A traditional tasting fragrant, balanced, smoky homestyle Chicken Korma simplified so you can have Korma (or Qorma) anytime!
I am pretty fond of my site tagline, but if I wasn't I would change it to traditional flavours made easier.
Take the Instant Pot Kheer for example, I do some unorthodox things and the results are like slow cooked. That's a win. Heck I even simplified Biryani.
The ONE Ingredient that simplifies Korma
This Korma is another win. Korma isn't hard to make, it isn't complicated. What it is is... umm highly aromatic and time consuming. The most hands on tedious part of making a Chicken Quorma is the caramelizing of onions. The robust undertones of Qorma come from these very onions and without it the curry falls flat.
What's the solution? Pre fried onions of course. Now this is important - so pay attention.
Only use great pre fried onions and great pre fried onions are those that are made with just two ingredients: onions and oil. If you eat them they will taste like caramelized onions.
Eating is honestly the best test. The onions I used on the day I filmed this recipe are good, but the best ones will give an even richer colour and flavour.
Most storebought onions will have a coating on them and we definitely don't like those. They will make your Korma gloopy. Sorry about the awkward choice of word, but I couldn't come up with an elegant synonym for gloop.
No pre fried onions? No problem. You can always fry your own. Instructions are in the post!
One teeny confession before we proceed: In my experience most of the time people are trying to scrape the bottom of the bowl to get more salan or curry. I fix that by just making more of it. Now we are all happy.
Onions Aside: Other Chicken Korma Ingredients
Chicken: You can absolutely make this Korma with boneless chicken but.... it's just not going to hit the same. The flavour of the bones is so important to getting the right texture and mouth feel here! That said, life happens, so just sub ¾ lb of boneless chicken for the bone-in here.
Ginger & Garlic Pastes: Yes, yes fresh is best, but if time isn't on your side then paste works.
Spices: Korma is a balance between the earthiness of whole spices and the smokiness and spice of powdered ones. I cannot emphasize enough how lovely roasted coriander or bhunna dhania powder is in here (if you have it), but the real stars are that subtle nutmeg and mace.
K-what?: Kewra. It's apparently a distilled oil made from the male flower of something called a screwpine. While I can't identify this oddly named plant if I tried what I do know is that Kewra has it's distinct aroma and it gives me happy vibes like when I make these tikiyaan.
Yoghurt: In my family and in my husbands Korma is made with yoghurt alone, tomatoes need not apply. While I have no objections to them and my favorite chicken curry is laden with them, here I love the clean simplicity of yoghurt best.
How to Caramelize Onions
If you're frying the onions: Take a wide bottomed pot, pour in about an inch of oil. Heat on medium heat until it's shimmering and add in your onions, turning the temperature up ever so slightly. If you try to caramelize onions in cold oil then they will release water first which makes the process longer and the outcome less tasty.
Maintain heat and stir occasionally until your onions are a rich brown then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and spread out on paper towels to dry.
How to make Chicken Korma
Armed with your onions? Let's go. Heat about ¼ cup of oil on medium high heat. While that's heating crush your fried onions roughly by hand and mix in your yoghurt.
Drop your whole spices into heated oil, follow it with your ginger and garlic paste, give that a quick whirl to cook through.
Now it's time for the chicken and the goal is to saute it to "seal it". A little color change (or color) goes a long way. Season with your powdered spices and sauté for another minute so to get it all in there.
Stir in that yoghurt onion mix of yours, give it a little bhunnofying action (bhunna=to saute but with personality you know). Once it's all looking besties like, then add in half a cup of hot water, cover the dish and bring it to a boil. Drop the temperature and simmer for 25 minutes or until the chicken is tender.
Congratulations - you've now done most of the work. Now is the easy part - add your garam masala, a few drops of kewra, give it a quick stir and TASTE. I cannot emphasize enough the power of adjusting to preferences and most importantly to memory.
Did your nani put sliced green chilies in your Korma? Do it. Do you like yours smokier? Add in a little more garam masala or bhunna dhania (coriander) or bhunna zeera/cumin. Balancing for taste is always key.
