Tomato Chicken Curry
on Jul 01, 2025
Tomato Chicken Curry (Tamatar Murgh) is a one-pot Indian curry cooked with fresh tomatoes and mild spices. This easy curry recipe comes together in under 60 minutes and goes well with Indian bread or steamed rice. Make it using my easy recipe (gluten-free).
Here are some more Indian chicken curries that you must try – Chicken Salna, Bihari Chicken Curry, Chicken Chettinad, Chicken Masala Curry, Chicken Angara, and Chicken Keema Masala.
About Tomato Chicken Curry
As the name suggests, Tomato Chicken Curry is an Indian-style chicken curry cooked with a lot of fresh tomatoes.
This Indian chicken curry is tangy and spicy and is very different from other Indian chicken curries in taste and texture.
It doesn’t have coconut milk or cream added to it and has a bold tomato flavor.
This chicken curry with tomatoes is easy to make and comes together in under 60 minutes.
It also uses very few ingredients that are easily available in the pantry and my recipe is a one-pot recipe too.
Serve it with Indian bread or steamed rice for a hearty meal.
My recipe is gluten-free and serves 4 but you can easily scale it up or down.
Ingredients
Chicken – I like to use bone-in skinless chicken pieces to make this curry, but you can also use cubed boneless chicken breasts or chicken thighs.
Tomatoes – Use fresh and ripe tomatoes for the best flavor. Canned crushed tomatoes also work great in this recipe.
Crispy Fried Onions (Birista) – This dish gets its flavor from crispy fried onions. Make them home using my Crispy Fried Onions recipe, or buy a packet.
Spice Powders – You will need Kashmiri red chili powder and garam masala powder.
Ghee and Oil – I use a mixture of ghee and oil. Use any cooking oil you like.
Other Ingredients – You will also need some other basic ingredients like cumin seeds, ginger garlic paste, green chilies, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).
Variations
Add coconut milk or heavy cream at the end of the cooking for a taste change.
You can also add cashew nut paste or melon seeds paste to make this curry richer.
Add other ingredients like lentils, chickpeas, tofu, or veggies like mushrooms, potatoes, spinach, zucchini, peppers, etc. to make the curry wholesome.
Add some nuts like cashew nuts or almonds to give the curry a nice crunch.
You can add crushed whole spices like cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, lack cardamom, and green cardamom, in hot ghee for added flavor.
To make this curry in Kerala style, blend 1 cup chopped fresh coconut with 1 teaspoon fennel seeds and ½ cup of fried onions. Add this paste after adding the chicken to the pan and the other ingredients mentioned in the recipe card below. You can also add a few curry leaves to this version.
How To Make Tomato Chicken Curry
Preparation
Slit the green chilies in half, slice the tomatoes thinly, and chop the cilantro.
Gather the remaining ingredients.
Make The Curry
Heat 2 tablespoon ghee and 3 tablespoon oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
Add 3 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and cook for 3-4 seconds. Stir continuously.
Add 2 pounds (1 kg) bone-in skinless chicken (cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces) and cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir frequently.
Note – You can also use 1 pound (500 g) boneless chicken instead of bone-in chicken.
Now add the following ingredients and mix well.
- 3-4 green chilies (slit into half)
- 2 cups sliced tomatoes (or 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes)
- ½ cup crispy fried onions
- 3 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Reduce the heat to low.
Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat until the chicken is tender (35-40 minutes).
Stir 2-3 times while the chicken is cooking.
Note – There is no need to add any extra water as the chicken will cook in its own juices.
Having said that, if the masala is getting dry and burning at the bottom of the pan, feel free to add some water.
Add ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro and mix well.
Check for salt and add more if required. Serve hot with roti or rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Follow the same recipe mentioned in the recipe card in a pressure cooker instead of a pan. Once you add red chili powder and salt, add 1 cup water and close the lid of the cooker. Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles on high heat. Remove the cooker from heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the cooker, add garam masala and cilantro, give it a mix, and serve hot.
Press the SAUTE button and follow the recipe until the salt is added to the pot. Add ½ cup water and close the lid of the instant pot. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 6 minutes at high pressure. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid. Add garam masala and cilantro, mix, and serve hot.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken curry tastes great with Indian bread like Roti, Lachha Paratha, Plain Naan, or Missi Roti. It also pairs well with steamed basmati rice or Jeera Rice.
Storage Suggestions
This curry can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
You can freeze this curry for a month. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and heat it properly when you want to serve it.
Add some water while re-heating the curry if it has thickened.
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Tomato Chicken Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ghee (you can replace ghee with oil to make the curry dairy-free)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 teaspoons ginger garlic paste
- 2 pounds bone-in skinless chicken (1 kg, cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces, or 1 pound (500 g) boneless chicken cubes)
- 3-4 green chilies (slit into half)
- 2 cups sliced tomatoes (or 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes)
- ½ cup crispy fried onions (crushed)
- 3 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)
Instructions
- Heat ghee and oil in a heavy bottom pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add cumin seeds and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and cook for 3-4 seconds. Stir continuously.
- Add chicken and cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir frequently.
- Now add green chilies, tomatoes, crispy fried onions, Kashmiri red chili powder, and salt, and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook on low heat until the chicken is tender (35-40 minutes). Stir 2-3 times while the chicken is cooking.
- Note – There is no need to add any extra water as the chicken will cook in its own juices. Having said that, if the masala is getting dry and burning at the bottom of the pan, feel free to add some water.
- Add garam masala powder and cilantro and mix well.
- Check for salt and add more if required. Serve hot with roti or rice.
I tried this recipe (with oil instead of ghee) and it was so easy to make. I served it to my friends and they wouldn’t stop commenting how delicious it was. I totally agree – as someone who lives in London, this tasted so authentic. Will definitely be making it again.
I am glad you liked it Grace 🙂
I used the recipe as a guideline. I followed the spice mixture closely, however. The mostly unusal addition was the crispy onions, so I made some out of a big shallot I happened to have on hand. It’s tomato season, so it’s nice to have fresh tomatoes. I always add a pinch of sugar to most Indian-inspired recipes. If you happen to have fresh tomatoes, this recipe is a MUST. Also, be sure to use kashmiri chilli powder, available from Amazon and other internet sources.
thanks for this delicious tomato chicken recipe
Came out good..thanks!
Thnx for trying 🙂
How do you make crispy fried onions required in this recipe?
Here you go https://www.whiskaffair.com/make-perfect-birista-golden-fried-onions/
Where is the liquid coming from as shown in you picture? Also, an approximate time until chicken is cooked would be helpful.
Hey. The chicken and tomatoes will release the water. Will write approximate time from next time. Didn’t write as it differs quite a lot depending on the quality of the chicken.