Name: Chicken Chasni From Scratch
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 800g chicken breasts – skinned and cut into bite sized pieces; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 onions – finely chopped; 2 tablespoons garlic and ginger paste; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon paprika or Kashmiri chilli powder; A pinch of turmeric; 200ml chopped tomatoes; 3 tablespoons mango chutney; 2 tablespoons mint sauce; 3 tablespoons ketchup; 200ml water or chicken stock; 200ml double cream; Juice of two limes; Salt and pepper to taste; 3 tablespoons fresh chopped coriander

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This curry house quality chicken chasni from scratch requires no base sauce!

One of the questions I get asked most is if it's possible to make curry house style curries without the need for a base sauce. I've been working on my curry house recipes and can honestly say that this no base chicken chasni from scratch is just as good if not better than what you'll get at the takeaway!

So if you're a fan of the mild, sweet and sour chicken chasni, give this recipe a try. You will also find links to popular side dishes to enjoy your chicken chasni with.

Chicken chasni fron scratch — Look no base! This chicken chasni can be made from scratch in one pan.

But I thought you had to make a base sauce to get restaurant quality chicken chasni?

There's no doubt about it, curry house curries require a smooth sauce like those you get when you use base sauce.

The thing is, the base sauce was developed over time for speed and economy. It is much faster and cheaper for restaurants to use a base sauce in their curries. Here is the curry house version of my chicken chasni.

I usually use a base sauce in my curry house curries but have since developed this recipe for when I don't have any base sauce on hand. It works! I promise.

The idea behind this chicken chasni from scratch recipe...

The curry house base sauce is simmered low and slow. With this recipe you are essentially speeding up the process to make this one curry.

Although you could get away with simply frying the onions for about 5 minutes, you could cook them for longer on a low heat which will bring out their natural sweetness.

If you follow this recipe as written, however, you will not be disappointed.

What is the base sauce?

For those of you who don't have my cookbooks or are new to my blog, let me explain. The base sauce is essentially a watered down onion stock with a few spices and other veggies thrown in.

It's easy to make in small or large batches and freezes very well. Here is one of my base sauce recipes which includes links to many curry house curries you can make with it.

The sauce is bland. It's just a base like chicken or vegetable stocks are used as a base in other cuisines. The magic happens when that bland base sauce is used in the different curries. It's used in to make everything from the mildest korma to the spiciest phall.

To blend or not to blend...

In the recipe, I blend the sauce so that it is smooth like you get at restaurants and takeaways.

This is just an additional step you can do if you really want to get that takeaway style sauce. If you don't blend the sauce, you will still get great results.

What do you serve chicken chasni with?

If you'd like to make this curry into a feast, you've come to the right place. You could just go for a side of Basmati rice or mushroom fried rice.

If you'd like to make naans, why not try one of these? Instant naans, Peshwari naans, stove top naans, keema naans, garlic naans, tandoor naans (if you have a tandoor oven), or if you're cooking outdoors, karahi naans.

Want to start your chicken chasni meal off with a bang? How about fried shop bought poppadoms or if you're feeling ambitious, make your own poppadoms from scratch and serve them with coriander chutney, red onion chutney, and/or tamarind chutney.

Step by step photos...

Ingredients for chicken chasni — Gather all your ingredients before you start cooking. It's easier in the long run.

Frying onions, garlic and ginger in the pan — Fry the onions in the oil for about 7 minutes or until soft and translucent. Then stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for a further 30 seconds.

Adding ground spices to the pan — Stir in the ground spices and fry for about 30 seconds.

Adding chopped tomatoes to the pan — Now add the chopped tomatoes. Used tinned (canned) for a deeper red colour.

Adding water or chicken stock to pan — Stir in about 70ml (1/4 cup) water or chicken stock.

Simmering sauce — Bring to a simmer and then allow to cool if blending.

Blending sauce — If you prefer a smooth curry house style sauce, blend until smooth with the ketchup, mango chutney and mint sauce.

Adding red food colouring — Stir in the red food colouring if using.

Do I need to use food colouring?

Absolutely not! Chasni curries are known for their bright red colouring. This is all down to red food colouring which adds nothing to the flavour.

If you prefer not to use food colouring, just leave it out. Your curry may not look like a glowing red curry but it will taste the same.

Adding chicken to the pan — Add the pre-cooked tandoori style chicken and stir it into the sauce.

Do I have to use pre-cooked chicken?

No but it does add another layer of flavour that will improve the curry. If in a rush, you could just stir in some raw chicken and allow it to simmer in the sauce until cooked through.

This time I used my stove top tandoori chicken recipe for this chasni.

Chicken chasni from scratch — Add the cream and a little lemon juice if you like and serve.

Yield: 4