Last step: totally optional is to skim off a little oil. The cooking process requires generous oil, but that doesn't mean you have to eat it!
Variations in Korma: Flavours and Colour
There are many variants in Chicken Korma. I am going to just talk about the ones most common in Pakistan.
There is this classic one, most popular in homes, then there is the shadi style korma or deghi korma which has a darker base, and then there is another variant on the white theme - a shahi korma enrichened with nuts. All 3 dishes share a similar philosophy and are considered dawat worthy foods.
However variation in ratios is what makes one dramatically different than the other. Deghi Korma has a richer preponderance of caramelized onions and far less yoghurt, Shahi forgoes a little yoghurt for other richer ingredients.
Leave a comment below if you want a recipe for Shahi or Deghi Korma!
Other Pakistani Classics (Simplified)
- Instant Pot Pasanday
- Rasmalai
- One Pot Chicken Pulao
- Easy Mutton Raan Roast
- 20-Minute Seviyan
- Kadhi in Half the Time
- Beef Biryani
Chicken Korma Simplified
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lb bone in chicken pieces
- 1 cup pre fried onions ( see notes for regular)
- 1 tbsp ginger (better: 1 inch piece grated)
- 1 tbsp garlic (better: 8 freshly crushed cloves)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp coriander powder (roasted coriander is amazing if you have it)
- 1 tsp red chili powder (cayenne)
- 1-2 whole black cardamom pods
- 5 cardamom pods
- 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
- 4-6 whole cloves
- 8-10 whole black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ cup yoghurt (whisked well and at room temperature)
- a few drops kewra essence
- 1 tsp garam masala
- ½ tsp pepper
Instructions
- Crush your prefried onions by hand and mix into your yoghurt and set aside.
- Heat ¼ cup oil on medium hight heat and add your dry whole spices - both cardamoms, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf. Let it sizzle for about a minute.
- Once the spices have perfumed the oil then add in the ginger and garlic and give it a quick stir.
- Now add in your chicken pieces, turning them periodically until they have all changed colour.
- Sprinkle on your powdered spices - salt, red chili powder, and coriander powder.
- Saute for about a minute and then add in your yoghurt and onion mix, stirring well to combine.
- Add in half a cup of water and bring it to a simmer, cook on low for 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Uncover your pan and raise the heat to medium until you see the oil separate from the base for that rich korma taste.
- Adjust consistency to your liking and add kewra, garam masala powder, and pepper and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with naan.
Video
Notes
- for fresh onions thinly slice two medium to large onions (think tennis ball sized or a little bigger). Add half a cup of oil to a wide bottomed pot and heat it on medium high heat and then cook your onions in that oil stirring frequently until browned. Spread out to cool and then use in the recipe.
Excellent!
Thank you Isha!!!!
I could practically smell the aroma through this post! Yum. Confession: I was never a huge shadi style korma fan back in Karachi. But 10+years abroad and some experience making lighter kormas, I find it to be one of the most comforting Pakistani foods to know how to make (and eat). Now I need to find good quality fried onions to make it even simpler 😍 any recos?
It won’t surprise you at all when I say SAME! My FILs family likes that version so I used to make it often but this light one is my favorite of the two!
Hi do u have a recipe for degi korma?
Not yet! I will add it to the list!
This turned out so yummy! And omg it came together sooo quickly! Definitely a go-to for hosting a crowd! Thank you so much!
That's wonderful to hear! Thank you Zainab!!!!!
My family loved this! They love chicken but we're bored of the chicken curry I made. So easy to follow, even I couldn't mess it up! Thank you Sarah for your recipes ❤️
I am SO happy to hear that Robina!!! Thank YOU for your review!
Hey I made korma for the first time following this recipe, Alhamdhulilaah it turned out reallyy good! Although I burned a ton of onions when I was frying them I salvaged enough to make the sauce with the yogurt. I used Greek yogurt because that’s all I had lol and I blended it with the onions as per my mom’s suggestion. I also didn’t have black caradamom but it turned out great anyway! Thanks so much
That is so great to hear!!! Also yay on the extra protein right? haha Thank you for making this recipe and for your review!