If you’ve ever visited a British curry house, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Chicken Pathia on the menu. This curry isn’t as famous as tikka masala or madras, but it holds a special place in the hearts of curry lovers who crave bold flavours. A perfect blend of sweet, sour, and spicy, Chicken Pathia is easy to prepare and tastes amazing!
In this blog post, I’ll walk you through how to make a curry house Chicken Pathia curry in just 30 minutes. It's perfect for a weeknight dinner or weekend treat.
About this 30 minute chicken Pathia recipe.
I have no idea where you keep your ingredients and how quickly you can get your hands on them. So by 30 minutes, we are talking cooking time. I keep all my spices labelled and can get to them quickly, so for me, it only takes about 5 minutes to get everything ready.
The cooking time of this famous sweet and sour curry can probably be done in about 20 minutes. It's really that fast!
I have used a very simple marinade for the chicken but you could pimp it up some and try the tandoori chicken tikka I used in this butter chicken. It adds another delicious layer of flavour.
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Ingredients for 30 Minute Chicken Tikka Masala
There are quite a few ingredients in this chicken Pathia. Get them all measured out and ready before you start cooking and it's a breeze.
- Ghee or rapeseed (canola) oil
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- Turmeric
- Salt
- FOR THE PATHIA SAUCE
- Onions
- Rapeseed (canola) oil or ghee
- Garlic and ginger paste
- Garam masala or curry powder
- Kashmiri chilli powder
- Sugar
- Passata
- Chicken stock or water
- Mango chutney
- Tamarind concentrate
- Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- Lemon juice
- Fresh coriander (cilantro)
- Salt to taste
See recipe card for quantities.
Step by step photos.
Check out my step by step photos to see just how easy it is to make this 30 Minute Chicken Pathia! You could skip the marinated chicken and just fry up some chicken pieces or use leftover chicken.
- Step 1: Mix the chicken with the salt and turmeric and set aside. You can leave it to marinate for a while if you like. When ready to cook, heat 1 tablespoon ghee or oil in a pan. Cook in one layer for 4 minutes and then flip to fry for another 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. The chicken may not be completely cooked at this point.
- Step 2: Add the chopped onion and chilli to the pan and fry for about 3 minutes or until still crisp but just starting to cook through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Step 3: Blend the remaining onions to a smooth paste.
- Step 4: Add two tablespoons ghee or oil to the pan and fry the onion paste for about 10 minutes over a medium heat, stirring regularly.
- Step 5: Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for an additional 30 seconds and then add the ground almonds, curry powder or mixed powder, paprika, tandoori masala, cumin, ground coriander and sugar. Stir well to combine.
- Step 6: Pour in the passata and half of the stock or water and bring it to a simmer.
- Step 7: Bring it all to a simmer and then stir in the chicken pieces.
- Step 8: Coat the chicken with the sauce. Cover and simmer over a medium heat for about 8 minutes.
- Step 9: Continue simmering to thicken the sauce to your liking. Then stir in the mango chutney, tamarind concentrate and red food colouring, if using. It is optional!
- Step 10: Coat the chicken with the sauce. Cover and simmer over a medium heat for about 8 minutes.
- Step 10: Season with salt to taste and adjust the other ingredients if needed. Serve with white rice and/or naans.
Substitutions
For the authentic curry house pathia flavour, I recommend using the ingredients above and in the recipe card below. You can, however substitute other ingredients to suit your dietary needs or to use up leftovers in the fridge.
- Vegetarian - Why not replace the chicken for cubed paneer? simply follow the steps in this recipe and brown the paneer in the pan instead of the chicken. You can even marinate it in the same way! You might also like to add additional vegetables to bulk it up. Try mushrooms, sliced bell peppers, courgettes (zucchini) or cubed squash.
- Use plain Chicken - In the recipe I explain how to make a good tandoori chicken marinade for the chicken. If time is an issue, you could just use plain chicken, chicken with another marinade or leftover chicken.
- Try lamb or beef - You could give some new life to your Sunday roast leftovers or fry up some lamb leg meat or beef until tender and add it instead of the chicken.
