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Indian Spiced Chicken Stew

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Indian Spiced Chicken Stew

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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 you’re 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 for Indian-spiced Chicken Stew

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 :)

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Indian Spiced Stew with Chicken and Potatoes in a Creamy Tomato Sauce

Indian Spiced Chicken Stew

Indian Spiced Stew with Chicken and Potatoes

You can make this dish ahead and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Perfect for entertaining. Simply re-heat in your Dutch oven, thinning with a bit of chicken broth, if necessary. A wonderfully hearty and Indian-spiced stew with chicken and potatoes in a tomato cream sauce. A perfect cold-weather dish for a lazy weekend meal or make it ahead (up to 3 days ahead!) for entertaining.
4.98 from 39 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to your personal Recipe Box
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time2 hrs
Total Time2 hrs 20 mins
Servings (adjustable): 4 people

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)
US Customary - Metric

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.
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Notes

Be sure to read the "Cook's Notes" in the original post, for more tips, options, substitutions and variations for this recipe!

Nutrition

Calories: 529kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 35g, Fat: 35g, Saturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 127mg, Sodium: 282mg, Potassium: 1016mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 795IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 95mg, Iron: 5.3mg
Author: Jennifer

 
Adapted from Bon Apetit February 2014

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Meet the Author: Hi! I'm Jennifer, a home-cook of some 30-plus years. I've learned a lot from getting dinner on the table all these years! I hope to share a bit of what I've learned, as well as my favourite recipes. Most importantly though, I love sharing the joy of cooking at home, with simple, delicious and seasonally-inspired recipes. More about me here ...

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Comments

  1. Joe says

    Hi, I was wondering if cauliflower would be a suitable substitute for potatoes? We have been trying to avoid potatoes.

    Reply

    • Jennifer says

      Hi Joe and yes, cauliflower would be a lovely substitute for the potatoes in this one. I feel like you could just add the raw cauliflower when you would have added the potatoes and let the the cauliflower cook in the stew until tender. If you try it, let me know how it worked out :)

      Reply

  2. DS Panicker says

    5 stars
    Beautiful recipe, I love your photographs, thank you for sharing..

    Reply

    • Jennifer says

      Thanks so much :)

      Reply

  3. Tim says

    Hi,

    I havent tried it yet but it look delicious!

    Is the chicken not getting burned when waiting for the top to be golden brown without turning? The chicken breasts don’t have a skin over here so i’m afraid to let them cook for so long on one side. How long does it take for the top of the chicken to get golden?

    Reply

    • Jennifer says

      Hi Tim, this recipe is definitely written assuming skin-on chicken, so it is the skin that is intended to get golden brown. If using skinless chicken, simply cook until it is sealed on the outside.

      Reply

  4. Chidinma says

    Hello Jennifer and I hope that this message finds you well. With the colder weather, I am excited to try this recipe in the coming days. I have all of the ingredients on hand except for the tomato puree but I wanted to ask I can substitute ground/crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce to achieve similar results. I appreciate all of your time and I look forward to your response!

    Reply

    • Jennifer says

      Hi Chidinma and yes, crushed tomatoes will work just fine with this one :) Enjoy!

      Reply

  5. Sandra says

    If I wanted to make this in a slow cooker, how would I adjust the cooking times?

    Reply

    • Jennifer says

      Hi Sandra, I generally follow the 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high timelines when I adapt for slow cooker. So for this recipe, just add the potatoes after about 3/4 of the cooking time.

      Reply

  6. Kim says

    Do have to use cream. Is there a substitute?

    Reply

    • Jennifer says

      Hi Kim, You don’t say why you don’t want to use cream, which would be helpful. If you are avoiding dairy, you could use stirred coconut milk. If you are asking because you want to use a lower-fat dairy product, I would tell you that cream is specified over other dairy, since the high fat content prevents it from “breaking” when it contacts acids, like tomatoes. So lower fat dairy isn’t recommended. You could also just skip and have a non-creamy version, if you prefer.

      Reply

  7. Denise says

    5 stars
    Hi Jennifer! I love Indian food!!! I can’t wait to try this. The photos from the recipe – is that what you cooked it in or what you served it in? (the oval-shaped pan). I love the pan!!!

    Thanks,
    Denise Fairley

    Reply

    • Jennifer says

      Hi Denise :) I actually cooked this in my Dutch oven, then spooned it out on to these pans. They are Lodge, I think. Cast iron. Intended for fajitas, I think. I just find them a nice way to serve other things, too. Makes dinner more fun!

      Reply

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