Chicken Korma
A mild, fragrant curry of tender chicken in a silky sauce of slow-cooked onion, warm whole spices, ground almonds and cream. Rich but gentle on heat, and just right over cauliflower rice.
Nutrition per serving
about 1¼ cups- Net carbs
- 7g
- Calories
- 465kcal
- Protein
- 40g
- Fat
- 30g
- Total carbs
- 9.4 g
- Fiber
- 2.4 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Dairy-free (coconut): Coconut cream marinates the chicken and enriches the sauce, and coconut oil replaces the ghee. Still mild and creamy, with a gentle coconut sweetness.
- Marinate the chicken in ¼ cup coconut cream with the turmeric and salt, cook the spices and onion in coconut oil, and finish the sauce with ½ cup coconut cream instead of heavy cream.
Vegetarian (paneer): Golden cubes of paneer simmered briefly in the almond-cream sauce, with vegetable broth for a meat-free korma.
- Skip the marinade. Brown the paneer in 1 tbsp of the ghee over medium heat 3–4 minutes, turning, until golden on a few sides, then set aside and continue with the remaining ghee.
- Stir the yogurt and turmeric into the sauce with the cream, simmer 5 minutes until thick, then add the paneer for 3–4 minutes just to heat through.
Lamb korma: Cubes of lamb braised slowly in the spiced almond sauce until fork-tender — a richer, special-occasion korma.
- Marinate the lamb 2–24 hours. Add it with the marinade, cream and water, cover and simmer very gently 60–75 minutes, stirring now and then, until fork-tender (well past 145°F/63°C), then uncover for the last 10 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Chicken
- Korma sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Chicken
- Korma sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Chicken
- Korma sauce
- Nice to have (optional)
- Chicken
- Korma sauce
- Also add
- Nice to have (optional)
Estimated cost $11.48 for 4 servings ($2.87 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Stir the yogurt, turmeric and ½ tsp salt together, add the chicken and coat well. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
-
Melt the ghee in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves and stir 30 seconds, until fragrant.
-
Add the onion and the remaining ½ tsp salt and cook 10–12 minutes, stirring often and lowering the heat if it starts to catch, until very soft and pale golden. Korma’s gentle sweetness comes from slow-cooked onion, so don’t rush this.
-
Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute, then the coriander, cumin and garam masala for 30 seconds more.
-
Stir in the almond flour and broth and simmer 2 minutes, until thickened. For a silky sauce, fish out the bay leaves and blend with an immersion blender.
-
Add the chicken with all its marinade and the cream. Bring to a gentle simmer — don’t let it boil hard, or the yogurt can split — and cook uncovered 12–15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and creamy and the chicken reads 165°F (74°C).
-
Remove any bay leaves, taste for salt and scatter with toasted almonds and cilantro. Serve over cauliflower rice with cucumber salad on the side.
Tips for success
-
Korma is meant to be mild and aromatic. For a little heat, add 1 slit green chile with the garlic, or ¼ tsp cayenne with the ground spices. - Ground almonds stand in for the cashews many restaurants use; cashews are much higher in carbs.
- Whole spices give an even better aroma: fry 4 green cardamom pods, a small cinnamon stick and 3 whole cloves in the ghee in step 2 instead of the ground ones, and pick them out before serving.
Nice to have, not needed
- An immersion blender makes the sauce restaurant-silky — or leave it rustic with soft bits of onion.
- A pinch of saffron soaked in a spoonful of warm cream and stirred in at the end is a lovely finishing touch.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Warm gently in a covered saucepan or microwave at 50% power, stirring in a splash of water; a hard boil can split the sauce.
Prep tip: Freeze flat in single-portion bags. The sauce may look grainy after thawing but smooths out as you stir it over low heat.
Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat gently with a splash of water or broth; don’t let it boil.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosDairy-free (coconut)
DietCoconut cream marinates the chicken and enriches the sauce, and coconut oil replaces the ghee. Still mild and creamy, with a gentle coconut sweetness.
- plain full-fat Greek yogurt → coconut cream
- ghee or butter → refined coconut oil
- heavy cream → coconut cream
7 g net · 485 kcal · 38 g protein · 34 g fat · ≈$2.63 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
Vegetarian (paneer)
ProteinGolden cubes of paneer simmered briefly in the almond-cream sauce, with vegetable broth for a meat-free korma.
- boneless skinless chicken thighs → paneer
- chicken broth → vegetable broth
11 g net · 580 kcal · 31 g protein · 48 g fat · ≈$3.15 per serving (+3.8 g net carbs vs the original)
Lamb korma
ProteinCubes of lamb braised slowly in the spiced almond sauce until fork-tender — a richer, special-occasion korma.
- boneless skinless chicken thighs → boneless leg of lamb
- + ½ cup water
7 g net · 615 kcal · 38 g protein · 48 g fat · ≈$5.13 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
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