This creamy cashew chicken curry is a perfect blend of warm Indian spices with creamy coolness of cashew paste rewarding you with a soulful & satisfying chicken curry meal!
Even when you are very mindful of what you are eating daily and being extremely cautious of your calorie consumption, I am sure there are days when you crave for something a little more indulgent!
I can relate to that because I have first hand experience of the same! This is the story of all who have consciously chosen the path of fitness journey like me!
To satisfy that occasional craving for something super-tasty yet not too damaging to our routine, I made this restaurant style creamy cashew chicken curry which gave me the feel of dining at the restaurant but without that load of guilt!
This warm wholesome cashew chicken curry will not only fill you up, but also will rejuvenate your mind! Also it is much lighter than a butter chicken as it is not loaded with dairy cream.
Enjoy it with a serving of plain white rice which will soak up the flavors of the sauce and create an irresistible bite!
What is cashew chicken curry?
As the name suggests, this cashew chicken curry is a flavorful curried chicken made in a base of cashew paste. Cashew is nothing less than a wonder!
It tastes wonderful when eaten on its own and at the same time creates magically tasty dishes when added as a smooth paste! You will find ample uses of cashew paste in Indian cooking and I can bet you will love them all!
The best part of this cashew chicken curry is that it has a non-dairy creamy sauce which is indeed one of the most luscious sauces I have ever made or tasted. So anyone with lactose-intolerance can also devour this without any worry!
Ingredients for Creamy Cashew Chicken Curry
Check out the list of things you will need to make this amazing dish!
Chicken: I used medium sized curry cut chicken pieces for my cashew chicken curry as that is what we like the most, but this recipe is very versatile in a way that you can use any cuts of chicken to make this. Boneless pieces of chicken thighs will also work great here!
Cashew: The star of this recipe is, of course, cashew nuts. Good quality raw cashews will produce the best result in terms of the creaminess of the gravy.
Aromatics: You will need a generous amount of the quintessential aromatics of Indian food which are ginger and garlic. I used freshly made paste of these 2 aromatics to marinate the chicken which helps to cut down the raw smell of the meat.
Whole spices: Like any other flavorful Indian curries, the flavor base is built from the very beginning by tempering the hot oil with whole warm spices like green & black cardamom, cloves and cinnamon.
Powdered spices: For the curry, you will need the usual powdered spices that are typically used in any Indian curry recipe – turmeric (used while marinating the chicken and also in the curry), cumin, coriander and a tad bit of Kashmiri chilli powder.
Garam Masala: This is the indispensable spice mix to finish off your cashew chicken curry with a blast of flavor from your homemade garam masala!
Onion: This creamy cashew chicken curry does have a base of onion even though you will not feel it thanks to the beautifully smooth texture of the gravy.
A couple of small onions are boiled along with raw cashew nuts and churned to make a smooth paste and the rest are slices & sautéed with spices to make the base.
Tomato: To add a hint of tartness, a tomato is added to the curry to offset the creamy sweetness imparted from cashews.
Oil: Any regular oil will work for this cashew chicken curry (except of course olive oil). You can use mustard oil, groundnut oil, canola oil or sunflower oil.
Pro tip: My personal recommendation is mustard oil as the pungent flavor of mustard oil adds something extra to the gravy!
Salt: Do not forget to season your cashew chicken curry with salt as per your taste!
How to make Creamy Cashew chicken curry?
Step 1: Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly in a mixing bowl and drain out all excess water. Then add ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt to the chicken.
Step 2: Massage the chicken pieces well with the aromatics and seasoning so that each piece is evenly coated on all sides. Leave it to marinate while you prepare for the gravy.
Step 3: Boil about 2 cups of water in a saucepan and add the cashews and roughly chopped onions. Let them cook in boiling water for 15 minutes until the onions turn soft.
Step 4: Drain the water out from cashew & onion and keep them in a bowl allowing to cool down completely.
Step 5: Once the cashew and onion are completely cooled down, transfer to a blender jar and blend them with some water to make an extremely smooth paste. Set it aside until needed.
Pro tip: You need to make sure there is no lump left behind and the cashew-onion paste is absolutely smooth & creamy, almost like a puree.
Step 6: Now take a kadai/wok big enough to hold all the chicken. Add the mustard oil and let it warm up.
Step 7: Once the oil is warm, temper it with whole spices – green & black cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Let them crackle & become fragrant for a few seconds.
Step 8: Then add the sliced onion to the hot oil. Saute the onion on medium flame, stirring occasionally in between to protect them from burning. Fry the onion for 15 minutes on medium heat until they turn golden brown and crispy.
Step 9: Now add the chopped tomato and give a good stir. Add about half a teaspoon of salt to soften the tomato quickly; cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Step 10: Next it’s time to add the marinated chicken. Tip in the chicken along with any accumulated juices to the kadai.
