This is a British Indian restaurant style recipe that works with almost all fowl
Chicken tikka slow cooked in an onion and tomato sauce
I recently explained the major role that pre-cooked meat plays in the preparation of British Indian restaurant style meals. Pre-cooking the meat until tender not only makes cooking in Indian restaurants faster but tastier too. This is very important with tougher cuts of meat like lamb, goat, beef and pork but chicken and other fowl benefit too.
I like to vary my recipes for cooked meat and chicken. I change them often but at the end of the day it’s all done to give the meat that famous British Indian restaurant flavour.
I pre-cook chicken in two different ways. For tandoori style chicken, I marinate the chicken pieces in a yogurt marinade for up to 48 hours and then cook it fast in my tandoor oven, home oven or on the barbecue. The yogurt works as a tenderiser for the chicken meat. The end result can served as is or it can be added to curries such as tandoori chicken tikka masala. Check out my tandoori style chicken tikka recipe here.
The other way I prepare chicken is to simmer it in a fragrant broth for about 30 minutes until cooked through. This method of cooking gives the chicken a much lighter flavour and softer texture. It’s a good way to cook chicken for curries such as chicken korma where I lighter look and flavour is usually preferred.
You could use either method for your curries. Use the marinated tandoori chicken tikka to make tandoori chicken tikka masala. Use the stewing method with small bite sized chicken pieces (tikka) to make chicken tikka masala. I think you get the idea… Do you want chicken korma or tandoori chicken tikka korma? The choice is all yours.
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- 1 kilo (2 lbs.) skinned chicken pieces
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 5 cardamom pods
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1 inch piece of cassia bark or cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 large onions - finely chopped
- 400ml chopped tomatoes
- 3 bayleaves
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- Salt
- Heat the oil over medium high heat until very quite hot but not yet smoking.
- Add the whole spices and the bay leaves and stir continuously so that the spices don't burn. Watch carefully, you want the oil to take on the flavour of the spices but you don't want them to brown.
- Add the chopped onions and stir to combine.
- Continue stirring from time to time for about ten minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add just a bit of salt. This will release some of the excess water from the onions.
- Now add the turmeric and mix it in.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes and cover the pot to let all the flavours get to know each other.
- After about ten more minutes, add the chicken pieces and just enough water to cover the chicken.
- Cover again and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove from the heat to cool for use in your curries.
Hi Dan, The recipe states that you need to add chopped tomatoes but the quantity is not included in the ingredients list. Can you advise?
Thanks
Hi Fin
All fixed now. Thanks for noticing.
Dan
Hi Dan – you have chopped tomatoes in your instructions but not on the recipe list! Is it tinned tomatoes or fresh.
Going to be making one of your curries tomorrow.
They look delicious.
Kind Regards
Jo Richardson
Hi Jo
You can use either. In the summer I use fresh. In the colder months I go for tinned.
Thanks
Dan
Hi Dan
Do you drain the chicken once it’s cooked or just leave it in the stock.
Thanks
Roger
Hi Roger
Don’t through away the stock. It has a lot of flavour. Use the chicken pieces in your curry of choice. Then if you want to add a little more flavour, top up your curry with a few spoonfuls of the chicken cooking stock.
Cheers
Dan
When you say the cooled chicken can be kept in the fridge or frozen can the sauce also be frozen for a week or so to use in the next curry?
Thanks Sam
Hi Sam
Sauce and chicken both freeze well.
Cheers
Dan
Hi Dan,
Do you use green or black cardamoms?
Assume the broth is discarded once chicken is cooked ?
Regards,
Des.
Hi Des
Black cardamoms have a stronger – smokier flavour. If you love cardamom, I would suggest using them. Green will do fine though. Don’t through away the broth. It is great added to chicken curries. A couple spoonfuls at the end of cooking will take your curries to the next level.
Cheers
Dan
Hi Dan
Just trying out your Jalfrezi recipe and now i’m preparing my pre-cooked chicken. One question, when the chicken is cooked through, do i only use the chicken from this pre-cooked chicken recipe, or do i throw it all into my Jalfrezi when i make it?
Hope that makes sense!
Cheers!
Hi Ash
I’m not sure I understand but you could use all of the chicken or just some of it. Usually I just use a few pieces if I’m cooking for myself. If cooking for four or more, the whole pre-cooked chicken recipe can be used.
