Curry Braised Chicken Thighs is a delicious Indian-inspired dinner for two. Spicy, flavorful and budget-friendly, it’s sure to spice up the night with your loved one!
What is braising?
One of my absolute favorite cooking methods is a slow braise; it’s almost magical!
Braising uses both moist and dry heat. A tough cut of protein that has lots of connective tissue, is first seared at a high temperature. Then, it simmers at a low temperature for up to several hours. During this process, the connective tissue breaks down and the tough cut of protein is transformed into something buttery and fall-off-the-bone tender.
For this recipe, I used budget-friendly chicken thighs which lend themselves well to the braising method. However, chicken thighs don’t take hours to become tender.
Indian cuisine may seem intimidating at first because of all the exotic spices. However, this recipe for Curry Braised Chicken Thighs uses ingredients found at any local grocery store or international market like Madras curry powder.
What is Madras curry powder?
Madras curry powder isn’t authentically Indian. It was created by the British to try and mimic the amazing curry flavors of India which they fell in love with when India was one of their territories.
A word of warning: Madras curry powder can be very hot. In addition to ground chilies, it also has spices such as turmeric, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon and fenugreek. If you enjoy curry but don’t like the heat, substitute a mild curry powder here or blend your own. (Affiliate link.)
Vary the vegetables and use cubed sweet potato, cauliflower florets, broccoli florets or spinach instead of carrots. Chickpeas would also make a nice addition. Serve with plenty of brown basmati rice to soak up this flavor-packed sauce. If desired, a dollop of plain yogurt will help cool it down.
Serve Curry Braised Chicken Thighs with:
- Brown or white basmati rice
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Brown Butter and Almonds
Want more amazing Indian-inspired curry recipes? Be sure to check these out!
- Meatballs in Spicy Curry
- Cauliflower, Red Lentil and Potato Curry
- Indian Root Vegetable Curry
- Vegan Indian Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
- Pressure Cooker Indian Beef Curry
Curry Braised Chicken Thighs
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs on the bone skin removed if desired
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or as needed
- 1 small onion halved and thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots quartered lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon curry powder such as Madras
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can (14.5-ounce) diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream or canned unsweetened coconut milk
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro plus sprigs for garnish
- Cooked brown basmati rice
- Plain yogurt optional
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs generously with salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper.
- Heat oil in a deep skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and brown 2-3 minutes per side, or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Add more oil if necessary. Add the onion then reduce heat to medium-low and cook 4-5 minutes or until beginning to soften.
- Add carrot and cook 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned in places.
- Add curry powder, ginger and garlic and cook very briefly, about 15 seconds.
- Add tomatoes, chicken broth and cream or coconut milk. Return chicken thighs to the pan.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover slightly and simmer 25-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through to 165 degrees.
- Adjust seasoning if desired. Stir in cilantro.
- Serve with brown basmati rice. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and plain yogurt if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Marcia says
This is a great curry dish! Made it last evening for dinner. My husband really enjoys curry dishes but isn’t a big fan of cilantro. He did however really enjoy this combination. Found your website when I was looking for curry dishes. I will be trying some more of your recipes. They look and sound wonderful!
Carol says
Hi, Marcia, What a nice comment to wake up to! Thanks so much and so glad you both enjoyed! And welcome to my little corner of the internet. Hope you continue to enjoy my recipes. Have a great day!
RUBA HADDAD says
LOVE IT – this might be one of my favorites recipe! The garlic, ginger and cilantro are just magical together!
Carol says
Hi, Ruba, Wow! That is an amazing compliment! Thank you so very much! Glad you enjoyed and please stay in touch!
John Hessey says
Just made this tonight – super easy dish to make and super tasty too – Just the way I like things. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Carol says
Awesome! Thanks so much, John! Glad you enjoyed and please stay in touch!
Ariane says
Delicious!!!! Thank You!
Carol says
Thank you, Ariane! So happy you enjoyed!
Alcan says
I make a lot of curries and it involves making the masalas… etc – basically it takes time. Yesterday I did not have much time, so looked on the website for inspiration. Falling on this recipe was like winning a lottery. It was soo yum. Nothing was left. My son got some bread and cleaned the pan it was cooked in. Carol, the family gave it a 10/10. So I give it a 10/10. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is a keeper for us.