Step 11: Also add all the powdered spices – turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and Kashmiri chilli powder.
Step 12: Sauté the chicken with the spices, after giving a good mix, for about 30 minutes until any water released from chicken is dried up and oil starts to release.
Pro tip: This step builds the flavor, so do not rush. Sauté the chicken on medium-low flame so that they do not burn nor stick to the bottom of the kadai.
Step 13: After the chicken is nicely sautéed, pour the cashew-onion puree over the chicken and start mixing it in with the chicken and spices using a spatula, keeping the heat on low.
Step 14: Thoroughly mix the cashew paste with chicken and cook them for 5 more minutes to warm things up. Meanwhile, heat about 2 cups of water until it starts boiling.
Step 15: Once the cashew paste is nicely mixed with chicken and oil starts to release again, pour in the hot water. You may not need the entire 2 cups of water; first add 1 cup, mix it well and let it come to a boil.
Step 16: Then lower the heat to minimum, cover the kadai and let the cashew chicken simmer for 15 minutes.
Step 17: After 15 minutes, uncover the kadai and check if the chicken is completely cooked through by poking one piece with a fork. If it’s done, then taste the gravy for seasoning and adjust if needed by adding salt as per taste.
Step 18: Also check the consistency of the gravy, if it seems too thick, add a little more of the hot water and bring to a boil.
Pro tip: Do note that cashew based gravy tends to thicken as it cools down. So keep the gravy on a thinner side (but of course not too watery).
Step 19: Your creamy cashew chicken is ready. Sprinkle a dash of garam masala on top and serve warm with plain white rice!
More restaurant style dishes from Flavor Quotient
- Paneer Butter Masala Restaurant Style
- Butter Chicken Restaurant Style
- Chicken Malai Tikka Restaurant Style
- Chicken - 1 kg, curry cut
- Ginger paste - 1 tbsp
- Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Raw cashew - 16 to 18
- Onion - 2, small, peeled and roughly chopped
- Mustard oil - 4 tbsp
- Green cardamom - 5 to 6
- Black cardamom - 1
- Cloves - 5 to 6
- Cinnamon - 1-inch stick
- Onion - 4, large, thinly sliced
- Tomato - 1, large, finely chopped
- Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
- Cumin powder - 1 tsp
- Coriander powder - 3 tsp
- Kashmiri chilli powder - ¼ tsp
- Garam masala - ¼ tsp
- Wash the chicken pieces thoroughly in a mixing bowl and drain out all excess water. Then add ginger paste, garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt to the chicken.
- Massage the chicken pieces well with the aromatics and seasoning so that each piece is evenly coated on all sides. Leave it to marinate while you prepare for the gravy.
- Boil about 2 cups of water in a saucepan and add the cashews and roughly chopped onions. Let them cook in boiling water for 15 minutes until the onions turn soft.
- Drain the water out from cashew & onion and keep them in a bowl allowing to cool down completely.
- Once the cashew and onion are completely cooled down, transfer to a blender jar and blend them with some water to make an extremely smooth paste. Set it aside until needed.
- Now take a kadai/wok big enough to hold all the chicken. Add the mustard oil and let it warm up.
- Once the oil is warm, temper it with whole spices - green & black cardamom, cloves and cinnamon. Let them crackle & become fragrant for a few seconds.
- Then add the sliced onion to the hot oil. Sauté the onion on medium flame, stirring occasionally in between to protect them from burning. Fry the onion for 15 minutes on medium heat until they turn golden brown and crispy.
- Now add the chopped tomato and give a good stir. Add about half a teaspoon of salt to soften the tomato quickly; cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Next it’s time to add the marinated chicken. Tip in the chicken along with any accumulated juices to the kadai.
- Also add all the powdered spices - turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and Kashmiri chilli powder.
- Sauté the chicken with the spices, after giving a good mix, for about 30 minutes until any water released from chicken is dried up and oil starts to release.
- After the chicken is nicely sautéed, pour the cashew-onion puree over the chicken and start mixing it in with the chicken and spices using a spatula, keeping the heat on low.
- Thoroughly mix the cashew paste with chicken and cook them for 5 more minutes to warm things up. Meanwhile, heat about 2 cups of water until it starts boiling.
- Once the cashew paste is nicely mixed with chicken and oil starts to release again, pour in the hot water. You may not need the entire 2 cups of water; first add 1 cup, mix it well and let it come to a boil.
- Then lower the heat to minimum, cover the kadai and let the cashew chicken simmer for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, uncover the kadai and check if the chicken is completely cooked through by poking one piece with a fork. If it’s done, then taste the gravy for seasoning and adjust if needed by adding salt as per taste.
- Also check the consistency of the gravy, if it seems too thick, add a little more of the hot water and bring to a boil.
- Your creamy cashew chicken is ready. Sprinkle a dash of garam masala on top and serve warm with plain white rice. Enjoy!
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