The Best Chicken Korma
Prep
25m
Cook
45m
Total
70m
Bigly says
Sit down for this one. We're doing korma. The BEST korma. Korma has been around for, I want to say, a thousand years, maybe more — the Mughal emperors ate korma, they ate it in palaces, they ate it off plates that were made of GOLD, real gold, look it up — and now you can make it in your kitchen in a single pot in under an hour, and that's the kind of unbelievable upgrade humanity has earned for itself. We should be GRATEFUL for korma. Grateful.
But most korma you get? Disaster. A beige soup with chicken floating in it like a sad little raft on a sad little sea. Where's the silk? Where's the velvet? A real korma should feel like a CASHMERE SWEATER in your mouth. That's the texture we're after. Big strong men, tough men, they eat this korma and they get a little quiet and they say, 'Bigly, what is this, what have you done to me,' and I tell them — I tell them — it's called CASHEWS. Ground cashews. Most chefs are afraid to do this. They're scared of a blender. Scared. Of a BLENDER. Embarrassing.
We're doing it right. Yogurt, cashews, a little cream, whole spices toasted in ghee, onions cooked down to nothing — to NOTHING, they should disappear, they should become an ancestor of themselves — and the chicken goes in and comes out tender and the sauce coats the back of a spoon like it's wearing a tuxedo. That's the bar. When you serve this, the room goes quiet. The room always goes quiet for korma. It's just a fact.
Ingredients
- 2 lbboneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/2 cupplain whole-milk yogurt
- 1/2 cupraw cashews(raw, NOT roasted, the roasted ones taste like a different sauce entirely)
- 2 largeyellow onion, thinly sliced
- 3 tbspghee(or unsalted butter, but ghee is the move)
- 2 tbspneutral oil
- 5 clovesgarlic, minced
- 1.5 tbspfresh ginger, grated
- 5green cardamom pods
- 1 (3-inch)cinnamon stick
- 4cloves
- 1bay leaf
- 1 tbspground coriander
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tsp, plus more for finishinggaram masala
- 1/2 tspwhite pepper
- 1 tspkashmiri chili powder(for color, not heat — different job)
- 1/3 cupheavy cream
- to tastekosher salt
- 2 tbspfresh cilantro, chopped (to garnish)
- 2 tbspslivered almonds, toasted (optional garnish)
Steps
- 1
Soak the cashews in 1/2 cup hot water for 15 minutes. Blend with the soaking water until completely smooth. Set aside.
- 2
Heat 1 tbsp ghee and the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook 15-18 minutes, stirring often, until deeply golden — not just translucent, fully caramelized.
- 3
Transfer the cooked onions to a blender. Add 2 tbsp water and blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.
- 4
In the same pot, heat remaining 2 tbsp ghee over medium heat. Add cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, and bay leaf. Toast 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 5
Add garlic and ginger; cook 1 minute. Stir in coriander, cumin, 1 tsp garam masala, white pepper, and kashmiri chili. Toast 30 seconds.
- 6
Add the chicken pieces and brown 4-5 minutes, stirring to coat in the spices.
- 7
Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir the yogurt in 1 tablespoon at a time, fully incorporating before each addition — this prevents the sauce from breaking.
- 8
Stir in the onion paste and the cashew cream. Add 1/2 cup water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- 9
Cover and cook on low 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is tender and the sauce coats a spoon.
- 10
Stir in the heavy cream and a final pinch of garam masala. Simmer uncovered 2 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.
- 11
Remove the whole spices (or warn your guests). Garnish with cilantro and toasted almonds. Serve with basmati rice or naan.
One more thing
This is the korma. This is the one. You make this and people start asking you questions — 'Where did you learn to cook like this,' and you can say, 'BiglyEats,' loud and proud, no shame. You ladle it over basmati, you tear off a piece of warm naan, you take that first bite, the spice hits, the cashew cream coats your whole mouth, and you understand — finally — what korma is supposed to be. The kitchen smells incredible for the next two days. Your neighbors are jealous. Let them be. Tremendous.
★ QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS ONE? ★
Ask Bigly about The Best Chicken Korma.
Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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