Chicken korma is a traditional Indian dish with dozens of different variations. However, they all have one thing in common: they are all oh so full of flavor and we want them now! Here is a keto version of this wonderful Indian dish made with chicken and cooked in a rich onion gravy with an arsenal of spices.
October 16 2018 recipe, photo by Sahil Makhija, nutritional review by Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE in Recipes, Dinner, Main course
Chicken korma is a traditional Indian dish with dozens of different variations. However, they all have one thing in common: they are all oh so full of flavor and we want them now! Here is a keto version of this wonderful Indian dish made with chicken and cooked in a rich onion gravy with an arsenal of spices.
USMetric
4 servingservings
Ingredients
- ¼ cup 60 ml ghee
- ½ (2 oz.) ½ (55 g) red onion, thinly slicedred onions, thinly sliced
- 4 oz. (2⁄3 cup) 110 g (150 ml) Greek yogurt (4% fat)
- 3 3 whole cloves
- 1 1 bay leafbay leaves
- 1 1 cinnamon stickcinnamon sticks
- 1 1 star anise
- 3 3 green cardamom podgreen cardamom pods
- 8 8 whole black peppercornwhole black peppercorns
- 1½ lbs 650 g chicken drumstickchicken drumsticks
- 1 tsp 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
- ½ tsp ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp 1 tsp kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 tsp 1 tsp ground coriander seed
- ½ tsp ½ tsp garam masala seasoning
- 1 tsp 1 tsp ground cumin
- salt, to taste
- fresh cilantro, for garnish
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Making low carb simple
Instructions
Heat the ghee in a wok or non-stick saucepan and deep-fry the onions on low-medium heat until they get a nice golden brown color.
Remove the fried onions from the pan. Mix yogurt with the onions in a blender to get a creamy paste.
Reheat the ghee in the saucepan. Once it gets hot add cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, star anise, green cardamom pods, and black peppercorns. Fry for 30 seconds or until they start to sizzle.
Add the chicken drumsticks. Season thoroughly with salt. Add the ginger-garlic paste, combine well and fry for about 2 minutes.
Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, and cumin powder. Combine well and fry for 2 more minutes.
Add the fried onion yogurt paste, combine well. Add some water. You can use the water to rinse out the blender so don't waste any of the paste. Mix well.
Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender.
Garnish with fresh cilantro.
Chef's note
If you have kewra, an extract distilled from the Indian Pandanus plant, on hand you can add a drop or two for added flavor. Use a mortar to lightly crush the cardamom pods and the black peppercorns before roasting them for more flavor.
About this recipe
This recipe is part of a collaboration with Sahil Makhija and it was originally published on his blog Headbanger's Kitchen.
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💬 Have you tried this recipe?
What did you think? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!
28 comments
1
Rjai
October 20 2018
I want to try
2
DOUGLAS SPRATT
See Also20 Keto Salad Recipes for a Delicious LunchBest Easy Keto Frittata RecipeEgg wrap with salmon recipe (Low FODMAP & Gluten-free)The Best Easy Homemade Almond Flour Tortilla Recipe (Keto, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free)October 29 2018
Sir: Is not chicken skin healthy? Do you think there is a way to cook this dish with the skin on? Thank you.
Reply: #3
3
Reply to comment #2 by DOUGLAS SPRATT
Sahil Makhija
November 6 2018
Hi Douglas, Chicken skin is perfect for Keto and you can make this dish with the skin on however it's likely to get soggy while cooking. If you don't mind that then you can go ahead. You can alternatively take the skin off, crisp it up in the oven and get a crackling out of it. The reason it's not used is because Indian cook in general for whatever years it's been around has never used chicken skin. I'm not even sure what is done with the skin but most likely it's thrown into ground meat or used for other things.
4
Dave
January 16 2019
This was a great flavor. I'm not sure bone-in chicken is necessary unless you plan on eating with your fingers. I'm going to try it again with boneless thigh cut into pieces -- more stew-like. Also, I used cumin seed with the other seeds (star anise, black peppercorn, cardamom) instead of the cumin powder later in the recipe. Great flavor, though. Served with keto naan.
5
Tamara
March 13 2019
This is really really really good, you can taste all the different spices, please give us more indian recipes
6
Lisa
April 26 2019
Lovely flavor! I ended up with big pieces of spices that are too strong if you accidentally bite into them. When I do it again, I'll put the spices in a cheese cloth bag and then remove them at the end. I also added a couple TBSP of whipping cream after taking it off the heat, which made the sauce smoother. I will make a double batch next time!
7
Jeffrey
May 7 2019
Aren't you supposed to remove the whole spices; bay leaf, cinnamon stick, star anise, green cardamom pods and black peppercorns once you have cooked them? The recipe doesn't say to do that but otherwise you will have large pieces which is not good?
Reply: #30
8
Karthika
May 10 2019
It turned out very nice. Can you help me with some more keto indian recipes. I just started the diet this week. Feeling lite
Reply: #9
9
Reply to comment #8 by Karthika
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
May 10 2019
We have several recipes from Headbanger's Kitchen!
https://www.dietdoctor.com/authors/sahil-makhija10
Asim
September 5 2019
Hi, what do you serve this with?
