Here at Currytastic, we love all curries – even really mild ones such as a Korma, but one of our favourite curries is a spicy Chicken Madras Curry nom nom.
The Madras curry originates from what was the Madras region in the south east of India and it’s a spicy curry that can be made with chicken, pork, beef and even mince beef or lamb as a Keema Madras. If you’re not a meat lover then you can also enjoy a Vegetable Madras which can be made using carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnip or swede etc cubed into 2cm chunks.
The ingredients of a traditional Indian Madras recipe will change depending on what ingredients are available locally and also by the traditions of the chef or cook, so you will find lots of variety with this particular curry, but typically a madras curry has a reddish colour which comes from the red chillies and turmeric and a slightly sweet and sour taste that comes from the tomato and lemon, lime or vinegar.
Anyway, this Chicken Madras Recipe is based on a Gordon Ramsey recipe which has been adapted slightly for a spicier palette and the ingredient quantities as listed are enough to make 4 portions.
Chicken Madras Ingredients:
- 4 chicken breasts, one per person!
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
- 2cm block of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
- 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped – Depends how much garlic you like. Personally I don’t like it to be over-powering
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 400g ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 300ml water
- 1 tsp garam masala
- Coriander leaves, to garnish
The following spices can be varied to your own personal taste, but if this is your first time with this recipe, then I’d suggest the following:
- 2–4 red chillies, finely chopped – You can de-seed if you prefer, but this will make it not as spicy
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1–3 tsp (or more!) hot chilli powder, to taste – Adding more or less will vary the hotness
- 6–8 curry leaves
- Juice of half a lemon or lime (you can use vinegar here instead, but not both)
Preparing the Chicken Madras Curry
Cut the chicken into strips or cubes and put aside. Heat the oil and add the onions and cook until they start to soften which will be about 5 or 6 mins. Once the onions have started to brown add the chillies, the garlic and the ginger and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Then add the turmeric, cumin, coriander, curry leaves and chilli powder and leave to cook for a further minute or so.
In that time, season the chicken you set aside earlier with the salt and pepper and add to the pan and cook stirring the pan until the chicken begins to go golden brown all over.
At this stage you’ll want to add the water and the chopped tomatoes and then bring to boil. Once the pan is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pan stirring ever so often. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes and add more water as needed if it begins to stick or the sauce becomes too dry – remember to stir well if you do need to add water. At the end of the 30 mins, stir in the garam masala and leave uncovered for another 10 mins, again taking care not to let it dry out.
When the cooking’s finished and you’re ready to serve the chicken madras, garnish it with some coriander leaves (not the stalk!) and I usually have it with rice or a Garlic and Coriander Naan bread, although it’s equally as good with chips(!), a jacket potato or even and this is controversial…in a large Yorkshire Pudding!
Chicken Madras not hot enough? Try my Chicken Vindaloo Receipe…
Rate My Chicken Madras Recipe
Please only rate the recipe if you’ve taken the time to make it:



(13 votes, average: 4.38 out of 5)
{ 82 comments… read them below or add one }
when does lemon juice go in
Great question and I can’t believe I missed it off
Depends what you want to achieve. I normally add it to the chicken after I’ve chopped / diced it, or into the pan at the same time as the chicken, but I’ve also tried adding it at the end which can give you an almost sweat/sour effect. Why not try both and let me know which you prefer?
Wow!
Tried this one and I really liked it! A bit too hot for me, so next time I’ll be putting less chilli in
A Chicken Madras that does not use coconut milk, thats interesting. Never heard of one without!
Steve.
Hi Steve
That’s the interesting thing about Chicken Madras – There are lots of different recipes
Hi i made this minus the red chillies and ginger as it was last minute and was out of them,ive also made it with them but preffered it without! great recipe
Hi Lyndsey
Glad you liked it! I have to say I prefer it with chilli and tend to make it a bit hotter than most people would like, but I agree with you – it is probably my favourite chicken madras recipe, although I am going to try a load more over the coming months and post them on the site…
Just made this………Thanks Dave this has to be one of the best tasting Madras Iv Made
Hi Mike
Thanks for the kind words! I’ve tried a couple of other madras curry recipes recently and I have to say that this is still the best
Awesome.