Cheers
Dan
I think that Ash is asking if just the chicken pieces go into the final curry recipe, or the chicken pieces + the stock. Just the chicken pieces, I imagine, and topping up the final curry with a couple of tablespoons of the stock. Does anyone have any tips for draining the stock, especially separating the chicken pieces from the ‘lumpy’ bits of the stock i.e. the whole spices and tomato chunks?
Hey Dan!
Thanks for sharing your awesome recipes! The Pre-Cooked Chicken really has a much nicer texture!
Best,
Markus
Thanks Markus. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Dan
Hi – Is this the same sauce to pre-cook beef etc or is there a variant? Thanks!!
Hi John
It’s slightly different but you could cook beef, lamb etc in this recipe with good results. Just be sure to stew it longer as it takes longer to become tender.
Thanks
Dan
You say simmer chicken until cooked through. How long to cook 500 grms chopped into 1 inch cubes approx.? Is it possible to turn it into rubbery in texture if stewed for to long. As chicken cooks quickly I assume 5 -10 minutes.
Hi Dave
Just cook it until cooked through. About ten minutes should do. I often cook it and then turn off the heat to let the flavours get to know each other. I’ve never found this recipe to produce a rubbery texture so I think you’re okay.
thanks
Dan
HI Dan
Can I cook the chicken in my slow cooker? If so do you know what sort of time I should leave it in there for?
Thanks
Graeme
Hi Graeme
I never use a slow cooker for my cooking so I’m not going to be much help there. Still, I see know reason why you couldn’t cook it in a slow cooker. The end result will be different to Indian style cooking though. Hope this helps.
Dan
What kind of cooking vessel should be used? Frying pan? Saucepan? It’s quite a lot of chicken, so I’m thinking something large.
Hi Vince
You’re right there. I use a big pot usually as I often double the recipe and freeze it. You could also use a large wok. Good luck.
Dan
hi Dan
just got your eBook and I can’t wait to have a go as you make it easy to follow your recipes. Its great of you to share.The book is first class.
Hi Bill
Thank you very much for purchasing my ebook. Be sure to let me know if you have any recipe questions.
Thanks
Dan
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the wealth of knowledge you are sharing. Would it be possible to cook the chicken in the restaurant curry sauce and obtain the same results?
Regards Steve
Hi Steve
Many chefs do this. It works really well. This recipe is simply an alternative but if you have some curry sauce you can use it instead.
Dan
Loving the recipes! Thank you so much. Quick question… My son usually orders a ‘korma, madras heat’ from our local restaurant. I am planning to try and recreate by adding some of your hot madras powder to this recipe. Do you think this will work, and if so, how much, and when would you suggest I add it?
Thanks again.
Hi Jon
Adding Madras curry powder will help. You can add it whenever. Sometimes it’s a good idea to add a little at the beginning and then top it up at the end to achieve the right heat. You could also add freshly chopped green chillies. Good luck.
Dan
Hi Dan,
What do you do with the lumpy bits left in the pre-cooked chicken? Can if me added to the curry or just kept with the broth for future use?
Hi Gary
It’s really up to you. I sometimes just leave them in the broth but the larger bits can definitely be added with the other meat. Hope this helps.
Dan
Hi Dan
My flatmate is allergic to tomatoes. Do you have any suggestions for substitution in this recipe and your curry sauce recipe? Im hoping to make chicken sagawala!
Thanks
Cal
Hi Cal
I have used blueberries believe it or not to substitute tomatoes. It works!
Dan
Hi Dan
Once you have removed the chicken from the broth, if you freeze the broth can you then defrost it to use when you want to cook your next batch of chicken or should you make a fresh broth?
Many thanks
Jo
Hi Jo
You sure can. It will make a stronger stock which is really nice.
Dan
Hi . I have a problem with yogurt . Which I should use to curry ? I have tried few but still is something wrong . Chicken is very sour and weird . After 24 hrs marinated and then cooking is still really sour and not good . I have tried add sugar when I’m cooking chicken but you can still taste it.
Hi Karolina
For marinades I usually use plain Greek style yogurt as it is thicker and close to the hung yogurt they use in India. For curries, I use plain natural yogurt. This is much thinner and also doesn’t curdle as easily. Give these a try and good luck.
