This simple Chicken Korma is mild enough for the whole family to enjoy! A delicious, easy and slimming friendly curry that will quickly become a fakeway favourite.
You will also love my Chicken Jalfrezi
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Who doesn’t LOVE a lovely creamy korma? It’s such a comfort food favourite of mine, whether eating out at our local Indian restaurant or tucking into takeaway (takeout).
Creamy curries are not the best choice if you are trying to watch your weight sadly. But – good news! – they are actually perfect for popular weight loss plans if you make a few tweaks.
If you are one of the lucky ones not overly concerned with limiting calorie intake, follow the variations in the Chicken Korma recipe below. I promise you BOTH versions are equally delicious so the choice is yours!
What goes into a Chicken Korma
Korma curries come in many guises. It’s one of those recipes that’s equally popular in Indian banquets and curry houses all over Britain. British-style kormas have evolved to be more of a global celebration of curry and my version has handpicked elements from both traditional and Western chicken curries.
I wanted to keep this curry recipe as simple as possible to make it more accessible to home cooks without a cabinet overflowing with exotic spices. But you will still need (don’t freak out!) a handful of commonly found spices: mild curry powder, garam masala, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and chilli.
I know, that does sound like a lot but you can use them in so many curries that it’s worth buying a small jar of each. Alternatively you can use prepared Korma spice blends but they never tend to be as good. On the other hand, if you DO have lots of Indian spices at your disposal then you can add cardamom pods, whole cloves and so on.
The remaining ingredients are: diced chicken, cinnamon stick, onions, garlic, ginger, passata (or puréed tinned tomatoes), chicken stock and the creamy element which I will talk at more length below.
Some Kormas contain nuts, such as ground almonds or cashews. I have left those out to keep the recipe lower in fat. By all means add some ground almonds for a richer sauce if you prefer.
What makes Kormas creamy?
Traditional Chicken Korma recipes include coconut milk or single cream or sometimes both! Super delicious I think we can all agree. Not super low in calories I think we can all admit.
So how can we make a creamy korma that’s salvo low fat? Rather than use high fat cream I have used fat-free fromage frais. But you can also use 0% fat yoghurt or quark cheese or a combo of these.
Low fat dairy has a tendency to split when added into sauces so make sure you add it over very low heat (or off heat). A little cornflour diluted in cold water can help stabilise the sauce.
CHICKEN KORMA STEP BY STEP
Here (and in the recipe video) I illustrate the low fat version – see recipe notes for a more traditional (and calorific!) version.
STEP 1. Spritz a large casserole pan (or wok) with low calorie cooking spray. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook over low heat for five minutes, stirring constantly.
STEP 2. Stir in the all spices, salt and sweetener and cook for a couple of minutes. Don’t let the spices catch as they can turn the sauce a bit bitter. If the pan gets too dry add a splash of chicken stock.
STEP 3. Add the diced chicken and cinnamon stick. Fry for about five minutes, stirring to coat in the spices.
STEP 4. Stir in the passata and chicken stock and bring to a rolling simmer. Reduce the heat and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
STEP 5. Stir in the cornflour slurry and the fromage frais (or yoghurt). Cook, stirring, over very low heat for a few more minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
STEP 6. Stir in some chopped coriander (cilantro) check the seasoning and add salt and black pepper, to taste.
STEP 7. Garnish with a few halved red grapes and some flaked almonds (optional) and serve over plain basmati rice.
Serving suggestions
As you will see this curry doesn’t include many extra vegetables. You could stir in spinach right at the end so that it wilts. Serve with plenty of speed veggies on the side such as steamed broccoli, cauliflower, green beans etc.
Can you freeze Korma?
Curries which contain dairy or coconut milk can separate if frozen and then thawed and reheated.
Follow the recipe until just before any cream or dairy is added. Cool completely and then portion and freeze for up to three months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and add your choice of cream, yoghurt etc when reheating the curry.
What I replace the chicken with?
You can use diced chicken breasts or thighs in this recipe. But you could also replace the chicken with beef or lamb, bearing in mind you that you will need to cook it for longer – around 45 minutes – in that case.
You could also replace the chicken with prawns (shrimp) which cook very quickly and should be added about 5 minutes before end of cooking time, once the sauce has thickened.
For a vegetarian korma, use tinned chickpeas and a medley of vegetables such as cauliflower, potatoes, courgette or squash. Add the veggies to the curry according to how long they need to cook.
Have you made my Chicken Korma recipe? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
Healthy Chicken Korma
Ingredients
- low calorie cooking spray (or 1 tbsp ghee + 2 tbsp vegetable oil)
- 2 onions , very finely diced or blitzed in food processor
- 3 large garlic cloves , grated or minced
- 2 tbsp very finely grated fresh ginger
- 900 g | 2 pounds diced chicken , skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 3 tsp sweetener such as Splenda or Sukrin (or sugar)
- 2 tsp mild curry powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 4 cardamom pods , lightly crushed (optional)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 120 ml | 1/2 cup passata , or tinned tomatoes blitzed to a purée
- 240 ml | 1 cup hot chicken stock (broth)
- 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch) diluted in 2 tsp cold water .5 Syns
- 200 g | 7oz fat free Fromage Frais (or yogurt) or 80ml (1/3 cup) single cream & 80ml (1/3 cup) UHT coconut cream
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
- salt and pepper , to taste
- handful red grapes , halved to garnish (optional)
- handful flaked almonds to garnish (optiona) Not Syn Free
Instructions
- Spritz a large pan with low calorie cooking spray.Note: for a full-fat Korma use 1 tbsp ghee and 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
- Add the onions, garlic and ginger and cook over low heat for five minutes, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the all spices, salt and sweetener and cook for a couple of minutes. Don’t let the spices catch as they can turn the sauce a bit bitter. If the pan gets too dry add a splash of chicken stock.
- Add the diced chicken and cinnamon stick. Fry for about five minutes, stirring to coat in the spices.
- Stir in the passata and chicken stock and bring to a rolling simmer. Reduce the heat and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the cornflour slurry and fromage frais (or yoghurt). Cook, stirring, over very low heat for a few more minutes until the chicken is cooked through.Note: for a full-fat Korma use 80ml (1/3 cup) single cream and 80ml (1/3 cup) UHT coconut cream.
- Add the chopped coriander (cilantro) check the seasoning and add salt and black pepper, to taste.
- Garnish with a few halved red grapes and some flaked almonds (optionaand serve over plain basmati rice.
Video
Notes
As you will see this curry doesn’t include many extra vegetables. You could stir in spinach right at the end so that it wilts. Serve with plenty of speed veggies on the side such as steamed broccoli, cauliflower, green beans etc. Can you freeze Chicken Korma?
Curries which contain dairy or coconut milk can separate if frozen and then thawed and reheated. Follow the recipe until just before any cream or dairy is added. Cool completely and then portion and freeze. Add your choice of cream, yoghurt etc when reheating the curry. What I replace the chicken with?
You can use diced chicken breasts or thighs in this recipe. But you could also replace the chicken with beef or lamb, bearing in mind you that you will need to cook it for longer – around 45 minutes – in that case. You could also replace the chicken with prawns (shrimp) which cook very quickly and should be added about 5 minutes before end of cooking time, once the sauce has thickened. For a vegetarian korma, use tinned chickpeas and a medley of vegetables such as cauliflower, potatoes, courgette or squash. Add the veggies to the curry according to how long they need to cook.
Julie says
Wonderful dish incorporating fresh spices enhances the flavor of this meal!