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Simple Staff Chicken Curry

August 9, 2012 By Dan Toombs 47 Comments

This simple and authentic chicken curry is one you need to make! So good.

Restaurant staff curries are awesome. Try this simple chicken curry! 

A few years after I started writing this blog, I was invited to Punjabi restaurant, Sachins in Newcastle to learn some of their recipes.

One of the recipes that I learned was this simple chicken curry which also happens to be one of their staff curries.

Since then, I have seen Punjabi staff curries like this made on numerous occasions at different restaurants. Now I would like to show you how it’s done. 

Simple chicken curry

This simple chicken curry is so good. You can do so much with it too.

What is a staff curry?

Most restaurants will have a lamb, seafood or something like this simple chicken curry cooking in the kitchen for staff.

In Sachin’s case, I think this Punjabi chicken curry was also on their menu.

Usually, however curries like this are served to staff as they are much more like the curries they eat at home.

It might be the chicken tikka masalas, lamb madrases and vindaloos that get people in the doors of a restaurant but that is not what the staff want on their plates. 

Make this simple chicken curry your own…

This simple chicken curry is delicious as it is. There is so much you can do with it though.

If you like spicy curries, you might like to add some Mr Naga pickle to it to taste. This makes an amazing naga chicken curry.

You could also add black mustard seeds, curry leaves and coconut milk to the mix for a more south Indian flavour.

Like saag curries? Why not blend up some spinach and fresh chillies and pour it in with a little cream?

I often add chicken tikka to this simple chicken curry along with the bone in thighs. Then I take the tikka out with some of the broth and use it in my BIR (British Indian Restaurant) style curries. 

Other ideas…

In the winter months I like to cook this simple chicken curry but with mild flavoured game birds such as pheasants and partridges. When I do, I cook the whole birds cut into about three or four pieces.

There really is no reason why you couldn’t use other meats too. Lamb leg cut into small chunks on the bone is always a big hit at my house. This is also a popular staff curry at some restaurants. 

Just in case you like cooking with step by step photos, I have photographed the method for this simple chicken curry for you…

Infusing spices in ghe

Infuse the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cinnamon stick in the oil or ghee.

added onions and garlic ginger paste

Fry the onions until soft and light brown. Then stir in the garlic and ginger paste.

Added ground spices

Add the ground spices and stir them into the onion mixture.

added tomato and chicken

Stir in the chopped tomatoes and tomato puree and simmer for a few minutes. Then add the chicken.

covered chicken with water

Add just enough water to cover the chicken.

simmering curry

Simmer covered for about 10 minutes.

Simmering curry

Continue simmering until you are happy with the sauce consistency.

 

What makes this curry so easy?

One thing I really like about this authentic Punjabi chicken curry recipe is its simplicity! You only need one pot. Get your ingredients prepared before starting and the recipe is so easy.

The flavours are out of this world too. Just let the curry simmer slowly and you will be in for a real treat.

Working ahead…

Just like most curries, this Punjabi chicken curry is even better the next day.

I thought I should point this out. If you are having friends over or a curry feast, cook everything the day before and then just heat it up to serve. Your friends will be amazed at the flavours in this easy curry and you won’t be left standing in front of the oven. Get your curries cooked and then enjoy the party!

Like this simple chicken curry? You might like to try some of these too…

Cumin chicken curry
Railway lamb curry
Chicken lababdar
Authentic monkfish curry
Punjabi onion bhaji curry

Simple chicken curry

I like this with a nice thick sauce. You could have a runnier sauce. Just don’t simmer as long.

simple chicken curry

Dig in!

