Indian
Good Food Everyday
From
Good Food Everyday
season
1
episode
9
Simple Yoghurt Chicken Curry
With
Gary Mehigan
Yoghurt-marinated chicken curry with curry leaves and lemongrass. A weeknight Indian standard.
About this recipe
Alex Pinto's home-cook curry, chicken breast marinated in yoghurt and ground spices, then pan-fried with curry leaves, lemongrass and onion. Light enough for a weeknight, deep enough that the spices read on the second bite. Serve with steamed rice and a spoon of chutney.
The yoghurt marinade is the technique that defines the dish. The lactic acid in the yoghurt tenderises the chicken breast (a notoriously tricky cut that dries out fast); the proteins coat the meat and bind the spices to the surface. A minimum of one hour, four hours ideal, no longer than overnight (the chicken starts to break down past that point).
Thumb-sized pieces are the right cut. Smaller and the chicken dries out in the pan; bigger and the centre stays raw while the outside seizes. The cut also lets the marinade penetrate all the way through rather than just glazing the surface.
The Sri Lankan/Goan crossover spice base is what makes this curry sit between regions: ground coriander, cumin, chilli powder and turmeric blooming in oil with curry leaves and lemongrass. Cinnamon stick added whole gives the dish a soft sweetness that balances the chilli. Onions sweated low for fifteen minutes before the marinated chicken goes in; the chicken cooks fast at high heat, the yoghurt curdling slightly into a thick coating sauce. Serve over basmati with a spoon of mango chutney and a sliced cucumber salad on the side.
Ingredients
- 1kg Tasman Butchers skinless Chicken Breast meat - cut to thumb size pieces
- 3 tbsp plain Yoghurt
- 1 tbsp each Coriander, Cumin, Chilli powder
- 1 tsp Tumeric
- 1/2 to 1 whole Onion finely chopped
- 1 sprig Curry leaves
- 2 inch thick Lemongrass - bruised
- Olive oil to fry
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp crushed Garlic
- 1 tbsp minced Ginger
- Salt to taste
- Rice to accompany.
Method
1. Marinate chicken with Yoghurt, spices, Garlic and Ginger for at least 1 hour
2. Heat oil in a saucepan, when sizzling add Curry Leaves, Lemon Grass, Cinnamon and Chilli until the Curry leaves become crisp, then add the Onion and a pinch of salt.
3. Add Tasman Butcher Chicken Breast pieces to the saucepan, sear for a few minutes to colour, then add a lid to and simmer for 10-15 minutes over low heat.
4. Serve with your choice of rice.
5. Notes:
6. This recipe has been deliberately kept simple (for PhD students!) and is a base that can be easily modified. Can add Green Cardamon, Green Chillies, Turmeric (in fact, I almost always add 1tsp of this), Mustard Seed, Pandan Leaf to add complexity. Also, repeat the recipe omitting the yoghurt and instead add coconut milk towards the end of cooking chicken. You can’t go wrong!
7. I prefer chicken thigh, but will work with any other cuts (breast or drumstick).
8. I like to add salt when frying curry leaves and onion and add more at the end of cooking. For this quantity of chicken I would add ~1tsp when frying at the start. I also add other spices at this step such as the optional items I list in Note 1.
9. This needs to be served with rice, a sambol and/or mallum and for an ‘everyday’ meal with a dhal curry.
Gary Mehigan
Gary Mehigan spent eleven seasons as a judge on MasterChef Australia before turning his attention to the road. He hosts Around the World on Two Plates and Good Food Everyday, cooking through markets and family kitchens from Spain to Sri Lanka. His own kitchen instinct sits in classical French technique with a forensic eye for produce.
Inspiration Starts Here
Join the Savour & Wander Club for recipes, travel notes and first access to future member content.