Ive just prep this I must say its the easest so far!
Will let you know how it goes later.
Please do Jackie. Always interested in feedback
A great Recipe you have here, thanks will be cooking this one up later for dinner , when i make curries i tend to add some mustard powder too about a tsp have in past added 1Tble spoon but the curry turned out fiery hot LOL
Fiery hot is just how I like them Simon
Just done this recipe. Added 1tsb natural yogurt,& 1 and half tsb of single cream, plus 7 red chillis. Best curry I’ve ever made. Spot on !!!!
I’m glad you really liked it, and like me it sounds as though you like it that bit hotter
Good recipe, although I did adapt it.
Chicken thighs work better as they have more flavour (skinned and removed excess fat and wobbly bits). Reduced amount of tomatoes to 100g and added a handful of red lentils, cooked until lentils gave the curry a nice texture.
Not forgetting I added lots more garlic and chillies (green finger) – that bit’s optional
Lentils are not my favourite, but that’s the best thing about this recipe – You can chop and change it and tailor it to your own taste!
Chicken madras with a yorkshire pudding you dirty b****** lol
There is nothing dirty about Chicken Madras in a giant Yorkshire Pud – It’s FTW!
Will be attempting this at the weekend, do I need to use ghee (if thats the correct spelling?)?
Hi Matthew
Entirely up to you. I normally use vegetable oil, but you can use ghee if you want to be authentic.
Hi David- made this last night, really yummy but had to simmer it with the lid off for about 30 mins to get it to thicken in the end? Not sure if I did something wrong but after simmering with the lid on for 30 mins there was loads of liquid! Did I do wrong- cause the recipie mentions if it dries out add more water- there was no chance of that happening?!
Hi Kate
I wouldn’t worry as I think it comes down to how thick you prefer the sauce to be. Perhaps leave the pan lid slightly aside next time and see if that makes a difference?
ive been making my own madras for years but always with paste. this was the best madras ive ever tasted by far the flavours were beautiful. dont think i will go back to paste now. thanks for an amazing recipe!!
Hi Mark
I would agree totally. I don’t think many of the bought pastes taste any thing like as good as this recipe, plus it only probably takes 5 or 10 minutes more to make from scratch.
Makiing this recipe for 8 mechanics on friday will let you know how it goes.
Hi Gail
Hope everything goes OK – Let me know the verdict…
making it this weekend for my girlfriend but don’t fancy the ginger in it will it make much difference without it?how many people is that recipe for please?
thanks karl
Hi Karl
This recipe is for four people, but it is very easy to scale up or down. You try it without the ginger, but not sure how it will affect the taste – other than it being less gingerry
Just made this curry for my flatmate and me. It was like someone else said very watery. I had to take the lid of and let it simmer for another 20 mins. I think because of this the taste was lost. I’ve made lots of curries before and the only two i have made that say add water always turn out to be not very tasty. Can only give it a try though. Onwards and upwards.
Howdy Craig
Not really sure what happened cos I’ve made this a many many times and I always have to add some water to stop it from getting too dry. Do you think you may have the heat turned a bit too low when you’re simmering, or perhaps I have it higher than normal? You could always try simmering without the pan lid on as this may help.
Hi Craig, the more you reduce the sauce, the hotter and more intense the flavour will get. Like all food aswell, you should season a curry with salt to give a rounder and fuller flavour.
Thinking of trying this recipe tomorrow! Only problem is, I don’t have any curry leaves and would need to travel to a big supermarket to get some. Would the lack really make it taste a lot different?
If you have any Basil or Kaffir lime leaves, these will do, but won’t be exactly the same. You could always leave them out totally, but the the taste wouldn’t be as authentic.
