Chicken Vindaloo

This Chicken Vindaloo is a bold-flavored Indian dish. Served with rice, it’s a comfort food dish that never disappoints! So incredibly easy to make and so delicious!

I’ve tried several Vindaloo recipes over the years and I’ve found my favorite with the gals, Bridget and Julia from America’s Test Kitchen. It’s a milder recipe, but you can certainly increase the spice level with some added Kashmiri chili powder or cayenne. It’s totally up to you how spicy you prefer this dish.

Bridget and Julia recommend using chicken thighs so the chicken stays moist and juicy, so that’s what I went with and it worked out perfectly.

You’ll start this dish on your stovetop and finish it off in the oven. I serve it with some white rice, but I’ve also served it with some of my homemade naan bread to soak up that tasty sauce. You can even serve it with both.

Step-By-Step Instructions

The first step is to pat your chicken dry with paper towels and then season with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add half of the chicken and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with another tablespoon oil and remainder of chicken.

The second step is add the remaining one tablespoon oil to the empty pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cayenne and cloves and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute.

The third step is to slowly whisk in the broth, making sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot and to smooth out any lumps. Stir in the tomatoes, undrained, vinegar, mustard seeds, bay leaves, sugar and browned chicken with any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and place in the oven and cook until the chicken is tender, about one hour.

You’ll remove the pot from the oven, remove the bay leaves, then stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add some white rice to each of your individual plates and then top with the chicken vindaloo. 

I hope you guys give this Indian dish a try. You won’t be disappointed!

Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!

Chicken Vindaloo

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Servings: 6 servings

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This Chicken Vindaloo is a bold-flavored Indian dish. Served with rice, it's a comfort food dish that never disappoints! So incredibly easy to make and so delicious!

Prep Time 35 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Ingredients  

• 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• salt and pepper
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 yellow onions, finely chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 3/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. mustard seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and then season with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add half of the chicken and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with another tablespoon oil and remainder of chicken.
• Add remaining one tablespoon oil to the empty pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin, cardamom, cayenne and cloves and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook for one minute.
• Slowly whisk in the broth, making sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot and to smooth out any lumps. Stir in the tomatoes, undrained, vinegar, mustard seeds, bay leaves, sugar and browned chicken with any accumulated juices. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and place in the oven and cook until the chicken is tender, about one hour.
• Remove the pot from the oven and remove the bay leaves. Stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Notes

I love to serve this dish with some cooked white rice on the side or with some of my homemade Naan Bread to soak up that flavorful sauce.

As I  mentioned above, feel free to add as much Kashmiri chili powder or cayenne powder for heat as you prefer.

Keyword: Chicken, chicken thighs, curry dish, spicy, tomatoes

Cuisine: Indian

Course: Main Dish

Recipe adapted from Cooking at Home with Bridget and Julia