Easy Tomato Chicken Curry

I should have named this recipe “Penny’s Tomato Chicken Curry” because it comes from aunt Julia’s friend Penny who thankfully passed along her recipe to me.
I couldn’t name it after Penny though, because as it usually happens I tweaked and streamlined the original recipe to make it more compatible with my cooking style — it was a bit time consuming and to be honest some steps seemed avoidable. You know me, I'm all about ease when it comes to cooking these days.
In other words, this is Penny’s Easy Tomato Chicken Curry tweaked by yours truly.

Anyways, the first time I made this curry I did not shut up about it for the rest of the week. Telling everyone I interacted with on Zoom, Webex, Teams, Meet, Skype and/or chatted on iMessages or WhatsApp (that’s how we communicate these days) about this incredibly good tomato chicken curry that would now be forever in my cooking repertoire.
I promised friends that I would post the recipe on the blog sooner rather than later.
But despite swearing to make it till the cows come home, I forgot about it and I didn’t do it again for five months.
When I remembered about it I was afraid I’d remembered better than it was, because I have this tendency of overselling recipes to myself.
However, last week I finally took up the courage and made it again bracing for the worst case-scenario: one where I would realize that the memory of this dish was better than what it really is.
So I tackled it and guys, it barely made it to the table because I ate it (almost all) straight for the pot. It was, if possible, even better than I recalled.


This Easy Tomato Chicken Curry is incredibly rich for a curry with no dairy or coconut milk in it.
The flavors are complex and powerful but not fiery hot.
It doesn’t require any hard-to-find ingredient, actually you might already have all the
ingredients for this dish in your pantry.
It’s a simple dish for an amazing chicken curry that whips up real quick.
I will never go five months without making it again and, moreover, I’m pretty confident that it will become one of my go-to recipes when I can't think of anything to make.


Easy Tomato Chicken Curry                                                                                                                Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 lb / 453 gr chicken breast, cut into cubes
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
Pinch of cinnamon
1 can (14.5 oz / 410 gr) diced tomatoes (I used Hunt’s) or 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and salt, and sauté for 8 to 10 until translucent and starting to brown.
Add chicken pieces and sauté on high until browned, about 6 to 8 minutes.
Add ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne pepper and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add diced tomatoes and cinnamon, cover and cook on low until the chicken is cooked through and the gravy thickens, about 25 to 30 minutes. Take a taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve warm!

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 317 calories, 15 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbs, and 34 grams of protein.