isithalal.food

Halal-conscious recipe

Halal chicken korma

A quick, mild chicken korma of Halal chicken breast simmered in an onion, garlic and ginger base with korma paste, ground almonds, sultanas and Halal stock, finished with Greek yogurt.

  • Cuisine Indian
  • Meal Main
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Yield 4 portions
  • Time 35 min
  • Last updated

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

Printable view
Chicken korma in a creamy yellow sauce over white rice on a blue-rimmed plate, with a dish of korma and a basket of naan behind
Photograph of chicken korma by Bev Sykes (CC BY 2.0), not the finished dish from this recipe.

Photo: Bev Sykes · CC BY 2.0

Why Halal checks matter here

Korma needs Halal chicken, the 400 ml of chicken stock is a bought product to check, and low-fat yogurt can contain gelatin.

Korma is a mild, nutty curry, and the chicken decides most of the Halal question: it is a Halal bird, but slaughter decides the meat, so buy breasts from a Halal butcher or a certified pack.

This version follows Cassie Best's chicken korma for BBC Good Food, which has no alcohol in it. The other checks are bought products: the 400 ml of chicken stock (see stock cubes), the jar of korma paste, and the 0% fat Greek yogurt, since gelatin turns up in set, low-fat and dessert yogurts.

It is quick: 5 minutes for the onion base, 2 for the paste, and 10 for the chicken to simmer, with the yogurt stirred in off the heat.

Halal-critical ingredients

  • Chicken Chicken is a Halal bird, but slaughter decides whether the meat is Halal. Buy chicken breasts from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Chicken.
  • Chicken stock UK chicken stock cubes such as OXO and Knorr contain chicken that is not certified Halal. Use a Halal-certified chicken stock or a vegan vegetable stock. See Stock cubes.
  • Greek yogurt Plain yogurt is milk fermented with cultures, but gelatin turns up in set, low-fat and dessert yogurts, and the source uses a 0% fat pot. Choose a yogurt with no gelatin on the label. See Yogurt and Gelatin.
  • Korma paste Korma paste is a bought jar, so its ingredients vary by brand. Read the label and choose a Halal-certified or vegetarian paste.

Safe substitutes

  • Chicken of unknown slaughter → Halal chicken breasts
  • Chicken stock of unknown source → Halal-certified chicken stock or a vegetable stock

Allergens

tree nuts (ground almonds), milk (Greek yogurt)

Ingredients

Korma

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • a thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, roughly chopped
  • 4 tbsp korma paste
  • 4 Halal skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 50 g ground almonds, plus extra to serve (optional)
  • 4 tbsp sultanas
  • 400 ml Halal chicken stock or vegetable stock
  • ¼ tsp golden caster sugar
  • 150 g 0% fat Greek yogurt with no gelatin on the label
  • a small bunch coriander, chopped

Method

  1. Make the base. Blitz the onion, garlic and ginger to a paste in a food processor. Tip into a large, high-sided frying pan with 3 tbsp water and cook for 5 minutes.
  2. Fry the paste. Add the korma paste and cook for a further 2 minutes until aromatic.
  3. Simmer the chicken. Stir in the Halal chicken, then the ground almonds, sultanas, stock and sugar. Mix well, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
  4. Finish. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the yogurt and some seasoning. Scatter over the coriander and more ground almonds if you like, and serve with basmati rice.

How this recipe was researched

Method from BBC Good Food's 'Chicken korma' by Cassie Best (serves 4: 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves and a thumb of ginger blitzed to a paste and cooked 5 minutes with 3 tbsp water; 4 tbsp korma paste for 2 minutes; 4 skinless boneless chicken breasts in bite-sized pieces; 50 g ground almonds, 4 tbsp sultanas, 400 ml chicken stock and ¼ tsp golden caster sugar; covered and simmered 10 minutes; off the heat, a 150 g pot of 0% fat Greek yogurt, coriander and more almonds). The source has no alcohol; we specified Halal chicken and a Halal or vegetable stock, and marked the yogurt and korma paste as label checks. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Technique and ingredient sources

  1. Chicken korma — BBC Good Food Retrieved:

    By Cassie Best. Serves 4, prep 10 minutes, cook 25 minutes: onion, garlic and ginger paste, 4 tbsp korma paste, 4 chicken breasts, ground almonds, sultanas, 400 ml chicken stock and sugar, simmered 10 minutes; 0% fat Greek yogurt and coriander to finish. No alcohol in the source.

  2. Yogurt analysis — isithalal.food Retrieved:

    Plain yogurt, and gelatin in set, low-fat and dessert yogurts.

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