Chicken Masala Curry with Potatoes

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This simple, one-pot red hot Chicken Masala Curry with Potatoes recipe is so easy to make. Chicken and potatoes are cooked with fresh homemade masala powder, onion, and ginger-garlic paste, resulting in a zesty curry, that is so perfect for dipping your roti or naan or scooping up with rice!!

WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THIS CHICKEN CURRY RECIPE

Where I grew up, we add potatoes to everything. From Biryani to pulaos to curries. For me, potatoes are comfort food, and honestly, I haven’t met anyone yet who doesn’t like potatoes.

If you like your curries a little soupy, then this is the best curry chicken you will ever have. Tastes amazing with some basmati rice! This recipe is something my mom would cook almost once a week unless we have a special request to make the chicken dish like a chicken roast instead of a curry-based dish.

Every time, I crave this curry chicken and potatoes dish, I would make it and enjoy it for 2 to three days with either naan or some rice. Tastes better the next day

INGREDIENTS USED IN CHICKEN MASALA CURRY WITH POTATOES

• Oil: I have used Mustard Oil in this recipe. Mustard oil gives the curry that authentic East Indian taste. If you can’t source Mustard Oil or if you are unfamiliar with the taste, use peanut oil or sesame oil. About a 1/4 cup of oil is used in this recipe.
• Chicken: This recipe calls for whole, skinless chicken that’s cut up into pieces. Bone-in chicken is the best kind to use in this recipe for that bold and tender flavor profile. I usually buy my chicken from Whole Foods, where the skin and cut up the chicken into small pieces.
• Tomatoes: I use good organic vine tomatoes invariably. Love the flavor and tanginess that vine tomatoes provide.
• Yogurt: I have used unflavored yogurt. Yogurt makes this curry so rich and yum. You can use sour cream as well.
• Potatoes: I have used white baby potatoes. You can use any potatoes. You can also skip potatoes if not a fan of them.
• Garlic-Ginger Paste: You can either buy ready-made ginger-garlic paste or make them at home. If you have a blender, blend a couple of cloves of garlic and small pieces of ginger with a couple of spoons of water to make fresh ginger-garlic paste.
• Kashmiri Chili Powder: The best part about this Kashmiri chili powder is it gives the curry that beautiful and bold red hue without really making it spicy. You can use paprika as well. Used for subtle heat and flavor.
• Ground Spices: I make my blend of spices to use in this chicken masala recipe. You would need whole cardamom, cloves, cinnamon stick, black peppercorn, fenugreek leaves, coriander, and cumin. These are available in all grocery stores.
• Turmeric & Salt

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE MURGH MASALA

MARINATE THE CHICKEN

Marinate the chicken with 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tbsp Kashmiri chili powder, 1 tbsp salt, and 1 tbsp turmeric. Mix well and keep it aside.

PREPARE THE DRY CHICKEN MASALA POWDER

In a non-stick pan, heat 2 tbsp fenugreek leaves, 2 tbsp whole coriander seeds, 1 tbsp cumin, 5 peppercorns, 3 cloves, 2 cardamom pods, 1 inch cinnamon stick.

Dry roast these spices on low heat for a minute or two.

After the roasted spices are cooled down, blend them into a fine powder using a coffee grinder.

Keep aside.

FRY THE CHICKEN PIECES

In a pan or Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp oil.

Add the marinated chicken pieces and fry on medium heat till they are browned slightly.

Remove the chicken pieces from the pan.

MAKE INDIAN CHICKEN MASALA CURRY BASE

In the same pan, add 5 tbsp oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and fry till the onion is caramelized into a beautiful caramel color.

Add pureed tomatoes, dry masala blend, turmeric, chili powder and salt

Cook on low to medium heat till the oil separates.

Add yogurt and the chicken pieces.

Mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Allow the chicken to cook until it starts to brown. 

Add the potatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 35-40 minutes with the lid ajar until the chicken and potatoes are cooked through.

PRO-TIPS TO MAKE YOU MASTER CHICKEN CURRY RECIPE

Caramelize the onions

In almost all Indian curry recipes, onions are fried till you get that beautiful caramelized color and aroma. Whether you are using chopped onions or onion paste, make sure your onions are cooked beautifully before adding the rest of the spices to them. This decides the chicken curry’s gravy texture.

You can use the pre-fried onions as it is in the curry and blend them for a thicker gravy.

Make your own spice blend

There is nothing like using freshly ground spice blend to make chicken curry. It makes a whole lot of difference. If you have a coffee grinder, you can easily blend the dry spices into a blend. Even the freshly made ginger-garlic paste adds a lot of depth to the taste of the chicken masala curry.

Dry roast the whole dry spices

This is one step you can’t rush. Dry roasting the whole spices brings out the flavors and aroma. So when you add the dry spice blend to the onion-ginger-garlic masala base, the spices get to be absorbed well, making the chicken curry’s flavor rich.

Prepare dry spices ahead but wet spices while cooking. Try to avoid using store-bought wet spices like ginger-garlic paste. They are usually full of preservatives.

Use a combination of both savory and sweet spices. Savory spices like cumin, turmeric, and bay leaf give the curry a deep, earthy flavor while sweet spices, like cinnamon and clove, add brightness. Kashmiri chilies give that big and bright red color.

Cook slow and low

Starting from roasting the dry spices to making the onion-ginger-garlic curry masala, make sure you are cooking on low to medium heat. This allows the flavors to blend making your chicken potato curry delicious and rich. Rushing through the process kind of ruins the taste of chicken curry.

Use good quality organic tomatoes

Pureed tomatoes make your chicken curry wonderfully tangy. Using good quality tomatoes make the difference.

You can use either peeled or unpeeled potatoes

If you like your potatoes with skin on, then just leave it on. The flesh of the potato is waxy and holds its shape during the cooking process. You want the potato to keep the shape in the potato curry, not that the potatoes fall apart.

Potatoes cook relatively quickly, soak up excess moisture, and will often work well to thicken and add real depth to the curry sauce.

Make a base for wrap sandwiches

Pick out the cooked chicken pieces. Spread on a bed of dressing and spinach leaves in a tortilla wrap, was delicious.

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