Goan Chicken Curry
Creamy, aromatic chicken simmered in coconut milk with warm spices and a hint of sourness from vinegar. A restaurant-quality curry that comes together in under an hour with simple pantry staples.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Calories
- 385
- Protein
- 38g
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 2 medium onions, yellow
- 6 whole garlic cloves
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger
- 4 whole red chile peppers, dried
- 1.5 cups coconut milk, unsweetened
- 1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes, diced canned
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
Instructions
- 1
Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels, pressing firmly on both sides to remove surface moisture — this helps them brown better.
- 2
Cut each chicken thigh into 2-inch chunks by placing the thigh on a cutting board and slicing straight down through the meat, making cuts about 2 inches apart in both directions.
- 3
Peel the onions and cut them in half lengthwise from root to tip, then lay the flat side down and slice crosswise into half-moon shapes about 1/4 inch thick.
- 4
Smash the 6 garlic cloves by placing them on the cutting board, laying the flat side of a knife blade over each clove, and pressing down hard with the heel of your hand until the papery skin cracks.
- 5
Peel away the garlic skin and discard it, leaving the smashed cloves in one pile on the board.
- 6
Peel the ginger with the edge of a spoon, scraping away the thin brown skin to expose the pale yellow flesh underneath, then cut crosswise into thin slices about the thickness of a coin.
- 7
Pour the coriander seeds and cumin seeds into a small dry skillet (no oil yet) and place over medium heat, stirring once every 5 seconds until they smell strongly fragrant and darken slightly, about 90 seconds.
- 8
Transfer the toasted seeds to a small bowl and let cool for 1 minute, then use a mortar and pestle to crush them into small pieces about the size of coarse pepper grains.
- 9
Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot and place over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pot, about 90 seconds.
- 10
Working in batches to avoid crowding, slide the chicken chunks into the hot oil and let them sit undisturbed for 2 minutes until the bottom surface turns golden brown, then stir and cook another 90 seconds until no pink is visible on the outside.
- 11
Transfer all the browned chicken to a clean plate, leaving any stuck-on brown bits in the pot — you'll use them to flavor the sauce.
- 12
Pour the sliced onions into the same pot (still over medium-high heat) and stir once every 10 seconds for 4 minutes until they soften and the edges turn light golden brown.
- 13
Add the smashed garlic cloves and ginger slices to the onions and stir constantly for 45 seconds until they smell strongly fragrant and no raw garlic smell remains.
- 14
Crumble the 4 dried red chiles with your fingers directly into the pot and stir for 15 seconds until they darken slightly and release their aroma.
- 15
Sprinkle the crushed coriander and cumin seeds over the onion mixture and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant, so the spices coat everything evenly.
- 16
Pour the coconut milk into the pot, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any stuck-on brown bits from the bottom, and stir for 10 seconds until the sauce is uniform in color.
- 17
Add the can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid) and the 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, then stir gently for 20 seconds until combined.
- 18
Return the cooked chicken and any juices on its plate to the pot, submerging the pieces in the sauce, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover with a lid.
- 19
Simmer gently, covered, for 18 to 22 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through (no pink inside when you cut a piece in half) and the flavors have melded.
- 20
Remove from heat, taste the curry, and season with salt and pepper to your preference — you may need 0.5 to 1 teaspoon of salt total.
Tools you’ll need
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- paper towels
- spoon (for scraping ginger skin)
- small dry skillet
- mortar and pestle
- large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with lid
- wooden spoon
- small bowl
- plate
Cook smarter
Get matched recipes for what’s in your fridge
CookSnap is a free iOS app that finds real recipes from the ingredients you already have. No more grocery-list aspirations.
