Make authentic Goan Chicken Vindaloo at home with tender chicken marinated and cooked in a tangy, spicy red chili and vinegar paste. My recipe for this restaurant-style Portuguese-influenced curry is quick, easy, medium-spiced, and perfect for a family meal.
Featured Comment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I absolutely love this Chicken Vindaloo. I made it at home, and everyone ends up asking for seconds. It's easy to cook, and always a family favorite at our table. - Vaishnavi
This Chicken Vindaloo recipe was shared with me by my neighbor, Aunty Marie Rodrigues, last Christmas. It's a special dish, and what's better than learning it from someone with Portuguese roots?
Aunty Marie fondly recalls how families in Goan Catholic homes came together for grand festive meals, with Vindaloo served alongside a variety of other dishes like Goan chicken xacuti, Goan chicken cafreal, chicken roast, Sorpotel, savory snacks, and sweets.
While Vindaloo was traditionally made with pork, it is now often prepared with chicken, as many Indians avoid pork and beef.
🔍 Quick Look: Goan Chicken Vindaloo Recipe
- ⏱ Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 20 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 35 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 6
- 📊 Calories: ~289 kcal per serving (based on ingredients)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Marinate chicken → prepare vindaloo curry paste → sauté onions → add chicken and curry paste → simmer until tender and flavorful
- 🌶 Spice Level: Medium & family-friendly (adjustable - see recipe notes).
- 👩 Flavor Profile: Tangy, spicy, garlicky, and aromatic
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS RECIPE ON
Disclaimer: AI summaries may contain errors. Please check the original Goan Chicken Vindaloo recipe for accurate steps.
Jump to:
What is Vindaloo?
Vindaloo is a Portuguese-influenced, spicy, and tangy curry that originates from Goa, India. The word vindaloo comes from the Portuguese recipe carne de vinha d'alhos (meaning meat marinated in wine and garlic).
Goan Vindaloo was born from a flavorful fusion, as Goan cooks adapted a Portuguese dish by replacing red wine with palm vinegar and adding Indian spices like chilies, cumin, and cinnamon.
Outside India, especially in the UK, it turned into a famous British-Indian curry, often spicier than the Goan version, as well as their Chicken Madras or Restaurant-Style Chicken Jalfrezi, and is sometimes cooked with potatoes.
💡Fun Fact: Interestingly, the name vindaloo has nothing to do with potatoes. The aloo comes from the Portuguese word alhos, meaning garlic, not the Hindi word aloo for potato.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Adapted from the Pork Vindaloo recipe while keeping all the flavors of the original vindaloo.
- Slow-cooked for tenderness and juiciness, just like Ceylon chicken, or chicken pathia.
- Easy to cook at home while delivering authentic, restaurant-style chicken vindaloo flavor.
- Family-friendly flavor: Medium-spiced. Perfect for family meals or Goan festive occasions.
Chicken Vindaloo Ingredients
👉 See the recipe card at the end of the post for full ingredients, quantities, and a printable version.
- Chicken: Bone-in chicken (curry-cut) or chicken thighs are preferred for this Goan chicken vindaloo recipe.
- Vinegar: In Goa, toddy vinegar (palm vinegar) is traditionally used, which is also a key ingredient to make Goan recheado masala and recheado fish fry. I opted for rice vinegar, but white or red wine vinegar or tamarind would also work well.
- Chilies: I used Kashmiri dry red chilies for mild heat and a bright red color. You can substitute with Kashmiri red chili powder if unavailable. You can also use paprika, but add it as per taste.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is essential for the aromatic flavor of this spicy Goan chicken curry.
- Sugar: A touch of sugar or jaggery can balance the acidity of the vinegar and the heat from the chilies, creating a balanced flavor.
- Vindaloo curry paste spices: This recipe utilizes a distinct blend of whole spices. Do not skip any spice, as this will alter the taste. If you don't have whole coriander seeds or whole dried red chilies, you can substitute them with ground coriander powder and Kashmiri red chili powder.
Vindaloo Curry Variations
You can swap chicken for pork, lamb, or prawns. For a meatless option, try making this recipe with paneer, tofu, or potatoes. The vindaloo curry paste also works beautifully with vegetables.
How To Make Goan Chicken Vindaloo
Prepare Vindaloo Curry Paste
Step 1: I de-seeded the Kashmiri red chilies to reduce the spiciness. It's optional.
Step 2: Soak Kashmiri dry red chilies in hot water for 15 minutes (image 1). This softens them for easier grinding into a fine paste.
Step 3: In a mixer/grinder jar, add Kashmiri dry red chilies or red chili powder, garlic, ginger, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, pepper, coriander, mustard, vinegar, turmeric, and 2 tablespoon water (image 2).
Step 4: Grind the ingredients to a smooth, thick paste. You can add a little more water, if required, to make the paste. Vindaloo curry paste is ready (image 3).
Tip: I found that when you grind the spices, it's best to use just enough water to bring them together into a smooth paste. Since we'll be cooking this paste later, keeping it thick at this stage helps it cook down faster and develop a richer, more flavorful base.
Tip: I like to make Vindaloo curry paste ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the freezer. That way, it's ready whenever you want to whip up a flavorful Goan Vindaloo in no time.
Marinate the Chicken
Step 5: In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken with salt and 4-5 tablespoons of vindaloo paste (images 4 & 5). Reserve the remaining curry paste for later use.
Step 6: Marinate the chicken for at least 1 hour. Before cooking, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let it sit on the kitchen counter to come to room temperature.
Cook the Goan Chicken Vindaloo Curry
Step 7: Heat 3 tablespoon oil over medium heat in a steel pan/pot. Add onions and saute them until they're golden brown (images 6 & 7).
