Hairy Bikers Chicken Korma Recipe

Lime is the surprise in this Hairy Bikers chicken korma, and it changes everything. Six chicken thighs sit in a ginger, garlic, and lime paste for an hour, then cook in a ground almond sauce for 25 minutes at around 425 kcal.

The Ultimate Comfort Food cookbook calls this “Our new chicken korma” and says the lime is “unusual, but we think it gives a fab twist to the curry.” Ground almonds do the heavy lifting in the sauce, so it feels creamy without needing loads of cream.

You want to hear those mustard seeds crackle and pop before anything else goes in the pan. That sharp, nutty flavour sits underneath every spice in the finished curry, and without it the sauce just tastes flat.

Hairy Bikers Chicken Korma Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Simmering Cuisine:British Indian Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 15 minutesCook time: 35 minutesRest time:1 hour Total time:1 hour 50 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:425 kcal Best Season:Winter

Description

Chicken thighs marinated in a blitzed garlic, ginger, lime, and green chilli paste, then simmered in a sauce of mustard seeds, korma spices, ground almonds, and stock. Finish with yoghurt or cream and a squeeze of lime.

Ingredients

For the marinade

• 6 chicken thigh fillets, skinned and cut into chunks
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 20g root ginger, roughly chopped
• Zest and juice of ½ lime
• 1 hot green chilli, roughly chopped

For the sauce

• 1 tbsp coconut oil or ghee
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 large onion, finely sliced
• 5 tsp korma spice mix
• 1 medium tomato (about 100g), finely chopped or puréed
• 2 bay leaves
• 100g ground almonds or cashews
• 1 tsp light brown soft sugar
• 500ml chicken stock
• 50ml yoghurt or double cream (optional)
• Squeeze of lime
• Salt and black pepper

To garnish

• Sliced green chillies
• Handful of fresh coriander, chopped
• Basmati rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Blitz the marinade: Put the garlic, ginger, lime zest, and green chilli in a food processor with a splash of water and blitz smooth. Mix with the lime juice and 100ml of water, then pour over the chicken and stir well. Cover and fridge for at least an hour.
2. Pop the mustard seeds: Heat the coconut oil or ghee in a large pan with a lid. Drop in the mustard seeds and wait until they start popping, then add the onion and cook until golden.
3. Build the sauce: Stir in 4 teaspoons of korma spice mix, then tip in the chicken with all its marinade. Cook until lightly coloured, then add the tomato and bay leaves. Give it 5 minutes.
4. Add almonds and stock: Stir in the ground almonds and sugar to make a thick paste, then pour in the stock and season. Bring to the boil, pop the lid on, and turn down to a simmer.
5. Simmer and finish: Cook for about 25 minutes, stirring now and then so it does not catch. The sauce should coat the chicken nicely. Stir in the yoghurt or cream if using, then add the last teaspoon of spice mix and a squeeze of lime.
6. Serve: Scatter over the chillies and coriander, then bring to the table with basmati rice.

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FAQs

Is this a creamy chicken korma?

Yes, because 100g of ground almonds melt into the stock and give the sauce that thick, smooth feel without pouring in loads of cream. A splash of yoghurt or double cream at the end rounds it out, but even without it the texture holds up well.

The Great Curries cookbook goes further with a separate “Creamy Chicken Korma” that uses 4 tablespoons of ghee, 100ml of double cream, and no lime. If you enjoy this style of chicken in a creamy sauce, the chicken Normandy on this site takes the same idea in a completely different direction with cider, apples, and crème fraîche instead of spices.

Is there a healthy low-fat diet chicken korma version?

Yes, and it comes in at just 294 kcal per serving. The Great Curries “Light Chicken Korma” is the healthy chicken korma version, and it swaps thighs for chicken breast, drops the coconut oil to one tablespoon of sunflower oil, and uses plain flour instead of ground almonds to thicken the sauce.

Only 3 tablespoons of cream go in right at the end, and saffron replaces the lime for a more traditional flavour. If you are looking for a low-fat chicken korma that still tastes like a proper curry, that 294 kcal version is the one to try. It is a genuinely different diet chicken korma recipe rather than just this one with less of everything.

What is korma spice mix and can I buy it?

Yes, any shop-bought korma powder or paste works fine. The same cookbook has a homemade version, but a supermarket jar does the job if you are short on time. Use the same 5 teaspoons and taste as you go, because some brands are milder than others.

This recipe is from the actual cookbook rather than the BBC version that floats around online, so the ingredients and method match exactly what was published. The lamb rogan josh on this site uses the same garlic and ginger base in a much fierier sauce, so it makes a good contrast if you want something with real heat next time.

Why marinate the chicken for an hour?

Because the lime juice and ginger tenderise the meat while the garlic and chilli push flavour all the way through. Most korma recipes skip this and add raw chicken straight to the sauce, which gives you spiced sauce around bland meat.

One hour is the minimum, but overnight in the fridge is even better if you can plan ahead.

What goes well alongside chicken korma?

Plain basmati rice is the classic, and it soaks up the almond sauce without getting in the way. Warm naan bread is good for scooping, and a cucumber raita cools things down between bites.

The lamb curry on this site starts by popping mustard seeds and cumin seeds in the same way this korma does, and the saffron rice method from that recipe lifts a plain bowl of basmati into something special. A few poppadoms and mango chutney finish the spread.