Best Indian Curry Recipe – Insanely Easy + Delicious!

The Best Indian Curry Recipe (Murgh Kari) is for hectic days when you need a quick recipe for delicious food with the least amount of effort. Tasty, perfectly spiced pieces of succulent chicken in a boatload of fragrant velvety sauce. Also with 33.6g of protein and > 5g of carb it is protein heaven and will keep you satisfied for hours. Literally dump and simmer. Its that easy!

This is the Best Indian Curry Recipe because it’s quick, easy, and has the best ginger-garlic-based sauce. In about a half-hour, you can make something better than takeout that is not only cheaper, but healthier and deliciously fragrant. It’s a one-pot recipe so clean-up is a cinch. It’s great as a leftover and is fantastic as both a satisfying keto/low carb meal over salad/veggies or a comfort food with easy homemade naan. A perfect recipe for those, exhausting days where every second in the kitchen hurts and you want something tasty fast.

This Indian Curry Recipe gives you that delicious signature curry taste without the effort and complexity of other popular dishes in Indian cuisine like chicken tikka masala, chicken korma, and butter chicken. It’s built for simplicity.

Ingredients

The first time I made it, I was surprised at how fragrant the dish smelled! There are no unusual, cryptic ingredients like cashew paste, cumin seed, coriander seeds, fenugreek (kasoori methi), and poppy seeds. All the ingredients are pantry staples and easy to find in a supermarket.

• The chicken pieces in this recipe can be either skinless, boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast. The chicken is cooked in a sauce so it is unlikely that the breast will dry out. I prefer using chicken thighs because I love making extra for leftovers and thighs tend to retain a juicier texture.
• In the summer, I love using sweet Campari tomatoes in this recipe – but any tomato including tomato puree will do. The tomato is added for body and flavor. Once in a pinch, I just used a tablespoon of ketchup and it tasted delicious. If the tomatoes are not sweet, add a dash of sugar or sweetener at the end to brighten the flavors.
• Cilantro is a gorgeous garnish that also adds a wonderful herby flavor. Sliced red serrano peppers or thinly sliced ginger are other garnishes that upgrades this dish to restaurant level.
• The blended fresh garlic, ginger, and onion is the main ingredient and secret to the luscious, velvety sauce. Using the powdered versions do not work as well because you need the fibers to thicken and create the body of the sauce. Use as little water as possible. If you are not up to blending, just use sliced garlic, ginger, and onion – this version is very tasty too!

• The recipe uses a neutral vegetable oil however any other oil like coconut oil, avocado oil, and olive oil will work.
• Powdered Indian spices used in this recipe include cumin, coriander, red chili powder, and garam masala powder. While this is a traditional combination of spices, you can also use curry powder instead of cumin and coriander. Spice lovers should add freshly ground black pepper or red chili powder for more heat. I like the dish to have a reddish-brown look but if you prefer a golden brown color, add about 1/4 spoon of turmeric.
• A small cinnamon stick adds loads of flavor and a wonderful aroma to this chicken dish/. However, this ingredient is optional – the dish still works without it.

How to make this Indian Curry Recipe

The chicken recipe or Murgh Kari is inspired by an old family recipe where chicken is cooked only with whole spices like bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom. I loved it, but I really wanted more sauce. This one produces a delicious OMG-I-CANT-STOP-EATING-THIS sauce.

Just two steps:

Put the ingredients into the pot: Blend the onion, garlic, and ginger in upto a cup of water – use as little as possible. This is the secret to the delicious velvety sauce. Pour into a medium-sized pot. Add all the remaining ingredients to the pot – whit the exception of the cilantro which is used later as a garnish.

Simmer: Cover and simmer on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low. Stir occasionally as needed. Chicken is done when it is cooked through and the oil separates from the spices, rising to the top of the gravy- about 20-25 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning as needed. If your tomatoes are not very sweet add a dash of sugar or sweetener to brighten the flavors. Turn off heat and garnish with coriander.

