India continues to occupy its historical position as the world’s largest producer of spices. There is something magical about Indian herbs and spices that transform simple ingredients into exotic dishes. It is a common assumption that among the traditional uses of spices was their role in disguising foods that were past their prime. It is not until the mid-17th century that a more selective use of spices and herbs becomes visible. The British love affair with Indian food dates back to the early 17th century. Edward Terry, one of the first Englishmen to taste Indian food in all its goodness, spoke of onions, ginger, herbs and spices with chunks of meat being used in well-proportioned quantities, thus cooking food extremely pleasing to all palates. . In the UK, you take a word association test and say “spicy” and the answer would be “curry”. Surely they are perfectly normal because no other food is so inextricably linked to aroma and flavor as Indian curry. The smell of Indian Curry excites the taste buds in a unique and inimitable way and that to us is comfort food.
Nothing makes using India’s fabulous spices better than a good curry. While these curries can be made with a ton of ingredients including seafood, lamb, pork, and an incredible variety of vegetables, chicken seems to be the most universally popular and with good reason! It’s very hard to go wrong with a chicken curry because it’s not a hard and fast rule when it comes to making one.
When it comes to curry recipes in India, there is no limit. Each state, region, and even family has its own unique recipe. No matter where in the country you are, you can be sure to eat a good chicken curry. From the delicious creamy and rich curries of the North, the light and savory jhols of the East and the variety of coconut based chicken curries of West and South India, the list is endless.
Northern chicken curries are rich, thick and more robust compared to those prepared in other parts of the country. They are also the ones who popularized curry abroad. The butter chicken and chicken tikka masala tastes use tandoor or grilled chicken in a thick creamy tomato and butter based curry. There are also simpler ones, like chicken dhaba curry or tariwala murgha, which don’t have the creamy, buttery sauce, but have plenty of flavor from whole spices, onions, and tomatoes. Best eaten with crispy roti and paranthas, they could easily be the main attraction at an Indian meal.
In South India, chicken curry is just as popular as it is in the North, although it is made with different ingredients. While in the north curries are made with onion, tomato and yoghurt, in the south coconut or coconut milk is a common addition to give body to a good chicken curry. From the coconut-based masala and chilly bedagi of Karnataka to the curry leaf and onion base of a spicy Andhra-style chicken curry or the refreshing coconut milk-based curries of Kerala – there is one thing that is common for Southern curries: lots of flavor. . These delicious curries are served with famous South Indian sides like idlis, dosas, appams, iddiappams, Kerala paranthas etc.
A Bengal chicken curry, on the other hand, is a bit more liquid than in other places in the country and is called jhol. While you might be more familiar with a machcher or eastern fish curry, they also make a delicious chicken curry – murgir jhol. Eaten with a generous serving of rice, be sure to make this Bengali curry with mustard oil or jhorna ghee.
In the West, Gujarat and Rajasthan are efficiently vegetarian, but Maharashtra makes up for the region’s lack of good chicken curry. Kolhapur’s savory pandhra or white curry and fiery tambda rassas are world famous. Even the Malvan coast boasts of delicious chicken curry served with crispy rice flour vadas called vade or rice flour bhakris called amboli.
One of the simplest chicken curries you can make is a homemade chicken curry using the most basic of household ingredients. All you need to do is heat some oil or ghee in a pan and sauté some whole spices. Add a puree of onions and sauté followed by tomato puree, spice powder and bone-in chicken pieces and cook until chicken is cooked through and juicy. As this is a quick and easy chicken curry, the chicken is added directly to the curry, but you can also pan-fry it before adding it to the curry. You can watch a full recipe video with exact measurement of ingredients and step-by-step methods here. You can find all these delicious Indian chicken curry recipes easily online now.
