and also give you a few tips on how you can make your chicken Madras even better.
About this 30 Minute Chicken Madras
This 30 Minute Chicken Madras curry is quite similar to the Madras curries you find at the restaurants. It is, however slightly different as I use coconut milk in the sauce. Curry house style Chicken Madras doesn't usually have coconut milk in it but as the original was based on South Indian cooking, I wanted to give it a go.
If you are a real stickler to keeping things as they are at your favourite restaurant, you can skip the coconut milk and just add a little more stock. I do hope you try the coconut version though.
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How do you serve this 30 Minute Chicken Madras Curry?
As with most curry house style curries, you want a good amount of sauce/gravy. You'll get that with this recipe, making it the perfect curry to serve with any of the following.
- Basmati rice – simple and classic... Good, perfectly cooked rice is really all you need. Here's my no-fail recipe for Basmati rice.
- Fresh naan or chapatis – If you like to scoop up your curry with bread like I do, either of these will do.
- Onion salad and lime wedges – for that proper curry house vibe and to add a little colour to your plate.
Ingredients
To make things easy on yourself, be sure to get all your ingredients ready before you start cooking.
- Onions
- Rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee
- Chicken thighs or breasts
- Kashmiri chilli powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Juice of one lime
- Dried Kashmiri chilies
- Green cardamom pods
- Garlic and ginger paste
- Green finger chilies
- Passata
- Ground cumin
- Ground coriander
- Ground turmeric
- Garam masala or Madras curry powder
- Chicken stock or water
- Lime pickle or smooth mango chutney
- Thick coconut milk (optional)
- Kasoori methi
- Salt to taste
- Fresh cilantro (coriander)
- Limes
See recipe card for quantities.
Step by step photos.
I have included the following step by step photos so that you can see just how easy it is to make this 30 Minute Chicken Madras.
- Step 1: Place the chicken pieces in a bowl and add the lime juice, one teaspoon Kashmiri chillies powder, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine. Let marinate for 30 minutes to 4 hours or if in a rush, you can go straight to cooking.
- Step 2: Blend the onions until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.
- Step 3: Add two tablespoons of oil or ghee to a pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the chicken for 4 minutes on one side and then turn to cook for another 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. It might not be completely cooked through at this stage.
- Step 4: Returning to your pan, heat two more tablespoons oil or ghee over a medium-high heat and let the spices flavour the oil for about 30 seconds, stirring regularly.
- Step 5: Pour in the blended onions and fry for about 7 minutes or until they are turning a light, golden brown. Then stir in the garlic and ginger paste and the chopped chillies. Stir and fry for another minute or so.
- Step 6: Pour in the Passata and stock and bring to a simmer.
- Step 7: Return the chicken to the pan and stir it in. Cover the pan and let it simmer over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Step 8: After 10 minutes, lift the lid and add the coconut milk, if using and the mango chutney. Stir these right into the sauce. Season with salt to taste.
- Step 9: There you have it. Serve with rice, naans and/or chapatis. Garnish with the chopped coriander and don’t forget the lime wedges which can be squeezed over the curry to taste at the table.
Variations You Can Try
Dial up the heat: Add some naga pickle or a pinch of ghost chilli powder if you like it really hot. Chicken Madras is not normally the spiciest curry out there but there's no reason why it can't be.
Swap the protein: This works brilliantly with prawns, lamb, beef, paneer or tofu. Adjust cooking times accordingly. Beef and lamb might take a bit longer to cook, but if you cut the meat small as I do in this 30 minute rogan josh, you should still be able to cook the meat deliciously tender in 30 minutes.
Go veg: Try chickpeas and spinach, or chunky mushrooms for a meaty vegetarian version.
Equipment
You don't need any special equipment to make this 30 minute chicken chilli garlic curry. I used a hot wok to show you can cook a great curry with whatever you have. That said, the best pans for hot curries and high-heat frying are a carbon steel wok, heavy-based frying pan, or a cast iron skillet — all hold heat well and give you that proper sizzle and flavour.
