Chicken and Mushroom Curry

A luscious chicken and mushroom curry that will have you at hello! Bone-in chicken is simmered in a smooth cashew sauce and topped with fried button mushrooms. There's plenty of curry to sop up with bread or serve over a bed of steamy rice, whichever you prefer. Guaranteed to satisfy that curry craving!

If you love chicken curries, do try this boneless chicken karahi. It's simple enough to make on a weeknight.

If you love a good curry, this chicken mushroom curry will make you very happy. It's got some beautiful flavors going on: it's a little garlicky, a little tangy (yogurt and pureed tomatoes), and so thick and lush and rich (ground cashews). The cashews also balance out the spice, not that there is much to begin with.

Oh, and the mushrooms, mmm! The mushrooms are browned in a pan and added to the curry after the chicken is cooked. What you get in the end is this big delicious pot of succulent chicken and mushrooms in lots of delicious curry. Try and walk away:)

And I've not even told you the best part. Since onions make everything taste better, yes, they are there, but they're NOT sliced fine and fried at first. So if you were groaning inwardly at the thought of slicing and slowly caramelizing those tear-inducing monsters, relax! All you need to do is to chop the onions very roughly and throw them into a blender with a little water for a smooth puree. This puree is then cooked down a bit before adding the other ingredients, but it doesn't take half the effort as the former.

🥘 Ingredients

Note: For exact amounts see the printable recipe card further down

• Red onions
• Garlic
• Cashews
• Yogurt
• Tomato puree
• Salt
• Red chilli powder
• Garam masala powder
• Cooking oil
• Chicken - skinless, bone-in
• White button mushrooms

🔪 Instructions

Preparation

1. Chop the onions in thick pieces and put in a blender with a few tablespoons water. Blend until you get a smooth puree. Keep aside.

2. Soak whole, raw cashews in a bowl of water for 15 minutes. Peel the garlic. Put the cashews and garlic along with a few tablespoons of the soaking water in a blender and blend until smooth.

3. In a bowl, add the cashew-garlic puree, yogurt, tomato puree, salt, red chilli powder, and garam masala. Whisk with a fork until you get a smooth mixture.

Cooking

1. Heat the cooking oil in a dutch oven or large pot and add the ground onions. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the onions turn slightly brown.

2. Add the mixture you made in step 3 of prep and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. Don't add water. You can cover the pot with a lid and reduce the heat if it splatters too much.

3. Add the chicken, mix well and cover the pot with a lid. Cook for 30 minutes on low to medium heat. You won't need to add any water, but if you see that the liquid is getting less, add about ¼ cup water halfway through the cooking.

4. While the chicken is cooking, clean the mushrooms and slice into halves. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a small frypan. When hot, add the sliced mushrooms and fry for 3-4 minutes. They should be cooked through with crisp brown edges.

4. Once the chicken is tender and the oil has separated, top the curry with the fried mushrooms, and serve hot.

💭 Top tips

• This curry is supposed to be slightly thick in consistency. To avoid a runny curry, avoid adding water as the curry is cooking. There will be plenty of liquid thanks to onions, yogurt and pureed tomatoes. If you must add water, add a little bit only.
• If you don't have canned tomato puree, make your own. Chop and blend 2-3 medium-sized ripe and red tomatoes in a blender until very smooth and use this instead of the store-bought puree.
• Use skinless, bone-in chicken for maximum taste. You can ask your butcher to skin and cut a whole chicken into 12 pieces. However, if you are buying your meat from a supermarket, pick a tray of bone-in chicken thighs or legs. Avoid boneless cuts of meat as they don't have as much flavor.
• If you can't be bothered to remove the skins, that should be fine, but know that Indian curries are usually made with skinless chicken to allow the spices to seep into the meat.
• Do soak the cashews for a bit so you get a smooth puree when you blend them with the garlic. Not a deal breaker, really, if you don't mind a less than smooth curry.

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