Yield: 4 - 6

Easy Punjabi Chicken Curry

Simple chicken curry
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 12 chicken thighs - skinned and on the bone
  • 75ml vegetable oil
  • 3 onions - finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic and ginger paste
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1/2 cinnamon stick
  • 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (more or less to taste)
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 4 tennis ball sized tomatoes - finely chopped
  • 4 tablespoons tomato puree
  • 2 tablespoons garam masala
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large saucepan that has a lid, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the cumin seeds, coriander and cinnamon stick and infuse for around 30 seconds. Pour in the chopped onions. Stir continuously so that the onions become soft and translucent. Fry for about 15 minutes ensuring that the onions do not brown or stick to the pan.
  2. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste, chilli powder and turmeric followed by the chopped tomatoes and allow to sizzle over medium heat for about five minutes. Add about a teaspoon of salt. This will help the onion release moisture into the sauce.
  3. The onions and tomatoes will begin to break down, turning into a thick sauce. This is a sauce you can use for any restaurant style curry. You may want to leave the chilli powder out though if you’re making mild curries.
  4. Add the chicken pieces and tomato paste.
  5. Stir it all up nicely and pour in just enough water or spice stock to cover the chicken.
  6. Cover the curry and let it simmer for about ten minutes. The sauce will become nice and thick and will stick to the chicken pieces as they cook.
  7. Remove the lid and stir adding a drop more water if you prefer a thinner sauce or turn up the heat if it is too runny.
  8. You’ll know when the curry is ready when the oil comes to the top. Simply skim it off.
  9. Stir in one tablespoon of the garam masala and taste. Add more if needed. I usually use about two tablespoons of garam masala.

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© Dan Toombs
I hope you enjoy the authentic and simple chicken curry recipe. If you do get a chance to try it, please let me know what you thought in the comments. I would love to hear from you.

 

Filed Under: Chicken Curry Recipes, Favourites

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Comments

  1. Linda Baird says

    August 18, 2012 at 12:08 pm

    This dish is delicious, we love quite a lot of chillies and a naga or two does the job nicely. Prefer to use less fenugreek though.

    Thanks for your continued inspiration 🙂

    Reply
  2. Vicki Beers says

    September 19, 2012 at 11:43 am

    Fab recipe and great to see another fantastic recipe using British cold pressed rapeseed oil

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      September 20, 2012 at 2:06 pm

      Thanks Vicki. I do love my rapeseed oil!

      Reply
    • Jassi says

      August 19, 2018 at 1:42 pm

      Why dont you use Ghee or butter. Traditional and healthy Indian fats. Vegetable, sunflower, corn oil are processed oils and seed oils that should be avoided and when heated produce aldehydes that harm heart, cause cancer, etc. Read what Dr. Aseem malhotra., cardiologist says about them. He uses Ghee. Easy to make your own.

      Reply
      • Dan Toombs says

        August 27, 2018 at 11:03 am

        Hi Jassi

        I use ghee all the time! You could definitely use it in this recipe.

        Thanks,
        Dan

        Reply
  3. lisa says

    April 1, 2013 at 6:07 pm

    Just made this curry. It was beautiful, cant wait to try some more.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 6, 2013 at 1:20 pm

      Thank you very Lisa. I’m really glad you liked it. I’ve got loads more recipes on the way.

      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply
  4. Phil Thompson says

    April 5, 2013 at 1:39 pm

    Well Dan I think I’ll be having a go at this one…

    Found you via twitter yesterday and checked out the blog – look forward to following some of your recipes

    Can you recommend where to get ‘British Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil’ in the North East

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 6, 2013 at 1:13 pm

      Hi Phil – Thanks for stopping by. You can get cold pressed rapeseed oil at most good farm shops. It’s becoming very popular.

      Dan

      Reply
      • Lorraine says

        November 11, 2017 at 11:11 am

        Hi Dan.
        Have not tried this recipe yet but will try soon.
        Just wondering what type of oil is best to use.
        Some say use a seasoning oil
        What is this

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          February 5, 2018 at 7:04 pm

          Hi Lorraine

          I use rapeseed oil. Seasoned oil is the oil you get when frying onions, like onion bhajis. Use that oil and it’s even better.

