Coconut and Cardamom Chicken Curry
Today’s comforting dish is a coconut and cardamom chicken curry. I suddenly decided that I need this in my life today. Creamy fragrant and soothing. Some of us need soup for comfort. Much as I love soup, eventually it comes down to a soothing chicken curry. This recipe packs heat from black pepper, a nuanced kind of heat, nicely toned with the flowery notes of cardamom. The curry uses both black and green cardamom, but you can just use the green variety if you do not have the black variety.
My Coconut and Cardamom Chicken Curry story
So you ask, is there a difference? Yes, the smaller green cardamom is sweeter in fragrance and flavor. The black cardamom is smoky and somewhat more intense. Speaking of coconut milk, it is one of my pantry staples and should really be in your pantry too! Mellow and comforting, it adds flavor and creaminess to any well seasoned curry. Just a note on coconut milk, do not use the low fat variety. A hearty bowl of this curry over rice or quinoa, and inhale the fragrant flavors.
It will get you through your latest crisis and build all the immunities needed to cope with your crisis of the day. Viruses, streaming through life, managing online learning. You get the picture.
The flavor is not the same. Use less of the full fat variety, as needed. This way you can balance both the fat and flavor.
So a few tips to get the perfect flavors for this curry. Since, the curry relies on a few key ingredients for its flavor, how we work with them is important.
Essential Tips and Tricks
- Use full fat coconut milk.
- Ensure that you are using fresh peppercorns and ginger.
- Use chicken thighs, makes a huge difference in the flavor.
- Do not try to skip the lime juice at the end.
If you are looking for more chicken curry recipes, here is a roundup of 10 recipes to check out. And a great recipe to pair this with would be my Instant Pot black beans.
If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot and Air Fryer Facebook group .
Of course Instant Indian is here, joining its siblings The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.
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A comforting creamy chicken curry, this coconut, cardamom chicken curry is soothing and flavorful.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 medium sized onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 to 4 green cardamoms, gently crushed
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 small stick cinnamon
- 2 tomatoes, chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- Chopped cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Turn the instant pot onto sauté mode. Add in the oil and heat for a couple of minutes.
- Add in the cumin seeds. Add in the onions and ginger and sauté for about 3 minutes, until the onion softens, wilts and begins to turn golden.
- Add in the chicken and salt. Stir for a minute and turn off the heat.
- Add in the turmeric, red cayenne pepper, crushed black pepper, and the green and black cardamoms and cinnamon stick and the tomatoes if using.
- Add in 1/4 cup of water and mix well, using this to deglaze the pot.
- Cover and set to 2 minutes of pressure and allow a natural release.
- Remove the cover and stir in the coconut milk. Turn back the sauté mode to allow a quick simmer.
- Turn off the heat. Add the lime juice and sprinkle with cilantro.
- Serve over rice or a grain of your choice.
Shree Majumdar
I just tried this recipe and though I only had light coconut milk, the dish came out divine! I especially love the creamy sauce. Will be in rotation for dinner again, thank you for sharing.
rinkub@aol.com
Glad to hear, and always happy if a recipe pleases someone.
Brendan Plonka
I have to say I love how you write ABOUT the recipe (what inspired you to create it) and the tips you give to make it a success (e.g., don’t leave out the lime juice at the end). This recipe looks divine (and great for us humans too haha). I have the coconut milk needed too. My kind of recipe! Thanks again, Rinku! Brendan in Toronto
rinkub@aol.com
Thanks Brendan, always good to hear from you!
Jennifer K Saucerman
Looks great. Is it really just 2 mins of cook time?
rinkub@aol.com
Yes, of pressure cooking time. That does mean more than just 2 min, as it takes time to build up pressure and then cool down.
mandy
Cooked this last night and it was fabulous…. everyone loved it!
rinkub@aol.com
Thank you! Always happy to hear!
Ellen
Instant pot? Well, I am using a phone and not a PC but I don’t see anything at the top of the page that says this is an instant pot recipe. So I thought I’d found what I was looking for but I had not.