My creamy chicken pasanda recipe will have you coming back for more and more! It’s a creamy, zingy, powerful curry with loads of flavour but not too much heat.
This is technically a badaam pasanda as it’s served with almonds. A pasanda is a dish derived from the court of the Mughal emperors, and the name ‘pasanda’ comes from pasande – meaning favourite – because high quality cuts of meat are traditionally used in this recipe.
I’ve used skinless, boneless chicken thighs because they’re juicy and much tastier than chicken breast, and I think that works well with the name of the curry!
The Ingredients
- Chicken thighs – you can also make this curry with lamb or king prawns. If you use either of these meats, follow the instructions as normal but bear in mind that the prawns will cook much more quickly – don’t give them more than 5 minutes.
- The chicken marinade – is made from garlic, ginger, turmeric, hot chilli powder and yoghurt. The amount of chilli powder adds just a little heat – you can add more if you like it spicier.
- Blanched almonds and whole milk – these are used to make a creamy almond paste which is mixed into the curry.
- The curry sauce – the curry sauce is made from a mix of onion, garlic, ginger and chilli as a fairly standard base. The spices are cardamom pods, ground coriander, garam masala and turmeric, and it’s finished with a splash of cream.
Creamy Chicken Pasanda
A delicious creamy chicken pasanda with almonds. A mild curry with plenty of flavour, it’s perfect served with fluffy white rice and an aloo gobi.
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 10 chicken thighs skinless and boneless
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 20 grams ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon hot chilli powder
- 300 millilitres natural yoghurt
For the curry sauce
- 50 grams blanched almonds
- 150 millilitres whole milk
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 cardamom pods
- 4 onions peeled and finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
- 20 grams ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red chilli finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 100 millilitres double cream
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into chunks 1-2 inches in size. Put in a large bowl and add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli powder and yoghurt. Stir, then cover and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 24 hours.
- Put the almonds and milk into a small bowl and microwave on a high heat for 30 seconds. Leave to sit for 30 minutes, then use a food processor or blender to blitz into a smooth paste.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and add the cardamom pods. Let them sizzle for 20 seconds before adding the onion.
- Let the onion soften for 10 minutes, then add the ginger, garlic and chilli. Cook for 30 seconds before adding the ground coriander, garam masala and turmeric. Cook for another minute then add 300 mls of water and the almond paste.
- Add the chicken to the pan, stir well and simmer for 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
- Finish by stirring in the cream. Serve with white rice.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 662kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 37gFat: 49gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gMonounsaturated Fat: 19gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 213mgSodium: 194mgPotassium: 797mgFiber: 3gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 610IUVitamin C: 19mgCalcium: 178mgIron: 3mg
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An incredible flavourful curry that’s easy enough to make on a weeknight