Storage
You can store any leftover curry in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. In fact, as it rests in the fridge, the flavours will develop and it will get even better. You can reheat it in your microwave or pour it all back into a pan and heat it over a medium heat until hot.
Top Tip
Work Ahead - As nice as it is to make a curry fast that also happens to taste amazing, you can work ahead for even better results. Make your 30 minute chicken madras a day ahead of serving. The flavors will develop and it will taste even better.
Final Thoughts
This 30 minute chicken madras recipe proves that big flavour doesn’t have to take all day. It's quick enough to prepare that you can easily do it after work but is also good enough to serve to friends at the weekend.
With a Madras curry tending to be one of the spicier curries, be sure to check out the ingredients and adjust this to your own taste. Use fewer chillies and chilli powder if you want a milder version or spice it up with more. Tailor this curry to your own taste and you will absolutely love it.
FAQ
Yes! One of the ideas behind my series of 30 minute curries is to show that there are so many ways to prepare the ingredients for each curry. You could use the tandoori chicken recipe used in this Chicken Tikka Masala if you like. You could also make things simple and try the chicken preparation I use in this chicken jalfrezi. Prepare the chicken as you like and use it in this delicious chilli garlic sauce.
Absolutely. Like most curries, this one tastes even better after a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently with a splash of water or stock to bring it back to life.
You can also freeze it. Just let it cool, portion it up, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost thoroughly and reheat until piping hot.
No. That is a little experiment I did and liked it. You could also fry them in the same pan and the beginning of cooking. Adding them at the end gives a fresher flavour with more colour.
Related
Looking for more 30 minuted curries? Try these!
Pairing
Try this Chicken Madras with one of these popular sides.
Recipe
30 Minute Chicken Madras
This is a delicious and simple chicken madras. You can cook it in about 30 minutes. If you like, you can adjust the spice level by adding more or less chilli powder.
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions, roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoon rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee
- 1lb. 12oz (800g) chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 to 2 tablespoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Juice of one lime
- 3 dried Kashmiri chilies
- 3 green cardamom pods, lightly bruised
- 3 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- 3 green finger chilies, finely chopped
- 1 cup (250ml) passata
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 tablespoon garam masala or Madras curry powder
- 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock or water
- 1 tablespoon lime pickle or smooth mango chutney
- 5 tablespoon thick coconut milk (optional)
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi
- Salt to taste
- 3 tablespoon fresh cilantro (coriander), finely chopped
- 2 limes, quartered
Instructions
- Place the roughly chopped onions in a blender and blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, mix the chicken with one teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder, the salt, pepper and lime juice. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. If you're in a rush, you can go straight to cooking.
- When ready to cook, add one tablespoon oil or ghee to a pan over a medium-high heat. When sizzling hot, add the chicken and cook it in one layer for about 4 minutes. Then turn it and cook for another 4 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside. The chicken may not be completely cooked through at this stage.
- Now add another 2 to 3 tablespoons oil or ghee to your pan and pour in the blended onions. Fry for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly until the onions are turning a golden brown.
- Add the chopped chillies and garlic and ginger paste and fry for another minute before adding the ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala and remaining Kashmiri chilli powder. If you are at all concerned about the spice level, add only a small amount of chilli powder. You can always add more later.
- Stir in the passata and chicken stock or water and bring to a simmer. Then return the meat to the pan and stir it in so that it is completely coated with the sauce.
- Cover the pan and simmer over a medium heat for about 10 minutes. If the sauce is looking too dry, you can add a drop more chicken stock or water.
- After 10 minutes of gently simmering, remove the lid and stir in the lime pickle or mango chutney. Add mango chutney if you like a sweeter flavour.
- If adding the coconut milk, you can swirl that in now. Season with salt to taste. Add the Kasoori methi by rubbing it between your fingers over the sauce.
- Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve with the lime wedges, rice and/or naans.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 571Total Fat: 39gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 180mgSodium: 1121mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 7gSugar: 10gProtein: 33g
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