          Thanks,
          Dan

          Reply
      • Nadia says

        January 12, 2021 at 5:31 am

        Hi, great recipe- can’t wait to try it. Question, recipe doesn’t say when to add the cumin, coriander powders and the cinnamon, cuminand coriander seeds? Thanks.

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          January 14, 2021 at 9:54 am

          Thanks for noticing, I have amended the recipe. Please add these at the very beginning before the onion.
          Dan

          Reply
  5. David says

    April 18, 2013 at 7:55 pm

    Made this a couple of weeks ago, first recipe of yours I tried and loved it’

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 20, 2013 at 10:02 am

      Thank you David. Really glad you liked the recipe! 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  6. James says

    March 19, 2016 at 10:28 pm

    Hi Dan
    What exactly do you mean by tomato paste…….tomato purĂ©e?
    Cheers

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 8, 2016 at 12:04 pm

      Hi James

      You really just need a tomato flavour. You could use paste and if it is too strong, add a little water. That or use one part paste mixed with four parts water.

      Dan

      Reply
  7. Ashley says

    July 10, 2016 at 2:26 pm

    Can I use canned diced tomato instead of fresh? I have all other ingredients lol just don’t want to run to the store

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      July 11, 2016 at 8:01 am

      Hi Ashley

      Canned tomatoes will do just fine!

      Dan

      Reply
  8. Steve S says

    August 12, 2016 at 8:14 am

    Hi Dan

    I made this last night but using pork shoulder and a much longer cook time, what a great flavour from such a straight forward recipe (I did add a small amount of chicken stock to replace the flavour lost from not using boned meat).

    Your blog is like the holy grail for curry lovers! Keep up the good work!

    cheers

    Steve

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      August 13, 2016 at 10:58 am

      Hi Steve

      Thank you very much for that. Really glad you liked the recipe. Pork sounds like an excellent substitute!

      Cheers,
      Dan

      Reply
  9. Rob Wharton says

    September 3, 2016 at 7:17 pm

    Hi when you mention veg oil do you mean rape seed oil.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      September 6, 2016 at 1:16 pm

      Hi Rob

      I use rapeseed oil. Any good vegetable oil will do but I do prefer rapeseed oil.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  10. Steve Baird says

    March 10, 2017 at 5:24 am

    Hi Dan, ive noticed here aswell as in many other curry recipes that the garam masala gets stirred in at the end. Whats the reason for this instead of frying it with the other spices at the beginning?
    Thanks.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 10, 2017 at 7:34 am

      Hi Steve

      Thanks for getting in touch. Garam masala – especially homemade roasted and ground garam masala adds a really nice flavour to curries. Some of the spices begin to lose their flavour if they cook in a sauce for a long period of time. You sprinkle it in at the end so that you don’t lose any flavour.

      Thank you.
      All the best,
      Dan

      Reply
  11. Colin Lockton says

    March 12, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    Hi Dan

    Just made this for the family for our Sunday teatime, served with a nice dollop of Yogurt and they cleared their plates.

    Thank you for another great recipe.

    Col

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      March 12, 2017 at 9:49 pm

      Thank you Col! Great to hear you and family liked the recipe!

      Cheers,
      Dan

      Reply
  12. gina kennett says

    April 11, 2017 at 12:22 am

    What kind of chili powder do you use

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      April 13, 2017 at 10:43 am

      Hi Gina

      I use Kashmiri chilli powder. I really like the flavour but some people think it is too spicy. You could really use any chilli powder you like but Kashmiri powder is what is most often used at restaurants.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  13. Larua Thurimella says

    August 11, 2017 at 8:46 am

    I made this curry yesterday – great recipe and not too onerous. I mostly make south indian curries so this was a nice change. Thank you! Only tip I would say is to pay attention to what Dan said about adding Garam Masala and tasting BEFORE adding more. I wait straight ahead and put in two tablespoons and unfortunately it was overpowering. I think it was because mine was a home ground garam masala gifted from a Punjabi neighbour and rather stronger than shop bought versions. 🙂

    Reply
  14. Sof T says

    September 4, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    Gorgeous. Love it when you can cook from a recipe something as good as a restaurant and this was perfect. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      September 7, 2017 at 9:25 am

      Thank you very much Sof.

