Smoky Chicken Curry with Quinoa

Exciting modern fusion alternative to a classic chicken curry

by Justina Sullivan

Chicken Curry with Quinoa in a blue bowl next to a beer

Recipe: Smoky Chicken Curry with Quinoa

Your favourite chicken curry with a modern twist

This is not a traditional Indian chicken curry. It’s a multi-layered flavour explosion melding Indian and Moroccan flavours, producing a warming lemon-rich spiced sauce that remains fresh from the short cooking time (short compared to most curry recipes).

Why makes it smoky?

The name Smoky Chicken Curry with Quinoa is owed to spices of smoked paprika and smoky chipotle paste bringing an earthy and perfectly balanced chilli hit.

Chicken curry and quinoa

Served with an alternative option of quinoa over rice gives the dish a lighter more modern touch. Dizzle with lime juice and garnish with a dollop of fresh cold yoghurt and coriander leaves.

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Smokey Chicken Curry with Quinoa

Smoky Chicken Curry with Quinoa

A young fast and modern curry recipe using chicken, spinach, yoghurt and a beautiful blend of spices served with a lighter option of quinoa
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 4 - 6

Ingredients

  • 8 skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into large chunks
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • Large knob ginger minced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 4 large tomatoes chopped into small pieces
  • 2 red chillies
  • 800 ml strong chicken stock
  • 150 g baby spinach
  • 4 servings of Quinoa cooked to packet instructions with vegetable stock rather than water

Spice Blend

  • 1 tsp sumac
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp chipotle paste
  • Black pepper
  • 2 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves

Garnish

  • Yoghurt
  • Coriander

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 180C degrees.
  • Roast fennel seeds and grind into a powder, set aside with your other spices.
  • Using a saucepan or cast iron pot, fry onion over medium heat using until soft. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute.
  • Splash some more oil into the pot and gently fry cumin, coriander powder, turmeric, sumac, allspice, paprika and pepper for a few minutes further until fragrant, but not dry and burnt.
  • Stir in chipotle paste and chopped tomatoes (and any juices from the tomatoes). Cook 5 – 7 minutes on low heat, stirring mixture around, ensuring it doesn’t dry out. This is the important foundation of flavour for the curry, the longer you slowly stew the spices and tomatoes, the richer the flavour base will be. You want to keep cooking the mixture until it’s nice and thick and has a good dark colour. Add small splashes of water if it starts to dry out.
  • When spice and tomato mixture is developed enough, add chicken stock, whole chicken thighs, chilli, lemon and lime juice. Stir, bring to a rapid boil for 2 minutes and then place a lid on top and transfer to the oven to cook for 1 hour, checking halfway through to make sure liquid hasn’t reduced too much. If so, add small splashes of water to loosen.
  • Remove from oven and stir through spinach leaves. Allow the curry to sit with the lid on for 10 minutes to infuse and develop its flavours.
  • Serve the curry with quinoa, yoghurt and coriander garnish.

 

 

 

Where to source ingredients:

Spices can be purchased online at:

UK: Spice of India

USA: Desi Basket