Tomato Chicken Curry Recipe (Tamatar Murgh)
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Tomato Chicken Curry (Tamatar Murgh) is a one-pot North-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.
Here are some more Indian chicken curries that you must try: Chicken Salna, Bihari Chicken Curry, Chicken Shahjahani, Chicken Chettinad, Chicken Masala Curry, Chicken Angara, and Chicken Keema Masala.
Table of Contents
As the name suggests, Tomato Chicken Curry is a North Indian-style chicken curry made with lots of fresh tomatoes.
This Indian chicken curry is tangy and spicy, and very different from other Indian chicken curries in both 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 pantry staples, and my recipe is one-pot.
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 at 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 basic ingredients, such as cumin seeds, ginger-garlic paste, green chilies, and cilantro (fresh coriander leaves).
How To Make Tomato Chicken Curry
Step 1: Heat 2 tablespoon ghee and 3 tablespoon oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
Step 2: Once the oil is hot, add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them crackle for 3-4 seconds.
Step 3: Add 3 teaspoon ginger garlic paste and cook for 3-4 seconds. Stir continuously.
Step 4: Add 1 kg of bone-in, skinless chicken (cut into 1 and ½-inch pieces) and cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Stir frequently.
You can also use 500 g of boneless chicken (cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces) instead of bone-in chicken.
Step 5: Now add the following ingredients and mix well.
- 3-4 green chilies (slit in 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
Step 6: 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.
There is no need to add any extra water as the chicken will cook in its own juices. That said, if the masala is drying out and burning at the bottom of the pan, add some water.
Step 7: 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.
Tomato Chicken Curry FAQs
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 of water and close the lid of the cooker. Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles on high heat. Remove the cooker from the heat and let the pressure release naturally. Open the cooker, add garam masala and cilantro, mix, and serve hot.
Press the SAUTE button and follow the recipe until the salt is added to the pot. Add ½ cup of 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.
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.
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 seed paste to make this curry richer.
Add other ingredients, such as lentils, chickpeas, tofu, or veggies like mushrooms, potatoes, spinach, zucchini, and peppers, to make the curry more wholesome.
Add some nuts, like cashews or almonds, to give the curry a nice crunch.
You can add whole, crushed spices like cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, and green cardamom to 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, along with the other ingredients mentioned in the recipe card below. You can also add a few curry leaves to this version.
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.
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Other Chicken Curry Recipes we Recommend
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Achari Chicken Curry
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Dhaba Style Chicken Curry
Chicken Curries
Kadai Chicken Recipe (Murgh Karahi)
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Tomato Chicken Curry Recipe (Tamatar Murgh)
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
- 1 kilogram bone-in skinless chicken (cut into 1 and ½ inch pieces, or (500 g) boneless chicken pieces)
- 3-4 green chilies (slit into half)
- 2 cups sliced fresh 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.
- 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.