Dan
is the water cold or hot when you add it?
*hot
Hi Julian
For ease, just add the water cold and then bring it to a simmer.
Thanks,
Dan
Hi Dan, great website, I’m brand new to this and looking forward to trying your methods.
What’s your opinion on Chicken Thigh meat in curries please?
Thanks,
Steve.
Hi Steve
Thank you. At most restaurants, breast meat is used as it looks better. To be honest though, I much prefer thigh meat cooked on or off the bone. There is much more flavour to thigh meat.
Cheers,
Dan
Hi buddy ,
My pre cooked chicken liquid always gets used twice ,
After the first time I freeze , then defrost and bring to a rapid boil then down to a simmer and use again ! Never use a third time though ! I’m guessing this is acceptable lol . Del
Sure is Del. Thank you. I do the same.
Dan
hi dan….how many times could i re-freeze and use, im guessing twice but thought id ask your expert advice.
keep up the good work
Tony
Hi Tony
I usually don’t refreeze anything. It is best to freeze in smaller amounts. Hope this helps.
Thank you,
Dan
Hi Dan
Can I prepare the precooked chicken in the pressure cooker or is it better to do it on the hob? If I can cook it in the pressure cooker , how long would I do it for?
Many thanks
Hi Karen
I do pressure cook some things but usually do the chicken on the hob. If chicken overcooks, it gets really stringy. If I were cooking in a pressure cooker (mine is one of the countertop models) I would start by cooking it for only about ten minutes and see how it looks. It just needs to be cooked through.
Good luck,
Dan
Hi Dan, loving your recipes and enjoying reading your book.
re the precooked chicken. It seems like a lot of extra ingredients and expense.
Does it really impart that much flavour to the chicken?
What if I were to just simmer it in the curry sauce, Would it make much of a difference to the flavour of the dish?
Hi Martin
That is definitely another way of doing it. Just add it to some base sauce. Sometimes I cook chicken from raw in the different sauces. That isn’t done often at restaurants but it works for home cooks. Thank you very much for picking up my book. I’m glad you are enjoying it.
All the best,
Dan
When using this chicken in a dish, I would probably have it frozen then defrost. How long should it be left to cook with the dish that I am making for that day? in the recipes, it just says add the chicken. How long would you put the prepared cooked chicken in with the dish?
Hi Paul
The cooked chicken is usually added right at the end. For the pre-cooking, just cook it until it is just cooked through so that it doesn’t over cook when added to curries.
Thanks,
Dan
Hi, can I just make this as curry sauce and mix it with meat when nedded. will it keep in the fridge
Hi Steve
You could do that but for best results, cook it with the meat as the meat give more flavour to the stock. It will keep in the fridge for about three days and also freezes well.
Thanks,
Dan
Thanks Dan that’s great I will do that
I moved to back to the US in 2011 and thought I’d never be able to get a proper takeaway curry again. What’s written above is true! Most other indian recipes I’ve tried don’t create that same takeaway style dish, but this Korma recipe was spot on! Will definitely be buying the book. Thanks!
Hi Wes
Thank you very much. I’m really glad you like the recipe and hope you enjoy the book too. The US edition is available on Amazon US for pre-order and will be published in April, 2018. 🙂
Thanks,
Dan
Sorry for a really silly question but as I am quite new to cooking I need to check. If I was to pre-cook my chicken the day before for instance then add to the chosen curry sauce (which will then be dished up and eaten), will I be ok putting any left overs in fridge and warming back up (ensuring its piping hot) the next day ? I worry about reheating chicken etc.
Thanks and your recipes are amazing
Tony
Hi Anthony
No problem. At least I do it all the time and I’ve never had any problems with it.
Thanks,
Dan
Hi Dan a quick question once you cook your chicken and save the stock do you sieve it threw all use all the stock as last time I sieve it through and just let the water stock not sure if that is correct all use all as a stock
Hi Mandy
Do whatever is convenient. As I make a lot of curries using the base sauce, I often add the sieved stock instead of or with water to make a base sauce that is just for chicken. I do the same with lamb. You could also just make the base stock to use in all curries with water and top up your chicken curries with a little of the chicken stock for flavour. One good way to do this is to reduce it down and then freeze it in ice cube trays. Just throw in a couple of stock ice cubes to add flavour.
Thanks,
Dan