This is an authentic chicken korma recipe straight from my mother and grandmother's kitchen! Tender cuts of bone-in chicken are cooked in a rich and sumptuous sauce made with fried onions, yogurt, whole spices and ground almonds. Both stovetop and instant pot versions are included for convenience.
Serve this badami chicken with wholewheat naan bread and a cooling onion raita for a complete, very satisfying meal.
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About Chicken Korma
If you are looking for a very traditional, authentic chicken korma recipe that tastes like chicken korma and not a fake spin-off, you have to try this recipe. It happens to be a family favourite that I have grown up eating.
It used to be my mother's go-to dish for dinner parties and family get-togethers and it never, ever fell short of expectations. Why? Because this is the real deal! It is made the way korma has always been made in North Indian and Pakistani homes and today, I'm so excited to be sharing this spectacular dish with you:)
Chicken korma belongs in the tradition of fine dining, but if you also like a rustic, slightly fiery chicken curry, do try chicken changezi.
Even though a North Indian chicken curry recipe like this one is traditionally made in a deep and heavy karahi (Indian wok), I have included an instant pot option too for all you instant pot lovers out there! I can't help but adapt recipes for the instant pot, because why not? If an appliance can make life easy in the kitchen, I'm all for it!
🥘 Ingredients
Note: exact amounts of the ingredients are mentioned in the recipe card further down.
1. Chicken: A traditional korma recipe calls for bone-in, skinless chicken, cut into 12-14 pieces. Bones add a lot of flavor, and I have never made korma with boneless chicken. Ever!
2. Cooking oil: Any neutral cooking oil will work here. Don't go for olive or coconut oil as these are very strong tasting oils not appropriate for korma.
3. Red onions: Lots of finely sliced and fried red onions are the secret to the pleasing color and taste of the gravy
4. Yogurt (whisked): No korma is ever complete without yogurt to add that lovely tang and creaminess to the gravy.
5. Almonds (soaked and skinned): Soak the almonds in water at least 4-5 hours before cooking. If you do, the skins will slide off easily and it will be very easy to grind the almonds in a small spice grinder or clean coffee grinder.
6. Whole spices (bay leaves, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves and black peppercorns): Whole spices give the korma a depth of flavour not possible with powdered garam masala alone. That being said, don't be intimidated by the number of spices this recipe calls for. It's generally all right if you don't have a few, go for the ones you do have.
7. Ginger and garlic pastes: These are staple to any korma or curry. I like to keep a small batch in the fridge for use at short notice.
8. Ground spices (coriander, Kashmiri chilli powder, and garam masala): These are commonly available spices.
A note about Kashmiri chilli powder: This is a mild variety of chilli powder, and it imparts a lovely red hue to the korma, as you can see in the pictures. If you can get your hands on it (very easily available in the international aisles of most supermarkets), great! If you can't substitute with regular chilli powder, but reduce the quantity for less heat.
9. Kewra water (optional): this is a highly fragrant extract of Pandanus flowers and a few drops are traditionally added to korma to make it more feast-like. It is available in Indian or Pakistani groceries; however, if you cannot get hold of it, no worries. Your korma won't suffer too much from a lack of it!
🔪 Stovetop Instructions
1. Make the onion paste
Heat the cooking oil in a heavy, deep-bottomed pan and add the sliced onions and cinnamon stick. Fry on medium heat until the onions turn a reddish-brown color. Take them off the heat and remove them from the oil with the help of a slotted spoon (10 minutes).
When the onions cool down a bit, put them in a blender along with the cinnamon, yogurt and skinned almonds. Grind to a fine paste and keep it aside (2 minutes).
2. Fry the chicken
In the same oil that you fried the onions, add the rest of the whole spices - bay leaves, black and green cardamom, cloves and peppercorns. When they sizzle, add the chicken pieces and fry until the chicken loses its white color and turns golden (5 minutes).
3. Add the ginger and garlic pastes and ground spices
Tip in the the ginger and garlic pastes and all the ground spices (coriander, Kashmiri red chilli, and garam masala) with the salt. Sauté this masala on medium heat until the masala becomes thick and shiny and the oil leaves the sides and floats on top. Add a few splashes of water as you are cooking the masala to prevent it from sticking to the pan or burning (10 minutes).
4. Add the onion paste and simmer
Stir in the onion paste prepared in step 1, mix well and turn down the heat. Add ¼ cup water if required. Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the chicken in the sauce. Check for doneness - the chicken should be tender and the oil should have separated and be floating on the top (20-25 minutes).
5. Add the kewra water (optional)
Once the korma is ready, add half a teaspoon kewra for a fragrant korma.
Instant Pot Instructions
All the steps remain the same as in the stovetop recipe. Here are the things that you need to note:
1. Use the sauté function from step 1 to 3. Make sure the heat is medium.
2. Be sure to deglaze the pot before pressure cooking the chicken.
3. At the end of step 3, cancel sauté and add the onion paste. Add ½ cup water, mix everything with a spoon and secure the lid. Make sure the steam release vent is on 'sealing' and press the pressure cooking button (high). Set the timer to 5 minutes.
4. When the timer beeps, open the pot and stir the chicken. It is ready to be served. Add kewra water if using.
💭 Top Tips
1. Fry the onions carefully: While frying the onions, take care not to over-brown them. You want a nice deep reddish-brown color but it is very easy to over-do it if you're not careful. Turn off the heat as soon as the onions turn reddish brown. They will turn a darker shade in the residual heat, so be careful!
2. A time saving tip: If you are short on time, you can use pre-fried onions available in Indian and Pakistani groceries. These are very thinly sliced, reddish-brown onions and do the job admirably.
