Three chicken curry recipes to wow your guests in under 45 minutes

If you want to try something new when it comes to a chicken curry then look no further. 

The Curry Guy, AKA Dan Toombs, has a new cookbook The Curry Guy Chicken (Quadrille), out September 12, and it’s packed with recipes to elevate a classic chicken curry.

And while you may think cooking a curry from scratch can take a lot of time and effort, that is certainly not the case for these recipes. 

Taking you under 45 minutes to make, these ideas are perfect for a weeknight meal that will make it seem like you’ve been in the kitchen for hours. 

Take a look below at these delicious recipes that will have your mouth watering. 

Chicken Karahi With Chillies And Garlic

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Cals: 846
Sat fat: 11g

1 Heat the oil in a karahi or wok over a high heat. When bubbling hot, add the chillies and fry them for a few minutes or until blistered and darkened in places. Add the garlic and fry until it is beginning to turn golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chillies and garlic to a plate and set aside.

2 Now add the chicken to the hot oil and fry for about 8 minutes, moving it around in the pan until white and just cooked through. Add the tomatoes and push them right down into the oil. Cover the pan and simmer over a low heat for about 7 minutes. Remove the lid and you will see that the skin of the tomatoes is peeling off. Remove the skins using your hands – or tongs, which is much easier. If using tongs, give the tomatoes a good squeeze when you remove the skins to help break them down. If the skin is not coming off easily, just continue simmering and it will. Push the tomatoes right down into the chicken with the back of your spoon.

3 Add the ground spices, chilli powder (if using) and garlic and ginger paste. Stir in the water and bring to a rolling simmer over a high heat, stirring often, as it’s hard to move everything around in the karahi. If the sauce is caramelising to the sides of the karahi, scrape it all back in for additional flavour.

4 Cover and simmer over a low heat for another 5-7 minutes, stirring from time to time. Lift the lid and stir in the yoghurt. Raise the heat to high and continue stirring vigorously to break that sauce down and thicken. Stir in the fried chillies and garlic and continue simmering and stirring until you are happy with the sauce consistency. Season with salt to taste and garnish with coriander and julienned ginger, if you like.

Chicken Samosa Cups 

Serves: 5-10
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Cals: 188
Sat fat: 3g

For the keema:
*2tbsp rapeseed oil or ghee
*1tsp cumin seeds
*1 medium onion, very finely chopped
*1 level tsp salt
*2tbsp garlic and ginger paste
*3 green bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
*1 medium tomato, finely diced
*1tsp Kashmiri chilli powder (more or less to taste)
*1tsp ground coriander
*2tbsp ground cumin
*1tsp garam masala 
*500g minced chicken
*3tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped

For the cups
*6 sheets filo pastry
*3tbsp melted butter or ghee

To serve
*3tbsp fresh coriander,  finely chopped

1 Add the oil or ghee to a pan over a medium-high heat. When it has a glossy appearance, stir in the cumin seeds and infuse for 30 seconds. Add the onion and salt and fry for 5 minutes, or until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and chopped chillies and fry for 30 seconds, then add the diced tomato and ground spices. Stir.

2 Add the chicken and 250ml of water. As the water comes to a simmer, break down the chicken until you see no lumps. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lift the lid and continue simmering until the water has evaporated and the chicken is beginning to brown. Add the coriander and season with salt, then transfer the filling to a plate while you prepare the wrappers.

3 Preheat the oven to 180°C/200°C fan/gas mark 4. Lay out your filo pastry sheets on a clean surface and brush with melted butter or ghee. Stack the sheets neatly so you have two stacks of three filo sheets. Use a cookie cutter or similar that’s around 10cm diameter, to cut your samosa cup rounds and cut as many as you can get from your filo sheets. The number will depend on the size of your pastry sheets.

4 Brush a cupcake tin lightly with some of the melted butter or ghee and fill each hole with one of the 3-ply circles. Fill each samosa with the chicken keema and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until the samosas look crisp and the meat is hot. Carefully transfer the samosas to a serving platter and garnish each with fresh coriander. 

Chicken Rendang

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Cals: 679
Sat fat: 36g

Ingredients:
*70ml coconut or rapeseed oil
*5cm cinnamon stick
*2 star anise
*4 cloves
*4 cardamom pods, lightly bruised
*2 lemongrass stalks, white parts only, thinly sliced
*800g boneless chicken thighs, skinned and cubed
*400ml thick tinned coconut milk
*250ml water
*5 lime leaves, stemmed and thinly sliced
*6tbsp toasted fresh or frozen grated coconut
*1 1⁄2tsp tamarind paste
*1tsp palm sugar or light brown sugar, or more to taste
*Salt, to taste

For the rendang paste:
*6 shallots, roughly chopped
*6 garlic cloves, smashed
*2.5cm piece galangal, peeled and roughly chopped
*2 lime leaves, stemmed and roughly chopped
*2 lemongrass stalks, white parts only, thinly sliced
*12 dried red chillies, soaked in water for 20 minutes

To garnish:
*2 red spur chillies, thinly sliced
*3 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

Method:

1 For best results, place all the rendang paste ingredients in a pestle and mortar and pound to a paste. This could take up to 30 minutes, so you can use a food processor to speed things up, which is what I normally do. Set aside until ready to cook.

2 Heat the oil in a large clay pot, wok or frying pan (skillet) over a medium–high heat. When visibly hot and bubbly, stir in the whole spices and allow them to infuse into the oil for about 30 seconds. Then add the prepared rendang paste and fry for a further 30 seconds to cook out the rawness.

3 Add the thinly sliced lemongrass, followed by the chicken and stir well to combine. Fry for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked through and then add the coconut milk and the water to cover.

4 Add the lime leaves and bring to a simmer. Stir in the toasted coconut, tamarind and sugar, cover and cook over a medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the sauce has almost dried up and is coating the chicken pieces.

5 Check for seasoning, adding salt to taste and a little more sugar if desired, and serve garnished with the sliced red chillies and spring onions.