A delicious Indian Spiced Chicken Stew, with potatoes, tomatoes and a blend of Indian spices slow cooked for a complete and comforting meal.
If you're a fan of dishes like Tikka Masala or Butter chicken, you will love this one! I spied this Indian Spiced Chicken Stew in the latest Bon Apetit and immediately slotted it in for an upcoming meal. We enjoyed it for dinner last night and it was a big hit. It's flavourful, hearty, warming and spicy and a great "throw everything in a pot and let it cook all afternoon" kind of dish.
The spicy tomato and cream sauce was delicious and plentiful, great for sopping up with the naan bread. I also loved the addition of potatoes to this dish (and I wasn't sure I would). All in all ... everyone agreed it's a keeper!
This stew has a great combination of spices that work beautifully together. Don't be intimidated by the long list. They are pretty common spices, so if your spice rack is fairly well-stocked, you'll be good. The cayenne pepper provides some nice warming heat in this dish. You may want to use the lesser amount of cayenne or leave out altogether if you're not a fan of heat or if you're feeding small kids.
Cook's Notes
Serve this stew with a big dollop of plain yogurt, some naan bread and a generous sprinkling of fresh mint (most traditional), cilantro or parsley. Alternately, this would be lovely spooned over warm basmati rice.
I made this dish on the stove-top in my Dutch oven, but you could very easily do it in your slow-cooker. I used a couple of bone-in/skin on chicken breasts and thighs and took the chicken off the bone before adding the potatoes.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs would also work. You'd save the step of taking the chicken off the bone, but I do think the bone and skin probably add nice flavour to this one.
I served this stew up in my cast iron fajita pans. It's just a fun way to enjoy a meal and they're also great for fajitas, too :)
Indian Spiced Stew with Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 large skin-on/bone-in chicken breasts, (or can use boneless)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 Tbsp finely grated ginger
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 - 3/4 tsp cayennne pepper, (depending on how spicy like it or you can omit)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, (plus a bit more thinning, if necessary)
- 3/4 cup tomato purée
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, (can use a lighter cream)
- 1/2 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes,sliced 1/4" thick, (or small fingerlings, sliced in half lengthwise)
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place skin side down in to the pan. Cook until golden brown without turning, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.
- To the same pot, add onion, garlic, and ginger to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft and golden brown, about 8–10 minutes. Add tomato paste, garam masala, cumin, turmeric, coriander, cayenne and cook, stirring often, until tomato paste is beginning to darken, about 4 minutes.
- Add chicken pieces, chicken broth, tomato purée, and cream to pot. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is almost falling off the bone and liquid is slightly thickened, about 1 1/2 hours. If using bone-in chicken, remove chicken to a plate and carefully remove chicken from the bone and discard skin and bones. Cut or pull chicken into bite-sized pieces. Return chicken pieces to the pot.
- Add potatoes to the pot and cook, partially covered, until potatoes are fork-tender and sauce is thickened, 30-45 minutes. *Check and stir every so often to ensure the sauce hasn't thickened to much and potatoes aren't sticking to the bottom of the pot. If sauce is too thick, thin with a bit more chicken stock.
- To serve, spoon stew into a shallow bowl and place a large dollop of yogurt on one side. Sprinkle with some fresh chopped mint, cilantro or parsley and serve with naan bread on the side. Alternately, spoon stew over some warm basmati rice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.
Hi! I'm Jennifer, a home-cook of many years and a lifelong seeker of delicious food! I'm an equal opportunity eater. I enjoy eating all the foods!
Nicole says
This has become a household staple. We absolutely LOVE this meal!
Jennifer says
So happy you are enjoying it! Thanks so much :)
MAT says
Wow, thanks for sharing this., I have cooked this recipe 3- or 4 times now and each time I just love it more.
Jennifer says
So glad you are enjoying it, Mat :) Thanks so much!
Kris says
I've made this many, many times for friends, and family since I discovered this recipe here 3 years ago. It was the first dish I cooked for my boyfriend. It is so fantastic and I now have so many memories attached to it. So I felt I had to come here to say I absolutely love this recipe! Thank you so much for publishing it!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Kris and yes, food with memories attached is always the best food :) Thanks so much!
Kathleen says
We love this dish. So tasty and warming on a cold night. I’ve never added flour or cornstarch to thicken like some others have. It’s perfect the way it is. We love it with some steamed cauliflower, the two go together perfectly….that yummy sauce 👌🏻
Jennifer says
So glad you are enjoying it Kathleen and yes, cauliflower and Indian spices do go so well together! Thanks so much :)
Karman Foods says
This Indian Spiced Chicken Stew recipe is delicious. I added a bit of the authentic Kikkoman Naturally Brewed Tamari Soy Sauce for an extra flavorful taste. It's outstanding! Best paired with hot/cold barley tea
Jennifer says
So glad to hear :) Thanks!
Shannon says
This was great! Added coconut milk instead of cream (just added a whole can instead of 1/2 cup) and it was divine. I tossed in some frozen peas and kale for a little more green and topped with cilantro. House still smells great the next day. Thank you!
Jennifer says
Sounds great, Shannon :) So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks!
Daphanie says
This is most def a unique recipe and absolutely tasty! I used a slow cooker instead of stove top and came out just as good.
Jennifer says
Glad you enjoyed it, Daphanie :) Thanks so much!
Julia says
Love your site and all of your recipes! When you say tomato puree, would you suggest blended canned tomatoes or plain tomato sauce?
Thanks for the wonderful recipes!
Jennifer says
Hi Julia and thanks so much. You could certainly use blended canned tomatoes. Or canned crushed tomatoes. Or passata, which is simply a strained version. I tend to prefer crushed tomatoes, as they are less watery than blended whole tomatoes, but thicker than passata. Hope that helps. Enjoy!
Rachelle says
This is soooo good!!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Rachelle :) Thanks!
Leeloo says
I didn't have time to put potatoes... I just wanted that heaven as soon as possible on my plate...
That was the first indian inspired recepie I made and I'm completely out of words. I even licked my plate 😋😋😋
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much :)
Jennifer says
So glad to hear! Thanks so much :)
Hannah says
Made this for my family members for dinner last night. I used it as a catch all stew for the things in the fridge. DIdn't have coriander, cayenne or fresh ginger. Used ground ginger instead. Used a canned tomato sauce and coconut milk because there was no cream. Eyeballed the amounts. One huge potato chopped. Also threw in carrots when I sauteed the onions. Used 1 boneless skinless chicken breast that was hanging around. Threw in mushrooms and zucchini 20 minutes before the end. I didn't stew for 2 hours, probably more like one hour. Served it with rice. The family loved it. It was a great low meat meal that used a bunch of kitchen scraps and ends of veggies. It was easy enough for me to make on a school night. Definitely would make again. Bookmarked!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Hannah :) Thanks!
KELLY BUTLER says
I had this recipe pinned forever, finally made it tonight and it is by far one of my favorite curry dishes. Thanks for this.
Jennifer says
Glad to hear, Kelly! Thanks so much :)
Jake says
The best recipe thankyou
Jennifer says
Glad you enjoyed, Jake :) Thanks!
Jo-Ann says
Definitely a keeper. It was fabulous, and the whole family enjoyed!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Jo-Ann :) Thanks so much!
Kris says
Made this in the Instant Pot yesterday and it was AMAZING! My adjustments were to not add flour to thicken before cooking (I used corn starch after) and not adding the cream until the end. Next time I’ll brown everything in a separate pan and then add it to the instant pot to prevent sticking.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Kris and good to know it works well in an IP as well :) Thanks!