Chicken Curry in 30 Minutes

Today’s chicken curry recipe is a perfect meal for chilly and busy days: it is healthy, light, easy to cook and loaded with flavor. Do not get intimated by the list of ingredients below. The spices and ingredients used for this chicken curry are pretty basic and easily available at most of the grocery stores. The addition of poppy seeds and coconut makes the curry rich without adding to the calories, unlike the addition of cream. The other best part about this curry is that it requires less than ten minutes of hands on preparation, rest of it is cooking time. You really don’t need takeout to have delicious chicken curry, all you need is few basic ingredients and about 30 minutes .

Ingredients
1 lb Chicken, cut and skin removed
1 Small Onion, chopped
1 Teaspoon Cooking Oil
1 Teaspoon Tomato Paste
1 Small Tomato, chopped
1 Inch Piece of coconut (fresh or dried)
1 Teaspoon (Khuskhus) Poppy Seeds
1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric
1/2 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Ginger-Garlic Paste
1/2 Teaspoon Red Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon (Dry Fenugreek Leaves) Kasoori Methi
Salt to Taste
Lemon Juice to Taste
Cilantro to Garnish

Process

1. In a small bowl filled with water, soak khuskhus and coconut and keep aside. If you are using dry coconut, chop it into small pieces and soak.
2. In a pan, over medium heat, add the pieces of chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until the smell of the chicken is gone and the chicken is not raw from outside.
3. Simultaneously, heat oil in a separate shallow pan, add onions and salt and cook over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
4. Add ginger-garlic paste, tomato paste and fresh tomatoes and cook for additional 3-5 minutes.
5. Turn the heat off, and add the onion tomato mixture to the food processor, followed by soaked coconut and khuskhus (along with the water they are soaked in). Blend the mixture to a smooth paste.
6. In the same pan, cook the mixture on medium heat and add all the dry spices (turmeric, coriander, red chili powders) and cook for two minutes until the dry aroma of the spices has disappeared.
7. Now add the chicken to the mixture and mix well. Add 2 cups of water (chicken pieces should be covered in water and spice mixture). Bring the mixture to a boil.
8. Cover the pan and cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is fully cooked and the water has reduced. You can add more water for thinner consistency if needed. Taste the curry and adjust the spices (bring the curry to a boil if more spices are added).
9. In the end, sprinkle dry fenugreek leaves and add lemon juice. Mix everything well and turn the heat off.
10. Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice or with your choice of bread.

Enjoy! 🙂