Chicken Curry in a Hurry

We’re not lying when we say “Chicken Curry in a Hurry”! In less than 30 minutes, you’ll be on your way to enjoying this scrumptious chicken curry in a flavorful and creamy sauce. This quick and easy chicken curry recipe is perfect for students, bachelors or anyone looking for a fast, yet satisfying meal. It also makes a great pot luck dish with very little effort.

Ingredients:

Oil – 1 Tbsp
Onion – 1/2 med, chopped
Chicken – 1 lb (500 g) boneless, skinless thighs cut to bite size pieces
Ginger – 1 Tbsp, minced
Garlic – 1 Tbsp, minced
Salt – to taste
Curry Powder – 3 Tbsp (divided)
Lemon/Lime Juice – 1 Tbsp or to taste
Cream Cheese – 8 oz, at room temperature
Broth/Stock – 2 cups (less for a thicker gravy)
Tomatoes – 1/4 cup (grape or cherry tomatoes work best)
Cilantro – few sprigs, chopped for garnishing

Method:

1. Heat Oil in a pan and add Onions. Cook for 1-2 mins until lightly brown and translucent.
2. In a mixing bowl, add Chicken pieces, Ginger, Garlic, Salt, 2 Tbsp Curry Powder. Mix well.
3. Add Lemon/Lime Juice and mix well.
4. Add Chicken to the pan with onions and mix well.
5. Cover and cook until chicken is done…stirring occasionally.
6. Meanwhile, mix softened Cream Cheese and Broth/Stock with a hand blender and keep aside.
7. When chicken is cooked, add the Cream Cheese sauce, Tomatoes and 1 Tbsp Curry Powder. Mix well and bring to a simmer.
8. Garnish with Cilantro and serve with Rice, Roti, or Bread.

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68 thoughts on “Chicken Curry in a Hurry

  1. I think that everything posted was very logical. But, think
    about this, what if you composed a catchier title?

    I am not suggesting your information is not solid., however suppose you added something that grabbed folk’s attention? I mean Chicken Curry in a Hurry – ShowMeTheCurry.com
    is kinda plain. You could glance at Yahoo’s home page and note how they write article headlines to
    get people to open the links. You might add a related video or a picture or two to grab readers excited about everything’ve
    got to say. In my opinion, it could bring your blog a little bit more
    interesting.

  2. Hi Hetal and Anuja!

    Thank you for this recipe! It was very easy and quick to make! I also added some cauliflower and carrots in the end for more nutrition! This was really appreciated by my non-Indian friends! Keep up the great work!

    Bye!/ Anuja

  3. For a vegetarian who hardly ever cooked anything, tried this dish for my chicken fanatic husband and he absolutely loved it !!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much ladies, for people who are staying far away from their families, u help us so much every single day. I now, dont need to call up mom and grandmom at funny hours to ask for cooking tips and basics !! God bless you ladies… 🙂

  4. My friend introduced me to this recipe and your site…as a grad student (and one who is still learning to cook, haha), this recipe was easy to make, easy on my budget, and absolutely delicious! It was a very welcome change to my boring student diet. 😉 I’ll definitely be coming back for more recipes! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

  5. thx. had a craving but needed a simple but yummy recipe. stoked to try it. willadd spinache and more veggie as well as paneer. i bought paneer cuz i wanted to wanted to do saag but i am the only one who likes it…lol

  6. Hi

    Another interesting and easy recipe. Thanks as usual 🙂

    Question – Your wok like spatula looks good. Would you mind sharing where you bought it from?

    Thanks

  7. Hi Ladies, I tried this curry with the coconut milk option, frying 1 diced tomato in the beginning with the onion.it was just mouth watering. Thanks!
    Please keep the simple and delicious recipes coming…

  8. Hi Ladies!

    Just wanted to say, I just made this dish yesterday, and it came out so well. It was delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.

  9. Just wanted to let you know that I tried this recipe and both my husband and I LOVED it. It is one of the best curries I have ever made. Just to let the other readers know, I used only half of the required cream cheese and it was a reduced fat one at that. I did pour a bit of light coconut milk in as well… it came out great! This one is definitely a keeper.

