Chicken Vindaloo Recipe
Chicken cooked in vindaloo sauce. Served with rice.
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Ingredients
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Vindaloo Masala
Chicken & Marinade
Sauce & Cooking
Rice & To Serve
Method
Vindaloo Masala
- 1
Dry-roast whole spices
In a dry skillet over medium heat, add the dried red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, and fenugreek seeds. Toast, shaking the pan frequently, until the spices are fragrant and the chilies darken slightly, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes.
- 2
Grind to a paste
Transfer the toasted spices to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Add turmeric powder, peeled garlic cloves, grated or chopped ginger, white vinegar (60 ml), brown sugar and the measured salt. Grind/blend to a smooth-ish paste, adding 1–2 tbs water if needed to reach a spreadable consistency. Taste and adjust salt or sugar slightly — the paste should be tangy, garlicky and spicy. Reserve about 2 tbs of this paste separately for frying the sauce (set aside); the remainder will be used to marinate the chicken.
Chicken & Marinade
- 3
Combine chicken and masala
Place the chicken pieces in a bowl or resealable bag. Add the prepared vindaloo masala paste (the portion not reserved), and massage the paste into the chicken so each piece is coated. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for at least 1 hour; ideally 4 hours to overnight for deeper flavor. If short on time, marinate at least 30 minutes.
Sauce & Cooking
- 4
- 5
Brown the onions
Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt to the hot oil. Sauté until the onions are soft and beginning to caramelize, about 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally so they brown evenly.
- 6
Build the sauce
Add the reserved 2 tbs of vindaloo paste (from the masala step) and the tomato paste to the onions. Cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes until the oil starts to separate slightly and raw tomato smell reduces.
- 7
Add chicken and simmer
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the marinated chicken pieces (including any marinade juices) to the pan. Sear the chicken for 2 minutes per side to brown lightly. Pour in the water or chicken stock (300 ml), scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 25–30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened. Stir occasionally; if the sauce becomes too thick, add up to 2–3 tbs water to reach desired consistency.
- 8
Finish and adjust
Taste and adjust seasoning — add up to 0.5 tsp sugar if too acidic or up to 0.5 tsp salt if needed. If you prefer more heat, stir in a pinch of crushed red pepper or a little extra chili powder. Once the chicken is cooked and sauce is balanced, turn off the heat and stir in chopped cilantro (2 tbs). Squeeze a little lime over the curry to brighten, if using.
Rice & To Serve
- 9
Rinse and soak rice (optional)
Rinse the basmati rice under cold water until the water runs clear to remove excess starch. Optionally soak the rice for 15–20 minutes to improve texture, then drain.
- 10
Cook rice
Combine the rinsed rice, 540 ml water and 1 tsp salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low, cover tightly and simmer for 12–15 minutes (or until water is absorbed and rice is tender). Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
- 11
Serve
Spoon cooked rice onto plates, ladle the chicken vindaloo over or beside the rice, garnish with extra cilantro and lime wedges. Serve hot.
