White Chicken Korma Recipe - House Full of Monkeys

Name: White Chicken Korma
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 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); 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)

Jump Print

5 from 1 vote

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!

White Chicken Korma in a blue bowl surrounded by mint leaves

This Bangladeshi white chicken korma recipe was inspired by my regular chicken korma recipe, aka garam masala chicken curry. Korma is one of my family's favorite Indian dishes. It's easy enough for a weeknight, and also suitable for special occasions. Even my kids enjoy this one!

The difference between the two dishes is that several ingredients are omitted or replaced when making this dish, in order to keep the white gravy from turning another color. For example, regular korma uses tomato paste, red chili powder and cumin powder, but those aren't included in this recipe. Also, the creaminess in white korma comes from yogurt rather than from coconut milk. (You could also use full cream.)

Jump to:

🥘 Ingredients
🔪 Instructions
📖 Variations
🍽 Equipment
🥡 Storage
❓ FAQ
Recipe
🦺 Food safety

🥘 Ingredients

plain Greek yogurt
garlic
lemon juice
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

I generally buy spices that are already ground and in jars for the sake of convenience. However, for best flavor, you can buy whole spices and grind them yourself!

🔪 Instructions

Combine all sauce ingredients together in a blender or food processor, and pulse to blend. This will result in a fine paste that you'll use for your marinated chicken. If you need to make a thinner gravy, add some water, a little bit at a time. 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 over high heat in a skillet, and cook peppers and chopped 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 and simmer an additional 10 minutes over low heat.

Serve over basmati rice, and garnish with fresh mint leaves, green cardamoms and/or additional sliced green chilies.

Hint: if you don't have white pepper powder, it's fine to use regular black pepper powder. 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 white korma recipe 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.

(You can also dilute the sauce with up to a cup of water if needed. Just make sure not to have an excess of water; it shouldn't be so runny that it won't coat the chicken)

White Chicken Korma in a white bowl, with mint leaves and pepper slices for garnish

🥡 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

Why is my korma white?

Regular chicken korma has tomato paste and turmeric, both of which add significant color. This recipe has neither, which allows the white color from the yogurt and cashews to shine through.

What is korma sauce made of?

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.

What does korma taste like?

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