3. Don't skip the almonds: It never ceases to amaze me how one ingredient can make so much difference to the taste and texture of a dish. Almonds add a wonderful body and creaminess to this korma. You can grind them right along with the fried onions, yogurt and cinnamon to save time, or grind them separately if you wish to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contrary to popular perception, chicken korma made in the traditional way is NOT a spicy dish. It is rich and deeply flavored with spices, but it is not supposed to be too spicy, as in hot. It will not burn your tongue as other chicken curries might.
An authentic korma recipe will NEVER have tomatoes in it! You will see a lot of online recipes for korma which have tomatoes and even turmeric in it, but please know that adding these are modifications to the original recipe, not the original. If you are planning on making a true-blue korma, stay away.
Yes, this dish can be frozen for later use. Let the korma come to room temperature, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze. It stays good for a couple of months in the freezer.
More Chicken Curry Recipes
- Karahi Chicken - a vibrant and pleasing curry made with lots of tomatoes and ginger.
- Chicken Patiala - a luscious, restaurant-style chicken curry with ground cashews and cream.
- Palak Chicken - boneless chicken simmered in a creamy gravy with spinach.
- Achari Chicken - a bold and spicy chicken curry made in Indian pickling spices.
- Chicken Handi - a simple and easy but incredibly delicious chicken curry made with boneless chicken and a few common ingredients.
Do check out the entire collection of chicken recipes on the blog if you're interested.
Best Side Dishes for Chicken Korma
Korma is fantastic with some basic bread or plain rice, but if you want to move away from the same old and do things differently, try some new side dishes to go with it. Here are a few recipes that complement it perfectly:
- Bombay Potatoes - Crispy baby potatoes with soft insides.
- Cumin Rice - Basmati rice flavored with cumin and other whole spices.
- Maash Dal - Split and skinned black gram lentils with a warm, nutty taste.
- Dahi Baingan - Lightly fried eggplant, onions, garlic, and cilantro in cold yogurt.
- Boondi Raita - Yogurt dip made with fried gramflour balls or boondi.
These are just a few possibilities. Find a lot more ideas for what to serve with chicken curry in this post: 20+ Best Side Dishes for Chicken Curry.
📖 Recipe
Almond Chicken Korma (Badami Chicken)
Equipment
- 6-quart Instant Pot Duo OR a Dutch Oven
- Blender
- Slotted spoon
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup cooking oil neutral
- 2 red onions medium-sized, thinly sliced
- ½ inch cinnamon cinnamon stick
- 4 tablespoon yogurt
- 12 almonds soaked, skins removed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 black cardamom
- 4 green cardamom
- 5 cloves
- ½ teaspoon peppercorns
- 2.4 lbs chicken skinless, bone-in pieces
- 3 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder Kashmir chilli powder, preferably
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon kewra water optional
Instructions
Stovetop Instructions
- Heat the oil in a heavy deep-bottomed pan and add the sliced onions and cinnamon stick. Fry the onions until reddish-brown. Take off the heat and with the help of a slotted spoon, transfer the fried onions to a bowl. When they cool down, add them to a blender along with the cinnamon stick, yogurt, and almonds. Blend to get a smooth, lump-free paste.
- In the same oil in which the onions were fried, add the bay leaves, black and green cardamom, cloves, and peppercorns. When the whole spices sizzle, add the chicken and stir fry for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the ginger-garlic paste along with the powdered spices – coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and sea salt. Cook on a medium flame, adding a few splashes of water. The masala will become thick and shiny and the oil will leave the sides of the pan, approximately in 10 minutes.
- Stir in the onion puree prepared in step 1. Add ¼ cup water and mix well.
- Cover with a lid and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the oil floats on the top. Add the kewra water if using and stir the chicken. The korma is ready to be served.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Use the sauté function from step 1 to 3. Make sure the heat is medium.
- Be sure to deglaze the pot before pressure cooking the chicken.
- At the end of step 3, cancel sauté and add the onion paste. Add ½ cup water, mix everything with a spoon and secure the lid. Make sure the steam release vent is on 'sealing' and press the pressure cooking button (high). Set the timer to 5 minutes.
- When the timer beeps, open the pot, add the kewra water if using and stir the chicken. The korma is ready to be served.
Notes
- Fry the onions carefully to prevent them from turning too dark. Take them off the heat as soon as they turn reddish-brown.
- Alternatively, you can also use pre-fried onions from any Indian or Pakistani grocery store to save time.
- You can make your own ginger-garlic paste at home if you don't want to use the store-bought pastes. Add equal quantities of peeled ginger and garlic in a blender along with a little water and blend to a smooth paste. Use the quantity required by the recipe and store the rest in a sealed jar in the fridge.
- Do soak the almonds for 4-5 hours prior to cooking. The skins will slide off easily.
- Kashmiri chilli powder is a mild variety of red chilli. It mostly adds color and flavor rather than heat. If you can't get your hands on it, substitute with your regular cayenne, but use less.
SJ says
Does this recipe need quick release or natural release when using an instant pot?
Saima says
Quick release is better. Natural release would over-cook the chicken.
Aisha Z says
Am I really supposed to grind the cinnamon stick up in the blender with the fried onions?
Saima says
Aisha, if you have a powerful blender, yes. If not, remove it.
Andy Taylor says
Cooked it in the instant pot last night, great curry , one of the best I've cooked in a long time, tank you for the recipe. Andy.
Saima says
Thanks Andy! Glad you liked the chicken korma:)
Larissa says
Fantastic! I doubled the almonds. And cut the meat from a whole chicken. Didn't have black cardamom and mainly used ground spices. Flavours were sensational. Will make again!
Saima says
Thanks Larissa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe:)