
A month or two ago I updated my Bombay House Chicken Tikka Masala recipe (from my old Blog over at Mattawamum) using the suggestions that I got from my readers, and thought I would make a new and improved version of my Bombay House Chicken Coconut Kurma as well. I have tried and failed more times with this recipe than any other I have ever created, but after taking all the advice from my readers, I finally created the most legit, delicious, sweet, creamy, flavorful Kurma recipe that I am pretty proud of, excited to share, and totally addicted to! It was worth it. This is one of those rare recipes that I could just live off every day of my life and be totally happy!
Some of the suggestions were: to use chicken thigh meat instead of chicken breast, to double down on the spices, and to add more cream, and brown sugar– so I did all of these things and also added a little methi, because I am a methi addict. (Methi is just ground up fenugreek, which Bombay House has confirmed to use). We’ll just go with it…
I hope you guys love this new and improved version as much as I do! Let me know what you think in the comments below!
New & Improved Bombay House Chicken Coconut Kurma
Serves: 6
Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients
- 1 lb. Chicken Thighs/breasts
{for the marinade} - 1 cup plain yoghurt
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp cayenne/red pepper
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp Methi powder (ground fenugreek)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
{for the sauce} - 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 tsp lazy ginger
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1 tsp methi powder
- cayenne/red pepper: (omit for mild, 1/2 tsp for medium, 1 tsp hot)
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 15oz can chopped tomatoes
- 1 15oz can coconut milk
- heavy whipping cream (1 1/2 cups mild, 1 cup medium, 1/2 cup hot)
- cashew nuts (about 3/4 cup)
- golden raisins (about 1/2 cup)
- cilantro and white rice to serve
Instructions
Directions:
1. Cut the chicken into 1″ pieces. Place in a ziploc bag with all the other marinade ingredients and set in the fridge until ready to use (anywhere from 2-24 hours).
2. In a pan over medium high heat, add a little olive oil and cook the chicken in two batches for 4-5 minutes on either side until no longer pink in the center. Set the chicken aside.
3. Melt the butter in a high-sided pan. Add the garlic and onion and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the spices: ginger, turmeric, cayenne, garam masala, salt, methi, cinnamon, and coriander. Stir for 1 minute.
5. Add canned tomatoes and coconut milk, then add the sauce to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and cook 10 minutes to thicken. Add the chicken, cream, brown sugar, cashews and golden raisins, stir and cook 1-2 minutes to heat through.
6. Serve with white rice, mango chutney, naan and garnish with fresh cilantro.
Notes
<3 Sarah
This was amazing!!! My husband is an Indian food lover and this is my favorite dish at Bombay house. Tasted exactly like the real thing! My only question is how much cinnamon is in the sauce? I put about 1/2tsp and everything tasted great
Thank you Kristin! I am so glad you love this recipe too. I have 1 tsp cinnamon in the chicken marinade, but not the sauce. Next time i’ll put 1/2 tsp in and see how it compares. I am sure either way is great!
Compliments to the chef! Long ago we went to Bombay House, and it was delicious. We now live in WA and need that curry in our life. Ever since finding your recipe it has been a family favorite … our go to… always in big batches… and always sharing it because it’s the biggest hit! We didn’t know it could get any better! Seriously I just made a batch of each… and you nailed it. We love it. Thank you, thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind comment! This makes me so happy to hear <3
In your sauce ingredients, what does “lazy ginger” mean? Thanks!
Quick question, what is lazy ginger? Gathering ingredients to try this soon!
I’m so glad you asked, someone else just asked the same Q, so I created a link to the ginger paste I love to use in the above comment, and hope that helps! Fresh or ground ginger would be great if the paste is hard to find!
I’m very excited to try this recipe! I’m wondering what you mean by “lazy ginger” in the sauce ingredients. Is it dry ground ginger or fresh minced? Thank you!
Ah good question. I use gourmet garden’s ginger paste
Fresh ginger would be great, I just happen to have this in my fridge all the time, and love it!
Do think it would be worth it to try in the Instant Pot? It’s not that long to cook, but I like how the Instant Pot really blends the flavors. Any suggestions to alter it if I try?
I think so! Also– it’s just nice to put everything in there, and forget about it, even if the cooking times would be similar. I am going to make an instant pot version!
What if I don’t have any methi powder, how important is it?
It will still be delicious without it!
I’m making this for my family this weekend, so excited! I had a quick question. Is the coriander in the marinade ground coriander or coriander seeds? Thanks!
Oh yay! I hope you all love it. It’s ground coriander.