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Caramelised Onion Chicken Curry

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You’ll likely have had a chicken curry before, but this Caramelised Onion Chicken Curry does things a little differently. Almost all of its flavour comes from two places: deeply caramelised onions cooked down in rendered chicken fat, and a generous amount of fresh curry leaves. It’s a little labour-intensive, but the result is a deeply savoury, rounded curry that doesn’t rely on an overloaded spice list to taste rich and complex.

  • Author: zenak
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 large bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced
  • 5g fresh curry leaves (around 40 leaves)
  • 2 tbsp double concentrated tomato purée
  • 1 tbsp garlic and ginger paste
  • 2 tsp curry powder (mild, medium or hot)
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 x 400g tin good-quality coconut milk

Instructions

  1. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season well with salt on both sides.
  2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan or sauté pan over medium-high heat, then arrange the chicken skin-side down in a single layer. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the skin is deeply golden and the fat has rendered out.
  3. Flip and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes just to seal the underside, then transfer the chicken to a plate, leaving the fat behind in the pan.
  4. Return the pan to a medium heat and add the onions with a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until softened and caramelised. This stage takes patience, but it’s where most of the flavour develops.
  5. Add the curry leaves and cook, stirring almost constantly, for 1 minute, or until fragrant, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for 2 minutes, or until it darkens slightly. Add the garlic and ginger paste, curry powder and turmeric and cook, stirring frequently, for another minute.
  6. Pour in the coconut milk, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Return the chicken to the pan along with any resting juices, turning to coat it in the sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, then cover, reduce the heat to medium to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Serve with rice, naan or both.

Find it online: https://zenaskitchen.com/caramelised-onion-chicken-curry/

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