A rich, fragrant and relatively hot curry, chicken madras can be easily made at home in one pot. Blend the onion to give the sauce a rich, luxurious texture. Amazing Friday night curry!
Madras Curry is a rather hot curry with a rich, deep red sauce (the colour comes from chili peppers and paprika). There are some tangy notes from the addition of Tamarind and Fenugreek. The chicken is not marinated in this dish, and the spices are often dried or roasted.
The sauce is usually a smooth sauce. This recipe uses a madras spice mix, but also adds some extra spices. To get a nice smooth sauce, blend onion and use passata (it’s very rough, not canned tomatoes).
My version has a slightly warmer heat, but it’s not too hot (my kids are happy to eat it, they don’t like something too hot).
Also add coconut milk to your recipe. This isn’t always typical for Madras, but there are a few in British Indian restaurant style curry. Add a little richness to the curry and a hint of sweetness that balances the tomatoes and spices.
fundients
See how to make 📺
***A complete recipe with detailed instructions on the recipe card at the end of this post***
Blend onion, garlic and ginger into the paste of a mini food processor. Fry the mixture over high heat in ghee or oil.
Add the chopped chicken and cook until sealed for 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add seasonings. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly until the spices emit a scent. Add the passata and tomato puree, bring to a boil, and stir in the coconut milk. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes.
Pro tips
This curry can be as hot as you like. We use Madras Hot Curry Powder for the heat, but we can add more heat with fresh chili peppers. Alternatively, you can reduce the heat by changing the madra powder for a regular medium-sized or mild curry powder.
I sometimes like hot curry, but not too hot you can’t taste the taste and sweat on the table!
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🍽️What to offer
I like to top the curry with fresh coriander (coriander), a few slices of red chili peppers, finely sliced red onions and slices of red chili pepper.
🍲More wonderful curry
? FAQ
Yes, this chicken madras can be cooked, cooled immediately, covered and refrigerated for two days.
Reheat over medium heat on a pot until the chicken is hot all over (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally. You may need to add a splash of water to stop it from drying out.
Yes, this chicken madras can be cooked, cooled immediately, placed in an airtight container and frozen.
Thaw in the fridge overnight, reheat over heat in a pan, and stir until the chicken is sometimes hot piped throughout (about 10 minutes). You may need to add a splash of water to stop it from drying out.
Yes, make curry with bread until the end of step 5, transfer it to a slow cooker with coconut milk and stir together. Cook high and low for 3-4 hours, or 1-2 hours.
Marinate the chicken with tikka paste and grill the chicken to give it a lightly burnt perfection, adding even more flavor to the madras!
Here’s how to do it:
To a bowl, add 1/2 cup (120ml) thick natural yogurt, 2 slices of garlic chopped cloves, 1 tablespoon of inger, half a lemon juice, 1 tsp of each of the coriander and paprika, turmeric, cumin and mild chili powder (or hot if hot).
Mix it all and stir in the chopped chicken breast. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
Once marinated, place the chicken on a skewer or spread the pieces on a baking sheet and polish them with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. After that, grill the chicken and turn it once until cooked.
Finally add the cooked chicken to the sauce (after simmering for 10 minutes).
yes. For quick beef or lamb curry, use strips of lean beef steak (such as a lamp or flat iron) or lean lamb steak (shoulders or legs). Fry the strips in a very hot pan in a little oil, then saute for 3-4 minutes until soft until cooked, then add to the sauce at the end of cooking (10 minutes after boiling the sauce).
For slow cooked versions, use diced braised or chuck beef, or diced lamb legs or shoulders. Add it like chicken (in step 3). Add 200ml (70z) of Passata, then add another 200ml (70z) of beef stock (200ml (70z) of coconut milk (70z)) and boil and place in the oven at 160c/320f for 3 hours (synthesized). Alternatively, put it in a slow cooker and lower it for 5-6 hours, or 7-8 hours.
Yes, Madras curry powder is generally quite hot and spicy. If you want the taste and texture of Madras, if you don’t have a heat, you can swap something similar to a mild curry powder. Also add garlic, ginger, cinnamon, tamarind, paprika and fenugreek. So you still get the complex, slightly tangy flavor of Madras.
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Add onion, garlic and ginger to the mini food processor and blend into the paste. Add a splash of oil to loosen if necessary.
1 onion, Two clove garlic, Two teaspoons of inger
Heat the ghee (or oil) in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the onion mixture and saute for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the edges begin to brown.
3 tbsp or vegetable oil
Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until sealed.
Three chicken breasts
Lower the heat to medium and add cinnamon, madras curry powder, paprika, grand fenugreek, tamarind paste, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
½ tsp cinnamon ground, 3 tablespoons Madras Hot Curry Powder, 1 1/2 TSP Paprika, ¼1¼ ground fenugreek, TSP½ TamarindPaste, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
Add the passata and tomato puree and bring to a boil.
400 ml (14 oz) Pasata, 2 tablespoons tomato puree
Add coconut milk. Stir, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
200 ml (7 oz) Coconut milk (full fat)
Serve with fresh coriander, sliced chili peppers, red onions and boiled rice.
A small bunch of fresh coriander, One finely sliced red chili pepper, 1/4 red onion, Boiled rice
Note 1 – Madras Curry Powder
If you can’t find Madras curry powder, use regular curry powder, but add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or hot chili powder (or two if it’s really hot).
Note 2 – Fenugreek:
Do not buy a full jar if you are using it only for this recipe. If you don’t have anything, you can rule it out.
Can I move on?
Yes, this chicken madras can be cooked, cooled immediately, covered and refrigerated for two days.
Reheat over medium heat on a pot until the chicken is hot all over (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally. You may need to add a splash of water to stop it from drying out.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, this chicken madras can be cooked and cooled quickly, covered and frozen.
Thaw in the fridge overnight, reheat over heat in a pan, and stir until the chicken is sometimes hot piped throughout (about 10 minutes). You may need to add a splash of water to stop it from drying out.
Can I make it with a slow cooker?
Yes, make curry with bread until the end of step 5, transfer it to a slow cooker with coconut milk and stir together. Cook high and low for 3-4 hours, or 1-2 hours.
Nutritional information is available for one serving without providing rice and coriander (coriander) suggestions.
calorie: 466kcal | carbohydrates: 18g | protein: 40g | fat: 27g | Saturated fat: 17g | cholesterol: 137mg | sodium: 675mg | potassium: 1334mg | fiber: 4g | sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1011iu | Vitamin C: 17mg | calcium: 66mg | iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is calculated automatically and should only be used as an approximation.
This post was first published in March 2020. Updated in March 2025 for housekeeping.
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