A rich, fragrant and relatively hot curry, chicken madras is easy to make at home in one pan. Blending the onion gives the sauce a thick and sumptuous texture. A great Friday night curry!
chicken madras in a dark serving bowl on a wooden board

Do you like your curry hot?

I like a hot curry every now and then, but not so hot you can’t taste the flavours and you’re sweating at the table!

This curry can be made as hot as you like. We’re using madras hot curry powder for the heat, but you can add in more heat with fresh chillies, or less heat by swapping out the madras powder for regular medium or mild curry powder.

If you follow the ingredients in the recipe card, you’ll get a curry with a warming heat that comes through after a few seconds in the mouth. It’s a heat you can taste, but doesn’t burn. My kids (age 10 and 13) will eat it, but with a glass of water next to them.

What is madras curry?

A madras curry is a fairly hot curry with a dark red thick sauce (the colour comes  from the chillies and paprika). It’s got slightly tangy notes to it from the addition of tamarind and fenugreek. The chicken is not marinated in this dish, and the spices are often dry-fried or roasted. The sauce is usually a smooth sauce.
We’re using a madras spice mix in this recipe, but will also add in a few extra spices. To get the lovely smooth sauce, we’ll be blending the onion and also using passata (rather than tinned tomatoes – which are quite lumpy).

What do we need?
Ingredients for Chicken Madras on a wooden table

How to make it:

  • Blend onion, garlic and ginger to a paste in a mini food processor. Fry the mixture in ghee or oil over a high heat until starting to brown at the edges (about 3-4 minutes).

6 image collage showing how to prep the onion paste for chicken madras

  • Add in chopped chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, until sealed.
  • Lower the heat to medium and add in cinnamon, madras curry powder, paprika, ground fenugreek, tamarind paste, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly until those spices release their fragrance.
  • Add in passata and tomato puree and bring to the boil, then stir in coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

8 image collage of step to make chicken madras

I love to serve mine with fresh coriander (cilantro), a few sliced red chillies and finely sliced red onion, plus some boiled rice and some steamed greens.

chicken madras in a dark serving bowl with a spoon in the bowl

Want to make a chicken tikka madras?

Add even more flavour to your madras by marinating the chicken tikka paste and then grilling the chicken to lightly charred perfection!
Here’s how:

  • To a bowl add 1/2 cup (120ml) thick natural yogurt, 2 minced cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp minced ginger, the juice of half a lemon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and paprika, 1/2 tsp each of turmeric, cumin, mild chilli powder (or hot if you like it spicy), salt and pepper, plus a pinch of cinnamon.
  • Mix it all together, then stir in the chopped chicken breasts. Cover and place in the fridge to marinate for 2-3 hours.
  • Once marinated, place the chicken on skewers, or just spread the pieces out on a baking sheet and brush with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Then grill (broil) the chicken, turning once, until cooked though.
  • Add the cooked chicken to the sauce right at the end (after it has simmered for 10 minutes).

Can I use beef or lamb instead?

Yes. For a quick beef or lamb curry, use strips of lean beef steak (such as rump or flat iron) or lean lamb steak (shoulder or leg). Fry the strips in a little oil in a very hot pan for a 3-4 minutes until cooked but still tender, then add them into the sauce a the end of cooking (after the 10 minutes of simmering the sauce).

For a slow cooked version, use diced braising or chuck beef, or diced lamb leg or shoulder. Add in as you would the chicken (at step 3). Add an additional 200ml (70z) of passata, plus 200ml (70z) of beef stock (as well as the 200ml (70z) of coconut milk), then bring to the boil and place in the oven at 160C/320F for 3 hours (stir occasionally). Or place in the slow cooker and cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Is madras curry powder spicy?

Yes, madras curry powder is generally fairly hot and spicy. If you want the taste and texture of a madras, but without the heat, you can replace it like-for-like with mild curry powder. You’ll be adding in garlic, ginger, cinnamon, tamarind, paprika and fenugreek too – so you’ll still get the complex, slightly tangy flavour of a madras.

