Creamy Cashew Chicken Curry

This is a fairly quick and easy meal which uses items I usually keep around the house. The base recipe is fairly light while packed with protein, but can be expanded and is a good way to use up some produce that may be close to spoiling such as green beans, snap peas, (as in this photograph), zucchini, tomato, okra, etc. Carbohydrates such as rice or naan pair well with this, but will increase the timings.

I have tried different marinading techniques from just salt and pepper for 30 minutes to a full spice mixture for a few hours, but do not think that the extra  time and ingredients with the marinade adds too much more flavor. I would, however, recommend at least a 30 minute basic salt and pepper marinade if time permits, (especially if using chicken breasts). The main downside of this recipe is that it is not a “one pot” meal as a blender or food processor will need to be used adding to the cleaning time.

While one of the recipes tested and referenced below is dairy-free, I do like adding plain yogurt. I suspect that coconut milk would also be a good or perhaps better choice if you can add only 1/2C and use the rest for something else soon after. I did try Greek yogurt once and while I really like the “tang” of it in many cases, my personal view is that it was not a good fit for this recipe.

Timings

Prep: 12 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Wait: 38 minutes (including a recommended 30 minute marinading time)
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes (or 40 minutes without any marinading)

Equipment Notes

  • A blender or food processor is used

Ingredients

  • 2T ghee or oil, divided
  • 2 skinless chicken breasts or 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut in bite sized pieces
  • 1/2t kosher salt
  • 1/2t pepper
  • 1/2 (about 1C) large onion, diced
  • 1/4C jalapeño or other pepper or chili of your choice
  • 1/2t salt
  • 1/2t cumin
  • 1/2t coriander
  • 1t paprika
  • 1t garam masala
  • 1/2t turmeric
  • 1T fresh ginger, chopped roughly
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
  • 1/2C raw cashews
  • 1/2C water or chicken stock
  • 1T tomato paste
  • 1/2C plain or yogurt
  • Optional garnishes: parsley, lime juice

Steps

  1. Pat chicken dry and toss with kosher salt and pepper. Optionally place on a wire rack on a baking sheet and let sit for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
  2. Heat 1T ghee or oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 3 minutes flipping occasionally until the chicken pieces are fairly well browned on all sides. The chicken should not be cooked through at this point.
  3. Remove the chicken to a plate.
  4. Lower the heat to medium and add 1T of ghee or oil.
  5. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the onion, peppers, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions have softened, stirring occasionally.
  6. Add the remaining spices, (salt, cumin, coriander, paprika, garam masala, and turmeric), ginger, and garlic, and cook for 1 minute stirring frequently.
  7. Place the onion mixture in a blender or food processor along with the cashews and water, and blend on medium-high until the mixture is smooth.
  8. This step is completely optional and totally up to you what you may want to use, so items that may be added are not listed on the ingredient list. If you have some produce that you want to use such as green beans, snap peas, bell pepper, etc., then cut them into bite-sized pieces and add them to the pan over medium heat along with about 1T oil and a pinch of salt, and sauté for about 5 minutes or until softened.
  9. Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook on medium heat for about 1 minute stirring frequently.
  10. Add the blended mixture back into the pan along with the chicken and any juices from the chicken. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for 8 minutes or the chicken is cooked to your desired temperature.
  11. Mix in the yogurt and cook an additional 1 minute uncovered, stirring constantly.

References

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