Equipment
You don't need any special equipment to make this 30 minute chicken pathia. Just a good solid pan or wok will do. A good spatula and chefs knife will also come in handy.
Storage
You can store chicken pathia 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. To reheat it, you can simply place it in your microwave or better, heat it in a pan over a medium heat until hot.
This curry also freezes well for up to 3 months. If freezing, freeze in an airtight container or freezer bags. Be sure to label and date the containers before freezing. Allow to defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Top Tip
Fry your blended onions on a medium heat to caramelize them! Cook slowly and let all the natural sugars release, leaving you with beautifully browned onions!
Final Thoughts
Chicken Pathia might not be as mainstream as other curries, but it’s one of the most flavour-packed dishes you can make at home. In just 30 minutes, you can create a takeaway-style curry that’s sweet, sour, spicy, and utterly addictive. Whether you’re new to Indian cooking or a seasoned spice lover, this Chicken Pathia recipe is a must-try.
So next time you're craving a curry night, skip the takeaway and make your own Chicken Pathia at home. It’s quicker, healthier, and way more satisfying.
FAQ
There are more than one way to get from A to Z. The curry house method which uses a base curry sauce gets slightly different results to cooking your pathia this way. That said, they are both very good and you might even prefer this method once you try it.
Nope. This 30 minute chicken pathia is cooked in one pan in a more traditional Indian style.
You do. And I have said exactly that in my books. This is really a cheat version but I think you are going to love it. By all means... If you enjoy cooking with a base sauce and using pre-cooked meats, do it. I do! I promise, however that you will get a great tasting Chicken Pathia with this recipe.
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Recipe
30 Minute Chicken Pathia
This is a quick and easy chicken pathia that tastes a lot like those you find at good curry houses. At restaurants, chicken breast is usually used but I recommend using chicken thighs as they have more flavour. For a spicier curry, use the red jalapeño or a spur chilli for a milder heat.
Ingredients
- 800g skinless, boneless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 to 4 tablespoon ghee or rapeseed (canola) oil
- 3 medium onions
- 1 spur or red jalapeño chilli, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon garlic and ginger paste
- 2 tablespoon garam masala or curry powder
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 250ml (1 cup) passata
- 250ml (1 cup) low sodium chicken stock or water
- 1 tablespoon smooth mango chutney
- 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
- 1 tablespoon Kasoori Methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoon fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Mix the chicken pieces with the salt and ground turmeric and set aside. You can let this marinate for a few hours if more convenient.
- Finely chop one of the onions and blend the other two into a smooth paste. Set aside.
- When ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoon ghee or oil over a medium-high heat. When sizzling hot, add the chicken pieces in one layer. Fry for 4 minutes on one side and then flip to fry the other side for 4 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken pieces to a plate and set aside. The chicken may not be completely cooked through at this point.
- Add another tablespoon ghee or oil to the pan if needed. When hot, stir in the chopped onion and fry for about 3 minutes or until crispy but just beginning to turn soft. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of oil to your pan, if needed and pour in the blended onions. Fry over a medium heat for about 7 minutes or until the onions are just beginning to turn a golden, but light brown,
Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and stir, allowing to sizzle for about 45 seconds. - Now add the garam masala or curry powder, chilli powder, and sugar and fry for a further 30 seconds.
- Pour in the passata and bring it all to a simmer. Then pour in half of the chicken stock or water. Bring to a simmer and the return the chicken pieces to the pan.
- Stir in the mango chutney and tamarind concentrate. Then cover the pan and let it all simmer over a medium heat for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid and continue simmering over a medium-high heat to thicken the sauce to your preferred consistency. If the sauce is too dry for your liking, you can always add more of the chicken stock or water.
At this point, you can add a little red food colouring but that is optional. - Try the sauce and add lemon juice and salt to taste. You can also add more sugar if you think it needs it to counter the tartness of the tamarind and lemon juice.
- Garnish with the chopped coriander and serve hot.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 789Total Fat: 58gSaturated Fat: 29gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 344mgSodium: 766mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 3gSugar: 10gProtein: 52g
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