Name: Chicken Madras
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 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 1/2 tsp paprika; ¼ tsp ground fenugreek (* see note 2); ½ tsp tamarind paste; 3/4 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 14 oz (400ml) passata; 2 tbsp tomato puree ((paste)); 7 oz (200ml) coconut milk (full fat); Small bunch of fresh coriander; 1 finely sliced red chilli; 1/4 red onion (peeled and finely sliced); Boiled rice

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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!

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?

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).

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.

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.

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 ½ 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, ½ 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:

Boiled rice - my no-fail method
Pilau rice from this recipe
A simple fresh tomato, onion and coriander salad < I serve this with almost every curry!
Some Mango Chutney
Chapati
Spicy Lamb Samosa Cups (a great starter)

More Chicken Curry Recipes:

Watch my video to see how to make it:

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Hi I’m Nicky

I love to cook and 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.