Curry Braised Chicken Thighs
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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! You’ll also love my Chicken and Potato Curry!
“Awesome!!!!!!!! Absolutely delish!”
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.
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.
For more great bone-in chicken thigh recipes, check out: 30 Best Bone-In Chicken Thigh Recipes.
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, or to taste and tolerance
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5-ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, or canned unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/4 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
- Madras curry can be hot. If you don’t care for anything too spicy, use mild curry powder.
- Use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs instead of thighs on the bone. Reduce cooking time by 5-10 minutes.
- You can also use leg quarters but may need additional time.
- Cook all chicken to 165 degrees in the thickest part.
- Vary the vegetables and use cubed sweet potato, cauliflower florets, broccoli florets or spinach instead of carrots. Chickpeas would also make a nice addition.
- This can be made one day ahead. Cool and refrigerate until needed. Place in an oven-safe dish and reheat uncovered at 350 degrees until heated through to 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.
- Cool thoroughly. Place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
- Reheat uncovered at 350 degrees until heated through to 165 degrees in the thickest part.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are automatically calculated using unbranded products and are estimates only. Actual results may vary based on ingredients used and portion sizes. Adjust as needed for dietary restrictions, allergies, or health concerns.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Wow tasteee.! I cooked the thighs with the skin on, I prick the skin with a fork and the bottom to allow the lovely flavors to penetrate. Pricking the skin lets the fat escape. After frying the chicken I remove the skin (or leave it on) and wipe out the pan of any fat before proceeding. Frying with the skin keeps the chicken moist. I rinse the chicken and throw it in a pot with a quart of water and 4 TBS salt and let sit for 5 minutes. Give the chicken a good rub in the salt water then rinse well and dry. A salt bath will improve the flavor of the chicken. I throw a couple of whole garlic cloves in when frying. I know, I go crazy:)
I make a rice dish with turmeric, chicken broth, golden raisins plumbed in Port, toasted almonds and garlic to serve with this. I think a Jasmine coconut rice would do well. Some mango chutney and enjoy.
Cheers,
Larry
Hi, Larry, Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed! Love your side dish idea, too!
Cooked this for the first time tonight, I omitted the cilantro as I can’t stand it and used mild curry powder with a teeny bit of cayenne to make it kid friendly. It turned out really lovely – hubby said that for a home cooked curry, it was fantastic. Even my fussy 3 year old ate it!!!
Hi, Bryony, Thanks so very much and so glad you along with your sweet little one enjoyed! Not everyone likes cilantro so good thing you didn’t use it. Thanks again and hope you’ll try some of my other recipes!
Absolutely delicious! I didn’t add that much curry powder and added beans. You could also add zucchini or broccoli. My son enjoyed it; will make again!
Thanks, John! Glad you both enjoyed! Yes, you can add any vegetable you’d like. Thanks again!
Made this for dinner, (I doubled the recipe) my son, who at times is a very picky eater, LOVED it. Had seconds, told me I must make it again. This recipe is delish!! Thank you.
Thank you, Debbie! So glad you all enjoyed! Love even more that your picky son loved it. Thanks again and please stay in touch!
Hi Carol. Recipe looks great!
Do you think adding a peanut sauce/Peanut butter might enhance this? Possibly add a Thai twist? If you don’t think it would work please let me know. I love recipes with a fusion element.
Hi, C B, Thanks so much for your question. Yes, I think it would work with peanut butter. I’d go light on the Madras curry powder and add some Thai red curry paste. If you try it, please let me know how it went. Thanks again!
Lovely easy quick curry recipe full of flavour lots of sauce made with boneless chicken thighs .thank you for sharing I will definitely make again.
Hi, Lisbeth, Thanks so much and so glad you enjoyed! Please stay in touch!
This recipe is awesome! Made it and received kudos from everyone. My adjustments were:
5 Boneless/skinless thighs (because that’s what I had on hand) so initial cooking was only 2 minutes per side
Jasmine white rice made with homemade chicken stock (same stock as used for the 1 cup in this curry recipe) to kick up flavor
1 HEALTHY TBSP dried cilantro (no fresh available)
Thank you for this wonderful recipe and it seems I’m on point to make this in the future.
Thank you so much, Trey! So glad you all enjoyed! Yes, you really can use any chicken pieces in this–leg quarters, boneless skinless chicken thighs like you used or even chicken breasts. Thanks again and please stay in touch!
This was awesome and a keeper! I added more carrots & rubbed the thighs with a little Aleppo pepper. Very easy & delicious!
No Chicken Little! This was awesome and a keeper! I added more carrots and rubbed the thighs with a little Aleppo pepper. Very easy and delicious!
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!
I was wondering how much ginger you add, I didn’t see it listed in the ingredients, but see it listed in the instructions and reviews. Looking forward to making this, thank you for sharing!
Hi, Sarah, Thanks so much for spotting that! I’m in the process of switching the recipe format I use here and somehow that ingredient got deleted. I have fixed it. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!