Carol says
Thanks so much, Alcan! Your comment was such a nice start to my day and I really appreciate it! Thanks again and please stay in touch!
grayslady says
A really excellent curry. I made it for the first time this weekend, with one pound of chicken thighs yielding 5 generous servings. Generally, my Indian curries involve a masala of at least 6 different spices which end up being remarkably subtle in the finished dish. However, I used a particularly pungent curry powder from the local spice store and, along with the cayenne pepper, the result was very satisfactory for a dish requiring minimal prep time. Thank you for this recipe. I will be preparing it regularly from now on.
Carol says
Thanks so much, Grayslady! I’ve found that when you have wonderful ethnic stores in your area, why not just go there and get what they’re offering! Chances are pretty good it’s ten times better than what I can put together. So glad you enjoyed and please stay in touch!
Jason says
Love this recipe!
Carol says
Thanks, Jason! Glad you enjoyed!
Joe Seliski says
Very nice – it is great when recipes actually work !! Found with unsweetened coconut milk needed to add a little sugar (i like sweet!) also added a dash of heavy cream at end to thicken a little. Used brocolli however lost most of the green through the process. Wondering also if spinach should be added near the end? Very tasty and great looking dish!
Carol says
Hi, Joe, Thanks so much and glad you enjoyed. With broccoli, you’d want to blanch it in salted boiling water, then drop it in ice water which will set the color. If you want the broccoli to still have some “bite” to it, then add it later in the process and just heat through. Spinach could be added near the end, but spinach has a lot of water in it, so it may dilute the sauce a bit. Thanks again and please stay in touch!
Gina says
This is my “go to” recipe for curry. My husband always made the curry dishes until I found this recipe! Sometimes I add celery or peas and if I don’t have cilantro, it really doesn’t matter. Thank you for this recipe. We love it!
Ellie says
Thank you for this recipe! Whenever I feel like having a nice curry I make this one. I usually simmer the whole lot for a much longer time simply because the flavors intensify and also I love pulled chicken. So i just cook the chicken in the sauce as long as it’s falling off the bone, take it out from the pot, shred it and put it back in. Heavenly!
Carol says
Thanks so much, Ellie! Yes, chicken thighs can go some extra time and they only get better! So glad you enjoyed and please stay in touch!
Rebecca says
My goodness. Making this now, and the house smells amazing!
shikira says
Amazing thanks for the very informative recipe!!! – typically my partner hates the bones in chicken thighs and never an easy way to remove them without sacrificing the sparse meat. Slow braising them should make the meat fall off the bones, my polish friend makes lots of chicken broth and she also uses thighs, also braises them and stove cooks, yet never done this myself to be confident enough it will work out for me!?.
My trump card with all curry cuisines are tinned chickpeas, they are very complimentary to Korma dishes in particular, yet out of these so might use some lentils instead – they are full of healthy fibre but also thickens sauces perfectly. I also cheat sometimes and use a jar of Korma cooking sauce – as well as add additional spices of my own, seems to taste far more richer than if I do it all myself.
Heather says
I made this for my fiancé and I the day before payday/groceries day, when the cupboards were looking rather empty and we needed something quick, cheap and tasty for a midweek meal. This ticks all the boxes and uses ingredients I always keep in my pantry/fridge (except cilantro)! My fiancé said a number of times he really liked it (and I did too). I will definitely make this again! Thanks for the great recipe!
Carol says
Hi, Heather, Thanks so much for your wonderful note and I’m so happy you enjoyed! Hope you will stay in touch!
Olga says
I made this recipe for the first time today. I used coconut oil instead of canola oil to braise the chicken thighs. And I doubled the recipe so that we could have it during the weekend as well. And, of my goodness this dish is delicious! It’s a winner! And, like you mentioned. it’s budget-friendly as well. Thank you for sharing and for the clear instructions to follow!
Carol says
Thank you, Olga! So glad you enjoyed and please stay in touch!
Larry says
Hi, I’m so glad I saw this recipe, it turned out great. I used tomato paste instead, and oh my gawd, it turned out wonderful. Thank you so much for posting this, I will save it and cook it for future events!!.
Carol says
Awesome! Thanks, Larry! So glad you enjoyed and please stay in touch!