  10. Hi guys,
    Greating from vancouver, Canada.
    I am a university student and I recently discovered you guys over youtube search and found some of your recipe just awesome!

    However, I often run into the trouble of not knowing what some ingredients are or where I can obtain them…which is a shame…But i will figure them out 🙂

    Just wondering, is curry powder something that you can get in grocery stores like safeway?

    this site is just awesome, keep up the good work!

    James

    1. Hi James,

      We’re so glad you are finding SMTC useful! Curry powder is becoming main stream so you may be able to find it in the spice aisle of your local grocery store but we suggest you make a trip to an Indian grocery store to stock up on basics.

  11. Hi Anuja & Hetal,

    I am a student on exchange in Canada. I am from India. I had hardly ever cooked before but I really needed to invite my friends over dinner. You website was a resure for me and I used yr recipes of chicken curry in a hurry with zeera rice and dahi wale aloo.
    My friends, who were from Europe and Canada, just loved it. They were licking their fingers and literally licked the utensils. It was a great hit.
    Thanks a lot to you guyz to make it so simple for us. I can now say that I am a good cook. you made my day. and u know what… i’m just so addicted to Indian cooking now… i just can’t have enough of it.
    Thanks a lot again. Hope u keep making ;life simpler and tastier for many more. Love the “pich of spice” that u added to my life.
    All the best

  12. Pingback: Chicken Curry
  13. Hi Hetal & Anuja…

    U didnt use chilli powder or pepper powder in this recipe rite…. this will b mild dish then.. can i add green chilli paste to this, cuz chicken curry with out heat, my hubby will not eat. thatz why i am asking

    pls do reply…

  14. Dearest Anuja and Hetal,
    I absolutely love ur recipes, very systematic and obviously delicious!!!!!!!!! My request is please can u show simple Shawarma recipe? I am a fan of Middle eastern cuisine thats why I am requesting u. Bye ladies Take care!!!!!!

  15. Please substitute yougurt for cream cheese and exclude lemon juice. Adding cilantro will be great for this dish. Exclude mint but keep all others intact.

    I like you guys and your presentation.

  16. I think this recipe is wonderful ..I loved… loved… it and its fast.. I am sorry some people dont appershate it but ..I thank you for your time and thank you so very much for posting this … looking foward to more in a hurry recipes .. Keep up the good work and thank you..

  17. hi anuja.
    thnx for responding. bt i jst watering once a day,, nd i shud tell u its winter season here in australia.
    nd u plz show video on planting n taking care of coriander n curry patta n green chillies… tht would b vry helpful..thanx

  18. hi hetal n anuja
    needless to say bt dis recipie us awesm…its a big WOW..
    now here i need ur favour plz…. i bought a small coriander pot, hv placed it in my kitchen, dnt knw hw to take proper care of it, m jst watering it, bt watching leaves r shedding day by day.. plz help me gving ur tips on it.
    i would realy appreciate if u show how to plant nd take care of coriander, curry patta in ur tuesday tips…plz

  19. hi Hetal and Anuja,
    I really like your pan and whatever tools you guys use in kitchen. If you don’t mind I wanna ask you something. actually I am looking for good quility nonstick cookware set. can you sugges me any brand or anything that can help me to buy.I know this is not related to your recipe and it’s silly to ask you this question. sorry if you don’t like it.

    1. Hi Pooja,
      No problem and no question is silly 😉 The pan that we have used in this video is from Bed Bath and Beyond. Some of the good non-stick pans are Calphalon and Analon but they need to be taken care of.

        1. Hey Pooja, the pan which they are using is on sale in Bed Bath & Beyond. I got this only for $8 after 20% coupon discount. It looks pretty.

  20. hi can chicken be substituted with vegetables if so which veggies work with this recipe, will paneer work instead of chicken. would be grt if u can reply by tommorow, wanna make this weekend.

    1. Oops, sorry Swetha! Been missing a lot of comments in between – anyways, you can use paneer, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, tofu…basically anything that won’t mush up and veges that will hold shape 🙂

    1. Hi Shelly,
      Sorry you don’t approve 🙁 We like to keep everyone in mind and do a variety of dishes, styles and cuisines. We are not saying that this is authentic – it was a goof-up that ended well. We hope you will give us a fair shot 🙂
      Cheers!