A fantastic recipe. I put a few spoons of plain yoghurt in mine and it worked well. Cheers!
Hi Chris
Mrs Currytastic would probably join you in adding some yoghurt to bring the spice levels down a bit
Hi David
I made this madras last night, and the curry seemes tasteless in comparisson to your vindaloo recipe that i tried a few weeks ago, and the texture of the meal was too watery.. but then i did add the 300ml water and tinned tomatoes, (juice as well)..
What do you think went wrong?
Your input would be much appreceiated as im a big curry fan whos just started out cooking two weeks ago, and stumbled across your website whilst browsing for vindaloo recipes.. which turned out great !!
Many thanks , Jamie
HI Jamie
I think the tinned tomatoes might be the reason why you and others find it to be watery. As I’ve said previously I’ve made this recipe many many times and not once has it been watery, but then I always use normal fresh tomatoes.
I’m going to amend the recipe and suggest that if you use tinned tomatoes, only add half the water
Sorry, but this is yet another watery chicken stew with spices. I have a book that’s full of them. 300ml of water turns it into a stew and chicken breasts boiling in water *always* end up dry and tough.
I made this curry for me and my boyfriend it was lovely! Like some others i had to simmer for a while with the lid off as it was still watery. I presume if you substitute the vegetable oil for fry light its also quite a low fat recipe too?
really reallybreally bad recipe he cant
make curry trust me gave it shot
never again mine wipe the floor with
that excuse of a curry not trying to be
big headed ive being making currys for
over 12 years it was a joke just fanced
a change by god did i get one
Wow Shaun, sorry you feel that way.
That’s a big claim Shaun, but if your curries really are that good, I’d be happy to publish one of your recipes and we can all try it out and let you know what we think about it?
Too watery-be careful how much water you add-300ml too much. Was ok but nothing fantastic.
Hi Patricia
Did you use tinned tomatoes? I’m guessing so. I’ll be amending the recipe to make it clear regarding tinned / fresh tomatoes
This is my first ever attempt a cooking anything other than chicken nugguts and chips, ive got about 10 mins before its ready, ill let you know on the result lol!
Wow, there’s nothing like jumping in at the deep end
Let me know how you get on
I have tried lots of curry recipes lately with some success but this is definitely my favorite, really simple, really tasty and best of all no sickly cream, yogurt or coconut milk!
Great recipe, thanks very much.
Gerri x
Hi Gerri
Nice to hear you liked it.
Hi David,
Love this recipe and use it often but use tinned tomatoes instead of fresh as i found the first time i made it and used fresh it was quite thin and watery, have to say its my favourite recipe!!!!
This recipe is so versatile mate. the core ingredients are perfect and the timing is crucial, but added ingredients are easily accepted by the flavours. green peppers, mushrooms, additional onions… all are invited. cheers.
Great recipe! Definitely a winner. I made this today, using turkey instead of chicken; really nice.
Really, really nice, loved it, thank you. Will definitely use this recipe again.
)
hi david
have tried loads of recipes for madras and this is the best
just the right flavours
best curry i’ve made – cheers buddy – johnny
p.s just thicken with a bit of cornstarch if required
Thanks Johnny and that’s a great tip too
If I was to add 300 ml of a melting base instead of water would this be better
Hi Dougers
You could give it a try and report back?
In the process of making it and its simmering!Whooo . I’ll let you know how it went.And by the way went for all the chillies.
Thank you for this easy but yet amazing recipe!!!! I have made a few good curries in my life but I have to say this one beats all of them by far! For all the beginners, do not add any water afterwards, sauce gets soggy…
O yes, and I forgot to mention, if you don’t add the garam masala you also have a very nice dish!
Hi what could you use if you don’t have curry leaves to hand could you substitute with good old curry powder?
Hi Vicky
Curry leaves are not the same as curry powder. You could always try to buy some dried ones from your local supermarket, they are usually readily available.
