Indian Chicken Curry - with Soda
Creamy Indian chicken curry with apples, raisins and a splash of soda for tang. Make ahead and reheat for deeper flavor. Serve over rice with coconut, peanuts and chutney.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
90 minREADY
10 hrsThis old-school Indian chicken curry takes the scenic route, and it’s worth every minute. Chicken simmers until fall-apart tender, then gets folded into a creamy sauce built on sauteed apples, onions, and curry powder with an unexpected splash of soda for a subtle fizzy tang.
The real secret? Make it a day ahead. Overnight in the fridge lets all those flavors meld and deepen into something far more complex than the sum of its parts.
Reheat it gently in a double boiler (old-fashioned, sure, but it keeps the cream sauce from breaking) and serve over steaming rice with a spread of condiments: shredded coconut, chopped peanuts, chutney, raw onions, and lime wedges.
It’s the kind of dinner party dish that looks effortless but tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen.
Pro Tips
- Make it the night before. This curry genuinely tastes better after the flavors have had time to marry overnight in the fridge.
- Save that chicken broth. Simmering the chicken first gives you a rich homemade stock that becomes the backbone of the sauce.
- Set up a condiment bar with coconut, peanuts, raisins, chutney, and lime wedges. Let guests customize their bowls.
- Adjust curry powder to your heat tolerance. Start with one tablespoon and work up from there.
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse the chicken pieces.
In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the chicken with a few celery tops.
Cover and simmer about 1 hour or until fork-tender.
Drain and strain the broth, reserve.
Bone the chicken and cut it into ½-inch pieces to measure about 2½ cups.
In a skillet, melt the butter/margarine.
Add the apple, onion, and curry powder and sauté for 5 minutes, blending well.
Stir in the raisins, 1 cup of the reserved chicken broth, and the soda.
In a bowl, mix flour with the coffee cream/evaporated milk, stirring until smooth.
Add with salt and white pepper to the onion/apple mixture.
Stir and cook over low heat until thick and creamy.
Taste for seasoning. Add the chicken and turn into a covered container to chill overnight.
Reheat in the top of a double boiler over hot water and serve on cooked rice with a selection of condiments.
NOTE: Provide a sampling of the following condiments for sprinkling on top of each serving: grated coconut, chopped peanuts, chopped raw onions, raisins, sweet pickle relish, chutney, chow chow, and/or lime wedges.
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