    2. Give these girls a break – this quick curry is friggin delicious. I mean come on, aren’t there tons of other recipes that utilize unconventional ingredients and turned out great?

      Keep in mind that in this day and age, nobody makes anything the true traditional way like what they did, lets say, 150 years ago. It doesn’t matter if people were to switch things up a little – if it turns out great, why fret?

      Anyway, these ladies have put a lot of time and effort coming out with these recipes trying to cater to the different needs. You gotta give them props for that. And they did mention that it was a cooking faux-pas that became a serendipity – the cream cheese wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place. We, as the audience, should be thankful that Anuja and Hetal are willing to share this recipe – if it was me, I would’ve kept it a secret 😉

    1. Hi Yourfan ;),
      Unfortunately, we do not have a name on the curry powder (transferred to another bottle 🙁 ). On various occasions we have bought them from Oriental stores, Whole foods, World Market or Central Market!
      Sorry, not much help there!

  21. Thanks for the recipe, often we are in a hurry, yet are hungry for something delicious. There are low fat cream cheese products as well as no fat cream cheese. And this recipe leaves room for some “tweaking” such as adding more spice or a few methi leaves.
    Thanks again, Ladies. Well done.

  22. Wow ! chicken curry looks very tempting. Instead of cream cheese we can add canned coconut milk too right ?

    BTW, this non stick cooking pan with lid is looking very beautiful and spacious…Could you please tell me from where you bought that & how much it is ?? Pls let me know.

    Thankyou Hetal & Anuja

    This friday evening gonna try foccacia. Will let you know the outcome. Bye.

  23. I did the same thing with cottage cheese, when i came frm india, i made paneer bhurji with that,and the result you can well imagine……….lol…

  24. Hey I like this recipe … that curry powder does taste good .. and the cream cheese is more or less like the makhani kind of effect … sort of Indo-European kind of chicken curry .. with less spice … it sure is a time-saver and also something different from the usual spicy chicken gravies ..

    1. Hi Uma,

      Unfortunately, we do not have a name on the curry powder (transferred to another bottle 🙁 ). On various occasions we have bought them from Oriental stores, Whole foods, World Market or Central Market!
      Sorry, not much help there!

      1. Hey Anuja,

        Thanks for your reply. Guess what i got the curry powder and tried this dish it came out really nice 🙂

        Thanks u guys.

  25. What could I use for a cream cheese substitute that might be a little more healthier? Also, what is the preferred stock to use? I would imaging chicken stock would make it taste better. Thanks!

    1. i imagine a no/low fat cream cheese might work. i’m tempted to use plain unsweetened yogurt instead, just don’t know what it would do to the consistancy of the sauce.

      1. Hi Woman,

        Any of the cream cheese varieties work well – no fat, low-fat or regular! The other options would be to use coconut milk (but with lesser stock).
        Yogurt may work but it might curdle…and/ or it may not cook the chicken (that’s what we think, never tried it) 🙁
        If you do try and it works for you, do let us know!

    2. Hi Mano,
      You can use light cream cheese or light coconut milk. This dish is an occasional eat and is best had as is. Once in a while it’s okay to indulge 😉

  26. Hey guys, the chicken looks yummy but isn’t it really heavy to eat with all that cream cheese?? I think i’ll have to cook it and check…

    1. Hi Parul,
      It is an occasional eat and really finger-licking good. You can also use light cream-cheese to make it a little less fattening 😉
      Once in a while, it’s great to indulge ;0

    1. Hi Juhi,
      We try to cater to all kinds of requests and requirements (this one is great for when you are in a big rush or students and bachelors). Sorry you are dissapointed but hopefully there will be recipe coming up that’ll be right up your alley 🙂
      Thanks always for your support and we really do appreciate your feedback 🙂

  27. hi hetal/Anuja

    Recipe looks interesting, will give it a try soon.

    could you please show how to make cheese cake.

    great job ladies, thank you so much for launching this site.

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