Reply: #11
11
Reply to comment #10 by Asim
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
September 6 2019
Hi, what do you serve this with?
You can choose from our keto side dishes if you would like something on the side.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/recipes/side-dishes12
Cheryl
May 8 2020
I used sour cream instead chopped chicken thigh and used cardamom powder as didn’t have pods .. after I cooked it all I put in oven on really low for 4 hours was delicious.. served with cauliflower rice quickly fried in coconut oil and keto naan
I’ve been on keto now for 12 months it’s the best I’ve felt13
Cheryl
May 8 2020
Oh and I made my own chicken broth was well worth it
Reply: #14
14
Reply to comment #13 by Cheryl
Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor
May 8 2020
Oh and I made my own chicken broth was well worth it
Making your own broth usually is well worth it!! Way to go!
15
ingridcollender
August 30 2020
I love indian food, but to play devils advocate here - a korma is usually made with yoghurt or cream? But will definitely will try this as I want to try dairy free to break a stall.
Reply: #16
16
Reply to comment #15 by ingridcollender
Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
August 30 2020
I love indian food, but to play devils advocate here - a korma is usually made with yoghurt or cream? But will definitely will try this as I want to try dairy free to break a stall.
This recipe uses Greek yogurt.
- 7 comments removed
24
Lauren
January 5 2021
To clarify, do you cook the onion in the Ghee initially and then remove the onions from this? Thanks
Reply: #25
25
Reply to comment #24 by Lauren
Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
January 5 2021
To clarify, do you cook the onion in the Ghee initially and then remove the onions from this? Thanks
Yes. Step 2 has you remove the onions from the ghee and blend them with the butter.
26
Craig
February 17 2021
Great recipe. Sahil is the King of Keto!!!!!
27
Rabeea Khan
May 23 2021
what do you eat this with?
Reply: #28
28
Reply to comment #27 by Rabeea Khan
Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
May 23 2021
what do you eat this with?
A salad would be an easy option, or you can choose from our keto side dishes if you would like something else on the side.
https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/recipes/side-dishes- 1 comment removed
30
Reply to comment #7 by Jeffrey
Sahil Makhija
September 16 2021
I feel like I'm 2 years late here but Indians always just keep the spices in, part of the experience is removing it while you eat or biting into one and spitting it out. LOL but seriously that really is how we do it. You can remove them if you like before hand but it's generally not an easy task.
31
Jenna
September 21 2021
My yogurt curdled at the end is this normal?
32
Catharine
December 23 2021
Could tell me what I am doing wrong? When I follow Direction #6 Add the fried onion yogurt paste, combine well. Add some water. You can use the water to rinse out the blender so don't waste any of the paste. Mix well.
When I add this room temperature yogurt mixture to the pan with the hot chicken the yogurt curdles. I have watched other videos on YouTube for chicken korma and I see them add the yoghurt to the hot pan without issue. Is the yoghurt and onion mixture in this recipe meant as a dipping sauce? If it is suppose to be added to a hot pan how do I prevent the yogurt from curdling?33
Susan
June 17 2022
Initially, I didn't think that this recipe was working out because the yogurt curdled and it was a different colour than the photo. However, once I let it continue to cook (covered) for about 25 mins and then uncovered for 10 mins...it came together beautifully! I'm SO glad because I have been nothing but impressed by Diet Doctor recipes and didn't want to be disappointed by this one! My husband said "Restaurant quality!"
Reply: #34
34
Reply to comment #33 by Susan
Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
June 17 2022
Initially, I didn't think that this recipe was working out because the yogurt curdled and it was a different colour than the photo. However, once I let it continue to cook (covered) for about 25 mins and then uncovered for 10 mins...it came together beautifully! I'm SO glad because I have been nothing but impressed by Diet Doctor recipes and didn't want to be disappointed by this one! My husband said "Restaurant quality!"
So glad this recipe worked well for you, Susan!
35
Anu
September 7 2022
This is delicious, and so simple! I used skinless, boneless, chicken thighs, cut into chunks as that is easier to eat, and we really enjoyed it this way. As others have mentioned, our too split when we added the yoghurt mixture, but it didn't bother us and we enjoyed eating it anyway. Thank you for a great recipe!
PS. I haven't been able to figure out how to give this a star rating on the Diet Doctor website, but it's definitely 5 stars! :)Reply: #36
36
Reply to comment #35 by Anu
Kerry Merritt Team Diet Doctor
September 7 2022
This is delicious, and so simple! I used skinless, boneless, chicken thighs, cut into chunks as that is easier to eat, and we really enjoyed it this way. As others have mentioned, our too split when we added the yoghurt mixture, but it didn't bother us and we enjoyed eating it anyway. Thank you for a great recipe!
PS. I haven't been able to figure out how to give this a star rating on the Diet Doctor website, but it's definitely 5 stars! :)Thanks, Anu! So glad you love it! You should be able to simply tap/click the number of stars you'd like to rate.
