Chicken korma is a deliciously nutty curry dish from India. White chicken korma is a brighter version of the the same dish, with slightly different flavors, that is more common in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Your family is sure to love this mild curry with its unique flavors!
This was inspired by my regular chicken korma recipe, aka garam masala chicken curry. Korma is one of my family's favorite Indian dishes. Even my kids enjoy this one!
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🥘 Ingredients
- plain Greek yogurt
- garlic
- white onion
- serrano or jalapeño peppers
- mint leaves (optional, for garnish)
- raw cashews
- salt
- garam masala
- ground cardamom
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- white pepper
- olive oil
- heavy cream
- water
🔪 Instructions
Combine all sauce ingredients together in a blender or food processor, and pulse to blend. Place cubed chicken in a bowl or other container, cover with sauce, and stir to combine. You can optionally let this marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 24 hours, but you can also cook it right away if you want to save time.
Heat oil in a skillet, and cook peppers and onions until soft and onions are translucent. Add chicken and marinade, as well as water, and cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
Add heavy cream, reduce heat to low, and simmer an additional 10 minutes.
Serve over basmati rice, and garnish with fresh mint leaves and/or additional sliced serrano or jalapeño peppers.
Hint: if you don't have white pepper, it's fine to use regular black pepper. The end result won't be completely white, but it will be close enough! You may wish to reduce the amount, since black pepper is a bit stronger in flavor.
📖 Variations
Serrano and jalapeño peppers are fairly mild, but they do impart some mild heat. If you don't want it to be spicy at all, simply leave out the peppers altogether, or perhaps try bell peppers. (I like heat, so I have not tested this with bell peppers...your mileage may vary! If you try it, please drop a comment so I know whether it worked well for you.)
If you'd like to add more heat, you can increase the number of peppers, or you can incorporate hotter peppers, such as habanero peppers. Did you know the spiciness of different types of peppers is measured using something called the Scoville Scale? You can read up on the Scoville scale here, and use it to determine other types of peppers to add to your dish.
🍽 Equipment
There's no special equipment needed for this dish beyond a way to mix up the sauce. Either a blender or a food processor will work for this. Alternatively, you could even chop everything by hand, including the cashews. I have used both my Ninja blender and my basic food processor (similar to this), and both work great. The sauce is a little thick, and I find it easier to get out of the food processor than the blender.
🥡 Storage
Before cooking, the chicken and marinade combination can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Doing so will help the flavors develop, but is not required.
After cooking, the leftovers can keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
❓ FAQ
Regular chicken korma has tomato paste and turmeric, both of which add significant color. This recipe has neither, which allows the white from the yogurt and cashews to shine through.
Korma specifically consists of yogurt, cream and cashews, along with spices to add flavor. The specific spice blend will determine the final color of your gravy.
Korma gets its predominant flavors from the nuts and cream. The combination produces a mild, nutty, and slightly sweet overall taste. The different spices can add heat and flavor. With this white korma, the cinnamon and nutmeg enhance the "sweet" flavor profile.
📋 Recipe
White Chicken Korma
Equipment
- 1 Food processor optional, can use blender or hand-chop
- 1 Blender optional, can use food processor or hand-chop
- 1 Skillet
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper can substitute black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup cashews raw and unsalted
Other
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ white onion diced
- 2 serrano peppers sliced. jalapeño works well, too
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into small cubes
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup heavy cream
- mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
- In a food processor, combine all ingredients listed under sauce, and pulse to blend.
- Place cut-up chicken pieces in a bowl and top with sauce.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 24 hours. (If you are short on time, you can skip this step, and the results will still taste great!)
- When you are ready to cook, heat the oil in a skillet. Cook the peppers and onions for 5 minutes until peppers are soft and onion is translucent.
- Add in the chicken and marinade, as well as the ¼ cup water. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the heavy cream, reduce heat to low, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve over cooked basmati rice, and garnish with mint leaves and extra slices of serrano pepper, if desired.
Nutrition
🦺 Food safety
As this is a chicken dish, be sure to clean all surfaces before and after preparation, and after cooking. Chicken can contain salmonella, so proper disinfecting is important.
Also make sure to cook chicken thoroughly. It needs to reach a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C) before being consumed.
Did you try this dish and like it? Be sure to drop a comment below and rate the recipe so others know!
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