This very tasty classic Indian Curry is a really easy recipe. Serve with a side of naan (or garlic naan) bread for curry sauce mopping. It is made known that I love Indian food, particularly Indian curries. I mean love! It comes from being British and growing up with a heavy Indian influence in the UK and why I have so many Indian recipes in my arsenal. When I made my first curry Indian recipe for the blog, back in 2013 it was Chicken Tikka Masala. This was an instant hit and is still one of my most popular dishes to this day with this madras chicken curry a close second.
Chicken Madras Spice level
In keeping with tradition, this recipe is on the spicier sided thanks to the Indian red kashmiri (hot chilli powder). This can be adjusted to your preferred spice level. What I love about this easy chicken madras recipe is that it has a rich, depth of flavor that tastes like it cooked for hours. The garam masala is the spice base and main flavor along with turmeric powder, black pepper and red chili powder to create madras curry powder blend.
Indian Curry Spice Blend
Garam masala, one of the spices used is complex combination of many spices that include cardamom, ground coriander, fennel, fenugreek, nutmeg, cinnamon, the list goes on. This is why this is an amazing spice blend and allows you to achieve a wonderfully flavorful curry. Blending spices is one of the best ways to create a different flavor profile for many dishes. I have a custom Indian Curry Spice blend that I keep on hand to enhance the flavor of rice and vegetables. I always have a good collection of Indian spices in my pantry which are easy to find when you have a local Indian grocery store. Buying spices online is also a great place to find them.
Tomatoes for Madras curry
Because I make this year round, I like to use canned/tinned tomatoes. If it is tomato season and you have sweet ones right from the garden, you can use them instead. Tomato paste is also added for richness (this is tomato puree in the U.K).
How to maximize the flavor of spices
Whenever I see an authentic Indian dish being made, the cook always toast the spices in a dry pan as the first step of the recipe. This brings out the flavors and takes away any raw taste that they may bring to the dish. This leads me to tell you about the colorful acorn squash in the picture above (and a delicious side dish to an Indian curry). This is Roasted Acorn Squash with Indian Spices. That is not pumpkin you are seeing, who knew acorn squash came in orange as well as green?
Best chicken for curry
You can use whatever you like. I like chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces. You can also use bone-in or boneless chicken thighs.
Naan and Curry
What happens when all the chicken has been eaten? You’ll need something to mop up the curry sauce. I have the easiest Easy Naan Bread. You must always have naan with an Indian curry. If you’ve tried this Quick and Easy Chicken Madras or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers! Easy Indian Tomato Chutney Indian Spiced Peas