Tips on making the Best Indian Curry

• Use as little water as possible when blending the onions, ginger, and garlic. The chicken will naturally release water so there should be plenty of liquid for the sauce
• Add red chili flakes if you want more heat.
• A dash of sugar or sweetener at the end helps brighten the flavors.
• Cook the dish for the full 25 minutes – it helps the flavors develop – don’t stop when the chicken is cooked.

How long does Indian Curry last in the fridge?

This Indian Curry Recipe lasts for about 3 days in the fridge, when cooled to room temperature and stored in an airtight container. The curry is better after 1-2 days because the flavors deepen and develop more flavor.

Microwave – most convenient: Put the Indian Curry in a microwave-safe container and heat for about 2 minutes. For larger amounts, stir the curry and reheat for 1-2 minutes again as needed.

Stovetop – great for larger batches: To reheat the curry, place the cold curry in a saucepan with about 1 teaspoon of water. Heat the curry on medium-low heat and cover so that the steam heats the meat through, stirring occasionally as needed.

Nutrition

Each serving of this Indian Curry Recipe has about 252 calories, 33.6g of protein, 10.4g of fat, and 4.6g of carbohydrates.

This recipe yields approximately 8 servings. The nutrition information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator and is intended for informational purposes only. Please use it as a general guideline. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should independently verify it using your preferred tool.

Variations

• Indian Chicken Curry with Potatoes – Microwave about one pound of potatoes (cut into half or smaller pieces if needed) and simmer with the chicken. Add salt or a bouillon cube and an extra cup of hot water as needed.
• Indian Chicken Curry with Cauliflower – For a low carb variation – add about 3 cups of cauliflower (cut into florets) and simmer with the chicken. Add salt as needed. One of the most delicious meals ever!
• Chicken Saag – add about 5 cups of fresh spinach leaves to the chicken curry in the last 2-3 minutes. Stir until wilted. Add salt as needed. A great recipe if you want to add more greens to your diet.
• Creamy Indian Curry – Add half a cup of coconut milk or 1/4 cup of cream or 4 ounces of cream cheese and simmer with the chicken.

Serving Suggestions

This Indian Curry Recipe produces loads of fragrant flavorful sauce so it is fantastic as a comfort food with rice, naan, and mashed potatoes. I often eat this Indian Curry Recipe with Roti and Mango Lassi. My favorite Indian dessert to finish off this meal is Shemai – Creamy Vermicelli in Sweet Rose Infused Cream.

For a keto-compliant meal, serve the Indian Curry with a light cucumber or green salad on the side. Other tasty sides include curried cauliflower, sauteed spinach in garlic and olive oil and roasted low carb vegetables like zucchini and red peppers.

This Indian Curry Recipe also goes very well with garlic naan bread, tandoori roti, crusty Two Hour Artisan Bread sandwiches and as a pizza topping with Homemade Thin Crust Pizza Dough. It also goes really well with a variety of rice like white rice, brown rice, basmati rice and jeera rice.

A popular breakfast in the Indian subcontinent is to eat leftover chicken curry with a side of eggs and roti. It is a pretty iconic dish so if you have some leftovers, you should really try it!!

Indian Curry FAQs

More Indian Recipes

Easy Chicken Tikka – A made from scratch Chicken Tikka recipe with spicy yogurt-infused chargrilled chicken. Marinating the night before takes this super simple recipe from delicious to OMG AMAZING! Packed with 35g of protein and less than 4g of carbs, it’s a keto lover’s dream.

Butter Chicken Recipe – Seriously tasty, this super easy Indian curry chicken recipe consists of deeply marinated chicken in an incredibly creamy tomato-based curry sauce. This is Butter Chicken at its best and its I-Can’t-Stop-Tasting-It Good!

Chicken Biryani – If you love Biryani but don’t know how to recreate this iconic dish, you are at the right place! Here is a crazy delicious Chicken Biryani Recipe with all the authentic flavors you want and that you can make in your own kitchen!

Finally if you make this recipe

I’d love to hear how it went – please leave a comment and rate this recipe. Above all, I love hearing from all of you and will do my best to answer every comment!