Chicken in Tomato Ginger Yoghurt Sauce

Introduction

You build this curry from browned onion, fresh ginger, garlic, and skinned tomatoes, then finish it with yoghurt and lime to balance the tomato sweetness. The sauce stays loose enough for rice, and the covered 30–40 minute chicken cook makes it fit a practical dinner or make-ahead meal.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4-6 medium tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 cm (1-inch) piece ginger root
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1-2 mild green chillies
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• Salt
• Freshly-ground black pepper
• 100 ml (3½ fl oz) water
• 1 free-range chicken, jointed into 8 pieces, or 8 thighs and/or drumsticks
• 2 tbsp yoghurt
• 1 lime (or lemon)
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves
• Cooked rice, to serve

Instructions

1. To skin the tomatoes, nick the skin of each tomato with the point of a sharp knife, then put the tomatoes in a bowl next to the sink and pour over some very hot water from the kettle to cover. Count to 20, then carefully pour away the water. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel away the skin, halve the tomatoes, squeeze out most of the pips and juice into an empty bowl, and discard. Chop the flesh roughly and put it down on a plate to one side.
2. Peel and finely chop the onion. Fry the onion in the vegetable oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over low to medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time so that it turns an even golden brown. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn.
3. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the ginger and the garlic.
4. Slit the chilli using a sharp knife. Slice the flesh away from the cluster of seeds in the middle. Avoid touching any part of the chilli with your fingers if you can, as it is very easy to get chilli in your eyes, and that will sting. You can use a fork to hold the chilli down or wear rubber gloves. Chop the chilli finely.
5. Measure the ground spices into a teacup. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli to the pan, stir them around and fry for another minute or so. If you want your curry to be hot as well as spicy, include some or all of the chilli seeds. Then add the spices in the cup into the onions. Fry the spices for a minute or two, stirring all the time so that they do not stick. Add some salt and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Pour in the water and the tomatoes, bring to the boil, turn down the heat a little and let the sauce simmer for 5-10 minutes.
7. Add the chicken pieces to the pan and stir them around so they are covered with the sauce. Put the lid on the pan, turn the heat down and let the chicken cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Chicken thighs will take longer to cook than breast pieces.
8. Now add the yoghurt to the chicken and stir it in. When the sauce is gently bubbling again, scoop up a little in a teaspoon, blow it cool and taste it. The sauce will probably taste quite sweet because of the tomatoes. Cut the lime in half and squeeze its juice into the sauce. Stir and taste again, and decide whether you want to add the second half.
9. Finally, chop the fresh coriander leaves and sprinkle them on to the curry just before you serve it with the rice.

Variations

• Replace the whole chicken pieces with boneless chicken thighs if you want faster cooking and easier serving; the finished dish will be slightly less rich because you lose some flavour from the bones.
• Use lemon instead of lime at the end for a sharper, slightly cleaner acidity that cuts the yoghurt and tomato sweetness a bit harder.
• Keep all of the chilli seeds in step 5 for more heat, or remove them all for a milder curry that keeps the ginger and coriander more forward.
• Swap the fresh tomatoes for a 400 g can of whole peeled tomatoes when tomatoes are out of season; the sauce will be deeper in flavour and a little less bright.
• Stir in an extra spoonful of yoghurt at the end if you want a softer, creamier sauce; it will round off the spice and slightly mute the tomato edge.

Tips for Success

• Let the onion turn an even golden brown in step 2 before moving on; pale onion gives you a flatter sauce.
• Stir constantly once the ground coriander, cumin, and turmeric go into the pan so the spices bloom without catching on the bottom.
• Add the yoghurt over low heat and stir it in fully before the sauce boils hard; that lowers the chance of splitting.
• Taste after the first squeeze of lime, not both halves at once, because tomato sweetness and acidity vary a lot.
• The chicken is done when the meat is fully opaque to the bone and the sauce has thickened enough to coat the pieces lightly.

Storage and Reheating

Let the curry cool, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze it, without the rice, in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Reheat it gently on the stovetop over low heat with the lid partly on, stirring occasionally until the chicken is hot through. You can also microwave individual portions, covered, in 1-minute bursts, stirring between each burst; add a small splash of water if the sauce has tightened in the fridge.

FAQ

Can you use chicken breast instead of thighs or drumsticks?

Yes. Cut the breast into large pieces and reduce the covered cooking time so it does not dry out; start checking after about 15–20 minutes.

Do you need to peel and seed the tomatoes?

Peeling gives you a smoother sauce, and removing most of the pips and juice keeps it from turning watery. If you skip that step, expect a looser, rougher-textured finish.

What kind of yoghurt works best?

Use plain yoghurt with enough fat to stay stable in the pan. Very low-fat yoghurt is more likely to split when it hits the hot sauce.

How spicy is it with 1–2 mild green chillies?

With the seeds removed, it stays on the mild side. If you include some or all of the seeds in step 5, the heat rises noticeably without changing the rest of the flavour profile.