Step 8: Reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining vindaloo curry paste from the mixer/grinder jar (image 8).
Step 9: Stir and cook the paste until it starts to release oil from the sides (image 9).
Step 10: Add marinated chicken (image 10).
Step 11: Stir and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes (image 11). Keep stirring to prevent the masala from sticking to the pan. Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a spatula.
Step 12: Then, add ¼ cup of water to the blender jar, swirl to combine any remaining masala, and add the liquid to the pan (image 12). Stir to combine (image 13).
Step 13: Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until the chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally (image 14).
Step 14: Add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Taste and adjust the salt, sugar, and vinegar (or tamarind pulp). I added 1 teaspoon of sugar and 3 tablespoons of vinegar.
I've kept this curry medium spicy. If you like it hotter, simply add more chili powder to taste. Your Goan vindaloo curry is ready to serve (image 15).
Serve it hot with pav, bread slices, or steamed rice for a Goan restaurant-style meal at home.
Recipe Tips
- Marinate chicken for 2-4 hours. Marinating any longer can make the chicken too soft. The vinegar can break down the chicken excessively.
- Spice up your Chicken Vindaloo (but not too much). You can control the heat in this curry. I use a few Kashmiri red chilies and keep it mild for a family-friendly meal, but you can add more chili powder to make it spicier.
- Use a non-reactive pan, such as stainless steel, to prevent the vinegar in vindaloo from reacting with metals like aluminum or cast iron.
Recipe FAQs
Vindaloo pairs well with Goan pav, poi, or bread slices that soak up the spicy gravy, or with steamed rice, plain or fragrant basmati rice, to balance the heat. Indian breads like roti, homemade naan bread, or paratha are also great, and yogurt-based sides such as yogurt cucumber salad or raita help mellow the spice.
Yes, vindaloo is spicy, but if you are making it at home, you can control the spiciness. This recipe gives you a moderately spicy Goan chicken curry. I deseeded the Kashmiri red chilies, and you can use fewer for a milder curry. If you love medium-spiced curry, try this Indian chicken dopiaza, Dishoom chicken ruby, or chicken balti.
Vindaloo is much spicier and tangier compared to other popular Indian restaurant curries like boneless chicken curry or Indian butter chicken. The vinegar, chilies, and garlic-heavy masala give it a more concentrated and distinctive flavor.
Yes, you can make Goan chicken vindaloo without vinegar, but it will slightly change the tangy flavor profile. You can substitute vinegar with tamarind pulp or lemon juice.
More Chicken Curry Recipes to Try!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and rating below. We'd love to hear your feedback. And, consider following me on social media so we can stay connected. I'm on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Recipe Card
Goan Chicken Vindaloo
Equipment
- 1 stainless steel pan or pot
- 1 Mixing bowl
Ingredients
For Vindaloo masala/curry paste
- 15 Kashmir dry red chilies or 2 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 15-20 garlic cloves (small size, if using bigger ones 6-7 is enough)
- 1- inch ginger
- 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 8 cloves
- 1- inch cinnamon sticks
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns (Reduce to ½ teaspoon for a milder flavor)
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds or coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds skip if not available
- ¼ cup palm vinegar or rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2-4 tablespoon water
To marinate the chicken
- 800 grams chicken bone-in preferred
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4-5 tablespoon vindaloo masala
Other ingredients
- 3-4 tablespoon oil
- 2 cups of chopped onions 2 big onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or palm vinegar (add as per taste) or tamarind pulp
Instructions
Make the Vindaloo Paste
- Deseed Kashmiri red chilies to reduce spiciness. Soak them in hot water for 15 minutes (skip if using red chili powder).15 Kashmir dry red chilies or 2 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- In a grinder, combine soaked chilies (or chili powder), garlic, ginger, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, mustard seeds, turmeric, vinegar, and water. Grind to a smooth paste. Add more water if needed. Your vindaloo curry paste is ready.15-20 garlic cloves, 1- inch ginger, 2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 8 cloves, 1- inch cinnamon sticks, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds, ¼ cup palm vinegar or rice wine vinegar, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, 2-4 tablespoon water
Marinate the chicken
- In a bowl, mix chicken with 4-5 tablespoon vindaloo masala and salt. Reserve the rest for cooking.800 grams chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, 4-5 tablespoon vindaloo masala
- Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight (maximum 24 hours). Bring to room temperature before cooking.
Cook the Vindaloo curry
- Heat oil in a steel pan/pot. Sauté onions on medium heat until golden brown, then reduce heat to low.3-4 tablespoon oil, 2 cups of chopped onions
- Add remaining vindaloo curry paste and cook until oil separates.
- Add marinated chicken, stir for 3-4 minutes. Scrape browned bits from the pan.
- Add ¼ cup water to the blender jar, mix remaining curry paste pour into the pan. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked, stirring occasionally.
- Taste and add sugar and adjust salt, sugar, and vinegar (or tamarind). Serve with Naan or rice.1 teaspoon sugar, 2-3 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or palm vinegar (add as per taste)
Video
Notes
- Adjust spice carefully: Start with a few Kashmiri red chilies in the vindaloo paste and add more later if needed.
- Control vinegar: Marinate with a little, then adjust at the end for tangy flavor.
- Marinating the chicken for 2-4 hours is enough. Marinating any longer can make the meat too soft.
- Use a non-reactive pan, such as stainless steel, to prevent the vinegar in vindaloo from reacting with metals like aluminum or cast iron.
- Be careful while adding water: The curry is semi-thick. Don’t add too much water.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Vaishnavi Nayak
I absolutely love this Chicken Vindaloo. I made it at home, and everyone ends up asking for seconds. It’s easy to cook, and always a family favorite at our table.
Preeti
Thanks I am glad you liked it.