Kashmiri Chicken Recipe (Easy, Authentic & Flavorful)

I love how quick and easy this Kashmiri chicken dish is to make in one pot, and you can easily customize it to your taste. Just like Kashmiri Dum Aloo, this curry showcases the beauty of Kashmiri cuisine's delicate balance of mild yet aromatic spices with ingredients like fennel and dry ginger adding depth to their curries.

In this creamy Kashmiri chicken curry recipe, the chicken is so soft and tender, soaking up the rich, creamy tomato-yogurt sauce flavored with Kashmiri spices. Every bite is a perfect balance of mild heat, subtle sweetness, and aromatic flavors that make this dish truly special. If you love chicken curry, you might also like Chicken Korma, Mughlai Chicken Curry, Chicken Bhuna Masala, and Hyderabadi Chicken Masala.

About This Kashmiri Chicken Recipe

In this recipe post, I am sharing a simple yet flavorful chicken curry from Kashmiri cuisine. I love how the creamy texture of cashews and yogurt balances the rich spices beautifully. Serve it with Naan or steamed rice for a special meal or a cozy dinner at home.

What I love about this Kashmiri chicken recipe is the way fennel and cardamom come together in the tempering. As they sizzle in hot oil, they release a beautiful aroma, that's unique to this Kashmiri recipe.

Another thing that makes this recipe special for me is the use of nuts and raisins. Their combination adds slight sweetness and creaminess that balances the heat of Kashmiri spices. For an authentic experience, try this traditional Kashmiri curry and let me know in the comments how it turned out.

You may also like these other popular chicken recipes from this website:

• Dahi Chicken Curry
• Dum Ka Chicken
• Chicken Pathia

Ingredients Needed

This Kashmiri-style chicken uses a combination of yogurt, cashews, and Kashmiri spices like fennel, cardamom, and cloves. What sets it apart from other chicken curries is the use of dry fruits, like cashews, raisins, or apricots. In some places, they even add other fruits that add a unique sweetness to this Kashmiri curry.

• Chicken: You can use either boneless chicken or chicken with bones (curry-cut chicken). Chicken with bones makes this Kashmiri-style chicken curry more flavorful.
• Cashew-Raisin Paste: This paste gives sweet and creamy flavors to the chicken curry and thickens it. You can substitute cashews with almonds. Skip raisins or substitute raisins with any sweetener like sugar or honey.
• Milk: I used full-fat milk to make the nuts paste. Substitute it with water to make it a dairy-free recipe.
• Oil: Traditionally, mustard oil is used. You can use any cooking oil with a neutral flavor and high smoke point. Here I used sunflower oil for this recipe.
• Yogurt: Use full-fat yogurt to make this Kashmiri curry. Do not skip adding it. It adds flavor and creaminess to the chicken curry. Use dairy-free yogurt to make the recipe dairy-free.
• Whole spices: I used a combination of bay leaf, fennel, green cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamon. Add whatever whole spices you have on hand. They give a nice aroma to this chicken curry.
• Onions, ginger, and garlic: Basics of any Indian curry. I used red onions for this recipe. You can substitute it with white or yellow onions.
• Flavoring: salt, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, cumin powder, and dry ginger powder. Do not skip any of these spice powders as it can alter the flavor of the curry.
• Tomatoes: I have used fresh ripe tomatoes for this chicken curry recipe. You can substitute it with canned tomatoes.
• Red Chili Powder: I have used two different red chili powders in this recipe. One is Kashmiri red chili powder that gives bright red color to the dish and is mild in flavor. Another is spicy red chili powder to spice up the dish. If you do not have Kashmiri red chili powder substitute it with any other red chili powder and add as per taste.

For the detailed list of ingredients & their measurements, please check out the recipe card below. Here's how to make this recipe.

How to make Kashmiri Chicken (Step-by-Step Photos)

Preparations

1) Chop onions and keep them aside. Blend 4 tomatoes and keep them aside.

2) Make Cashew and raisins paste - Soak cashews and raisins in water for 30 minutes. Remove them from the water and add them to the blender with milk. Blend them to a fine paste. This paste is key to the rich texture of your chicken curry.

Making Kashmiri Chicken

1) Heat a heavy bottom pan over medium heat. Add oil. Add bay leaf, fennel, green cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamon. Fry it for 30 seconds or until aromatic. This gives Kashmiri-style chicken curry its authentic flavor.

2) Stir in onions and sauté until onions start to become brown on the edges. Add ginger-garlic paste. Cook on low medium heat until raw smell from ginger and garlic leaves.

3) Reduce the heat to low. Add spice powders. Sauté on low heat until masala starts to leave oil on the sides.

4) If the masala looks dry and starts sticking to the pan, add water 2-3 tablespoon at a time and stir to combine. Keep adding water at regular intervals and stir until the masala is cooked well and starts to leave oil.

5) Add pureed tomatoes. Combine and cook until it comes to a boil. Cover and cook until masala starts to leave oil from the sides. Stir it in between as required.

6) Add green chilies (optional). Combine and stir it for a minute. Now add chicken and salt. Combine and cook until the color of the chicken turns from pink to white.

7) Add yogurt and stir well to combine. Cover and cook on low heat until the chicken is cooked well. You will see oil floats on the surface. Masala is cooked well.

8) Finally, stir in cashew and raisin paste. This creates the signature creamy sauce for your chicken curry recipe. Cover and cook it for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Kashmiri chicken curry is ready to serve.

Serve this chicken curry with Rice, Naan bread, or Roti.

Tips to make the Best Kashmiri Chicken

• To make the creamy Kashmiri Chicken recipe, soak cashews in water for 30 minutes before grinding. It makes the cashews soft and you can easily grind them to a fine paste that gives a creamy texture to the curry.
• Add water 2-3 tablespoon at frequent intervals and stir, to prevent masala from sticking to the base of the pan.
• Before adding yogurt, reduce the heat to low.
• Whisk the yogurt well in the bowl and then add it to the pan. After adding yogurt, stir immediately, and cook stirring continuously on low heat until the curry comes to a boil. It prevents the curdling of yogurt.
• This Kashmiri dish is not too spicy. I have added spicy red chili powder to spice it up. Skip the addition of spicy red chili powder and green chilies to the recipe if you do not prefer spicy dishes.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Chicken Recipes

• Indian Butter Chicken
• Garlic Chicken Curry
• Chicken Tikka Masala
• Chicken Ghee Roast
• Restaurant Style Chicken Curry

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Recipe Card