      Reply
      • Marc says

        October 23, 2017 at 11:02 pm

        Hi Dan

        Is this recipe just as good as if you made a base sauce as per your book?

        Thanks

        Marc

        Reply
        • Dan Toombs says

          October 27, 2017 at 10:25 am

          Hi Marc

          This is a homestyle recipe. A version of it will actually be in my next book. The base sauce is used for classic British curry house style curries. You could actually use it in this recipe instead of frying the onions and tomatoes. It would be smoother and different and equally as good. The base sauce was developed for speed, efficiency and economy over the years at curry houses. The sauce in this recipes is just a more traditional way of making a sauce. Hope this helps.

          Dan

          Reply
  15. Marc says

    October 26, 2017 at 5:07 pm

    Hi Dan I am going to cook this tomorrow but I was just checking that that’s all the dry spices required just chilli and turmeric for the sauce?

    Thanks

    Marc

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      October 27, 2017 at 10:10 am

      Hi Marc

      Sorry for the late reply. There is garam masala in there too. You can add it when you add the other dry spices. I’ll check the recipe. You can substitute a good quality curry powder.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  16. Tim says

    November 27, 2017 at 11:46 am

    As ever i love making these recipes as they give me a taste of home here in Western Australia. . . . I did however substitute the normal chilli for Kashmiri chilli powder and doubled it . It’s a great quick and easy dish to make and it freezes brilliantly ,

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      February 5, 2018 at 7:31 pm

      Hi Tim

      That’s great to hear. Thank you.

      Dan

      Reply
  17. Andy Hawkins says

    January 20, 2018 at 11:55 am

    Hello Dan
    Great stuff as always!
    Used many of your recipes!
    How many cans of chopped tomatoes would be equal to “4 tennis ball size tomatoes”?
    Cheers
    Andy

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 22, 2018 at 12:20 pm

      Hi Andy

      Thank you. One 400g tin should be enough. You could always add part of or another tin to taste if needed.

      Thanks,
      Dan

      Reply
  18. Amrit says

    January 19, 2019 at 6:51 pm

    Wow Dan I am Punjabi, I made this and it was better than my mum’s (hope she doesn’t see this) thank you for this tasty simple recipe!! reminds me of my childhood

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      January 21, 2019 at 1:24 pm

      Hi Amrit

      That’s great to hear. Thank you very much. 🙂

      Dan

      Reply
  19. Sukh says

    March 19, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    Salivating whilst reading the recipe. And it’s on the hob now!

    Reply
  20. Mikki says

    May 3, 2020 at 5:29 am

    Hi. This looks really good and simple. Can you please explain the garlic and ginger paste? Is this the little tube that you can purchase alongside veggies in the grocery store? Do you mean 1 Tablespoon of each, or 2 of a combined type of paste? I am assuming that it wouldn’t make too much of a difference if all of the chicken was boneless. That would make my family happier, although it does explain take-out recipe that we purchased recently.

    Thank you. I look forward to exploring your website!

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      May 3, 2020 at 11:49 am

      Hi Mikki
      Thanks for getting in touch. You can buy jars of garlic and ginger paste in all Asian stores and a lot of supermarkets. Please use 2 tablespoons of combined garlic and ginger paste. If you don’t have any you can make your own by blending together garlic and ginger with a little water but it makes it a lot easier if you have a jar on hand and it will last a while. It would make no difference at all if the chicken were boneless.
      Dan

      Reply
  21. jack says

    December 19, 2020 at 7:07 am

    I want to cook this boneless thighs. How much should I use?

    Reply
    • Dan Toombs says

      December 19, 2020 at 2:34 pm

      I usually use 800 g – 1KG but it is not an exact science.
      Thanks
      Dan

      Reply

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