It’s prob best to leave rather than trying to substitute anything for them as there really isn’t anything like them (to the best of my knowledge)
cooking this right now, simmering nicely smelling good, needs more chillis for my taste which quite shocked me but all the same its tasting excellent, im having chips with it made from this web site – http://britishfood.about.com/od/adrecipes/r/The-Best-Chips-Recipe.htm
anyways fair doos to you, good recipe
tom goodwin
I have searched for the perfect curry and this is it!!! I left out the oil in favour of fry light and got myself a syn free slimming world curry.
I do also occasionally add two to four tablespoons of elmleigh cream to cool it down..
Thank you for the recepie I love it !!!
Great idea about the oil. I was going to suggest using Creme Fraiche instead of cream if you’re counting calories, but the Power Of Google tells me that Emlea light has about 1/3rd less calories than Creme Fraiche. I didn’t know that
Great curry!
I added a few fennel and mustard seeds and quickly fried them before putting the onions into the oil. Also used some chicken stock instead of water. Used fresh tomatoes not tinned and the sauce was PERFECT! Remove skin and seeds to reduce the sharpness. Great recipie base to take in your own direction! Thanks!
Glad you liked it Bobby
That’s what I love about my curry recipes – you can tinker until you get something you truly love
Great recipe….ive cooked it a couple of times now. I cook up big and take it to work for lunches so i tend to add other vegies as well like beans and yellow and orange capsicum as well as some mushrooms.
This may sound like a silly question but does the recipe use fresh or dry curry leaves?
Thanks
Either or
Making this tomorrow. Fingers crossed. Will report how it turns out.
Was really pleased with the taste, but my sauce was more of a mush than a smooth sauce. Will try again though. Think I cut the chicken up too small as well, bigger next time. Had mines with chips and naan (took a photo!).
Just finished another helping of this. 10/10. Cut the chicken much bigger this time, used hotter green chillies and also used a tin of chopped tomatoes. Used the lemon juice to marinade the chicken. I also have bought some restaurant style curry bowls. Recommend this recipe to everyone, really easy to make.
Hi Joe
Next time try blending the onions. I’ve started doing this now and it makes a much smoother sauce
So i cooked it differently… half the amount, but with the same ingredients except that instead of curry leaves i used curry powder. I also used sesame oil instead and only used Kangen water. What I did is cooked the chicken in coconut milk, then once the chicken was browned I added the onions and garlic and 1 cup of water. Once the water boiled away and the onions were brown, i added the tomatoes, 1 cup of water and all the spices. Fried it a bit and finished off by adding coconut flakes right before serving.
FANTASTIC!!!
I have been volunteered to make the boxing day curry – this recipe with the positive comments is the selected one.
I will be cooking for 8 – does the recipe scale up ok?
What vinegar should be used as a replacement for the lemon juice?
I’d double up if you are cooking for 8.
Hi,
Just made this for my wife as a romantic new years eve meal…. Can I say it looked like watery soup. Not happy nor was my hungry wife. I used fresh chopped tomatoes and not tin ones. Are you sure you have to use 300ml of water as stated as like i say even after cooking for longer it was still VERY watery. There is nothing in this reciepe to make it thicken up. Just spices, tomatoes and Water.
Wow, sorry Carmine that your meal didn’t go as planned. I’d try simmering with the pan lid off next time to see if that makes a difference.
I think the issue has to be a simmering heat level related problem
We did not enjoy this recipe at all !
..and it was cooked exactly as it was written
Bland !
no one liked it..
and on this page I find the photo of Ramsey holding the lamb quite disgusting, as it is obvoius that he is going to kill it!
Thanks for your input
Great recipe, thanks! I made afew adjustments and thought I’d let you know! I added a pinch of black mustard seeds and a pinch of fenugreek seeds. Used 400g of tinned and one small fresh tomato, only used about 200mls of water. It was delicious and really impressed my fussy chef guest!
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