What to serve with your chicken curry:

More Chicken Curry Recipes:

Watch my video to see how to make it:

YouTube video

4.90 from 55 votes

Chicken Madras

A rich, fragrant and relatively hot curry, chicken madras is easy to make at home in one pan. A great Friday night curry!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

Chicken Madras:

  • 1 onion peeled and roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled
  • 2 tsp minced ginger
  • 3 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
  • 3 chicken breasts chopped into bitesize chunks (this is about 525g or 18.5oz)
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 tbsp madras hot curry powder * see note 1
  • 1 ½ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp ground fenugreek * see note 2
  • ½ tsp tamarind paste
  • ¾ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 400 ml (14 oz) passata
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree paste for US
  • 200 ml (7 oz) coconut milk (full-fat)

To serve:

  • small bunch of fresh coriander
  • 1 finely sliced red chilli
  • ¼ red onion peeled and finely sliced
  • boiled rice
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Instructions 

  • Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a mini food processor and blend to a paste. Add a splash of oil to loosen if needed.
    1 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp minced ginger
  • Heat the ghee (or oil) in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the onion mixture and fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown at the edges.
    3 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
  • Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often, until sealed.
    3 chicken breasts
  • Turn the heat down to medium and add the cinnamon, madras curry powder, paprika, ground fenugreek, tamarind paste, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
    ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 3 tbsp madras hot curry powder, 1 1/2 tsp paprika, ¼ tsp ground fenugreek, ½ tsp tamarind paste, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Add in the passata and tomato puree and bring to the boil.
    400 ml (14 oz) passata, 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • Add the coconut milk. Stir and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
    200 ml (7 oz) coconut milk (full-fat)
  • Serve with fresh coriander, sliced chillies, red onion, and boiled rice.
    small bunch of fresh coriander, 1 finely sliced red chilli, 1/4 red onion, boiled rice

Video

YouTube video

Notes

Note 1 - Madras curry powder

If you can’t find madras curry powder use regular curry powder but add a teaspoon (or two if you like it really hot) of cayenne pepper or hot chilli powder.

Note 2 - Fenugreek:

Don’t buy a full jar if you’re only going to use it for this recipe, you can leave it out if you don’t have any – the madras powder will likely have some in anyway.

Can I make it ahead?

Yes, this chicken madras can be cooked, quickly cooled, covered and refrigerated for 2 days.
Reheat over a medium heat in a pan, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is piping hot throughout (about 10 minutes). You may need to add a splash of water to stop it drying out.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, this chicken madras can be cooked, quickly cooled, covered and frozen.
Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat over a medium heat in a pan, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is piping hot throughout (about 10 minutes). You may need to add a splash of water to stop it drying out.

Can I make it in the slow cooker?

Yes, make the curry in a pan up to the end of step 5, then transfer to the slow cooker along with the coconut milk and stir together. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 1-2 hours.
Nutritional Information is per serving without the serving suggestions of rice and coriander (cilantro).

Nutrition

Calories: 466kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 137mg | Sodium: 675mg | Potassium: 1334mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1011IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.at

Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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Comments

  1. graham payling says:

    1 star
    I don’t know why I made this tomato soup curry it is more like a tandoori style curry rather Than madras.
    The only connection to madras curry is the powder…..absolutely vile…..just my opinion….

  2. Martin says:

    5 stars
    Class madras curry, fragrant and flavourful and got a nice punch to match it too. Would use this recipe again!

  3. Jo says:

    5 stars
    Wonderfully rich curry with so much depth of flavour. I used coconut cream rather than using part of a 400g tin of coconut milk.

  4. Liz says:

    5 stars
    first time with madras in my cabinet and came across this recipe in my search for what to do with it. thank you Nicky for this! so flavorful!

  5. Chris says:

    5 stars
    I have cooked a lot of curries in my time, mostly good, sometimes not so, but I can honestly say that the recipe for this chicken madras has produced the best curry I’ve made since I don’t know when. Many thanks!

  6. Lisa says:

    5 stars
    Amazing! I cooked this for my husband and he said it was much better than in the restaurants! I swapped the chicken for Tofu and made it Vegan!

  7. Sara says:

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. Really easy and so tasty. I didn’t have Madras curry powder so made my own. I freezes really well too. Definitely recommend….thank you Nicky!

  8. Kay says:

    5 stars
    Quick, easy and doesn’t disappoint. I will be making this again… and again…

  9. Geoff Houghton says:

    5 stars
    Great recipe for a traditional curry and so easy to make, even I didn’t make a mess.