Chicken Madras - Bone-in Chicken is cooked in an assortment of Indian spices and served with Steamed White Rice. One of the most popular dishes in the UK after Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken, Saag Chicken, and Chicken Korma is Chicken Madras.
Madras Chicken is not too spicy. In fact, it's a perfect combination of sweet and sour flavors. A delicious South Indian Chicken Curry recipe that has the tartness of Tamarind and is perfectly balanced with the Spices and the Sweetness of Jaggery.
I love Chicken Madras. In India, its got many different names like Hyderabadi Chicken or Andhra Chicken. However, in the UK, Chicken Madras is a commonly served dish and is loved by all.
Why I love this recipe is because it's not too spicy like a Chicken Jalfrezi or Vindaloo, while it's neither too sweet like Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry or Butter Chicken
This is a perfect combination of both and makes for a delicious Indian Chicken Curry Dinner Recipe. This is of course best served with a hearty bowl of Steamed White Rice. So, if you have to enjoy this Indian recipe at its best, you will have to forget about the Carbs for one day and enjoy it the traditional way.
Madras is the old name of Chennai - an Indian city which is also called - "The Detroit of India". Madrasi Cuisine has evolved in the past few years and people have taken it to all parts of the world.
Be it the UK or the US, Chicken Madras is a common item in all curry houses these days. The piquant aroma and the riot of flavors is something that is pretty common in Madrasi cooking.
This Madras Chicken Curry uses basic Indian Spices which you can easily find in all Indian markets.
The best part about this Indian Chicken Curry is the blend of spices to make Madras Curry Powder. It's no rocket science and you can easily make it once you grab all the ingredients.
How to make Homemade Madras Curry Powder
Ingredients needed to make Homemade Madras Curry Powder. You can find store-bought Madras Curry Powder in the Internation Aisle of Supermarkets or you can even find it online easily these days.
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
- 1-inch long Cinnamon Stick
- 2 pods Green Cardamom
- 1 teaspoon Black Mustard Seeds
- 5 whole Dried Red Chilis
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
Just dry roast these spices over low heat until fragrant. Cool them down and then ground them in a high-speed blender or food processor until granulated.
Ingredients needed to make Chicken Madras
- Chicken
- Vegetable Oil
- Turmeric
- salt & pepper
For the Curry
- 2 medium-sized Red Onions finely chopped
- 5-6 cloves Garlic minced
- 1-inch Ginger finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Tamarind Pulp
- 2 medium-sized tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Jaggery can replace with Sugar
- 4-5 springs Curry Leaves
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
- 1 tablespoon Red chili powder or Paprika
- salt & pepper
How to make Chicken Madras
Below is a step-by-step guide for this Chicken Madras Recipe. You can find the guided recipe card below. Also, watch the video for a quick visual.
STEP 1: Start with Making the Madras Curry Powder.
If you have Store-Bought Madras Curry Powder, then you can skip this step. You can find Madras Curry Powder in the Internation aisle on really well-stocked grocery stores or just order it online.
Or, just follow the steps written above to make your own Madras Curry Powder. This will yield a lot of Madras Curry Powder, which you can store and use later as well for any other recipes.
STEP 2: Cook the Chicken
- Heat Vegetable Oil in a Pan.
- As the Oil shimmers, add the Chicken Pieces
- Add Salt, Pepper, Turmeric, and Red Chili Powder (or Paprika)
- Toss to combine
- Cover Cook the Chicken over medium-low heat for 10 minutes (toss in between)
STEP 3: Making the Curry
- Coming to the most amazing part of this recipe - The Curry.
- Start by heating some Ghee (Clarified Butter) or Butter in a Pan.
- As the Butter shimmers add Chopped Onions and cook until the onions turn translucent.
- Next, add the chopped Ginger and minced Garlic. Saute until fragrant
- Next, add the spices - Turmeric, Coriander, Cumin, Garam Masala, Red Chili Powder (Paprika), Salt, Pepper, Madras Curry Powder, and Curry Leaves. Toss to combine
- Now, add the Tamarind Pulp and Chopped Tomatoes. Toss to combine
- Finally, for sweetness, add Jaggary. If you cannot find Jaggary, use Packed Light Brown Sugar as a replacement
- Eventually, just toss to combine everything.
Step 4: Cover Cook the Curry
- Finally, add the Chicken Pieces and the Chicken Broth
- Add some more Fresh Curry Leaves
- Cover Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat
Step 5: Serve
- Garnish with more Curry Leaves and serve with plain white rice
So, this is how you make Chicken Madras. It's such an easy recipe and is always a popular choice. I like to serve this with Rice. However, you can also, serve this with Naan Bread
I hope you liked this recipe. If you happen to make this recipe, then comment below and rate this recipe. Also, tag me @recipemagik with #recipemagik on Instagram.
Chicken Madras
Ingredients
- 1 lbs Chicken
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- salt & pepper
Madras Curry Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 1 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
- 2 pods Green Cardamom
- 1 teaspoon Black mustard Seeds
- 5 whole Dried Red Chilis
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
For the Curry
- 2 medium sized Red Onion finely chopped
- 5-6 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 inch Ginger finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Tamarind Pulp
- 2 medium sized Tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Jaggary can replace with Sugar
- 4-5 springs Curry Leaves
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Powder
- 1 tablespoon Garam Masala
- 1 Tbsp Red chili powder or Paprika
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Heat a pan and dry roast all the dry spices required to make the Madras Curry Powder. Cool and Grind all the Ingredients of the Madras Curry Powder together using a high-speed blender or food processor and Keep it aside.
- Heat Vegetable Oil in a pot or skillet. As the oil shimmers, add the Chicken Pieces. Add Salt, Pepper, Turmeric and Paprika. Toss to combine. Cover cook for 10 minutes (5 minutes each side). After the Chicken gets cooked, take it out and keep it aside.
- Now, in the same pan, add some ghee/butter. As the Ghee shimmers, add the chopped Onions. Cook onions until it gets translucent for 1-2 minutes over low heat. Next, add the chopped ginger and minced garlic. Saute these two until they get fragrant.
- Now, add the spices - Turmeric, Coriander Powder, Garam Masala, Cumin Powder, Red Chili Powder (or Paprika), Salt & Pepper. Also, add the Madras Curry Powder and Curry Leaves. Toss to combine.
- Add the Tamarind Pulp and chopped Tomatoes. Toss to combine. Next, add the Jaggary. Also, throw in the Chicken along with the Chicken Broth. Toss until well combined. Add a few more of Curry Leaves. Cover Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir after every 10-minutes.
- Serve Chicken Madras with Rice. Enjoy!
Bec says
Hi, what is the amount of Madras curry powder used in this recipe?
Anjali says
it's already mentioned in the recipe card. I've used ½ Teaspoon Madras Curry Powder. You can increase or decrease it if you want.