
Shahi Chicken Korma is a royal Mughlai cuisine made with chicken cooked in cashew nut and almond paste, some roasted coconut powder and a whole lot of Indian spices and garam masala in a creamy spicy curd-based gravy/sauce and later garnished with fried nuts that adds a very subtle sweetness to the Korma. This gravy is mildly spicy but rich in color and texture, sumptuous and eye tempting, and the chicken cooked in the gravy is deliciously tender and juicy in taste.
Definition of Korma- ‘Korma’ is a mildly spiced Indian style cuisine of meat or fish marinaded cooked and braised only in curd based gravy, (also cream or chicken stock is used) which means there will be no hint of water while cooking this delicious ‘Chicken Korma’ recipe.

But, what’s the difference between ‘Chicken Korma’ and ‘Shahi Chicken Korma’? Well to be honest, there’s only a very slight difference between this two recipes. The major difference is the cooking style and most of the ingredients remains the same. In Indian cooking, as we all know ‘Shahi’ or ‘Shai’ signifies to the royal title of Shahanshah in Mughal India, so it is said that the royal Mughal’s taste buds were not quite fond of vegetables, therefore there is no vegetable version of this Korma recipe also Korma style recipes are always cooked in a thick curd or cream base gravy which enhances the taste and makes it a very rich and scrumptious dish.

Cooking Time : 25-30 minutes.
Taste : Mildly Spicy
Course : Main

Ingredients :
Items | Quantity |
Bone-in Chicken Thighs and legs | 750 gm |
Roasted Coconut Shreds/Powder | 4-5 tbsp |
Curd | 1 large bowl |
Cashew Nuts | 10-12 |
Almonds | 10-12 |
Mace (Javitri) | 1 |
Nutmeg Powder | 1/2 tsp |
Kewra Water | 1/2 tsp |
Cinnamon | 1 stick |
Green Cardamom | 4 |
Black Cardamom | 1 |
Cloves | 8-9 |
Black Peppercorns | 9-10 |
Bay leaves | 2 |
Shahi Jeera (Whole Cumin Seeds) | 1 tsp |
Ginger Shreds/Paste | 1 tbsp |
Garlic Shreds/Paste | 1 tbsp |
Onions Sliced | 2 |
Coriander Powder | 1 tbsp |
Garam Masala Powder | 2 tbsp |
Salt | As Per Taste |
Sugar | 1 tsp |
Ghee | 1 tbsp |
Vegetable Oil | To Cook |
Almonds Sliced | For Garnish |
Marination Ingredients :
Items | Quantity |
Bone-In Chicken | 750 gm |
Curd | 6-7 tbsp |
Kashmiri Red Chili Powder (deep red color and less spicy chili) | 1 tbsp |
Red Chili Powder | 1 tbsp |
Ginger Shreds | 1 tbsp |
Garlic Shreds | 1 tbsp |
Salt | 1 tbsp |
Preparation :
- In a bowl, place the chicken, add curd, colored red chili powder, red chili powder, ginger shreds, garlic shreds, and salt. Mix them well. Refrigerate to Marinade for 1 hour.


- Preheat oven to 180˚ C. Grease the baking tray with some butter and put the marinated chicken over tray.
- Put the chicken pieces in the preheated oven and bake+cook for straight 30 minutes. Once done,keep it aside

Baking them instead of frying the chicken in the oil is more healthier, less time consuming and makes the chicken very succulent compared to frying them in deep oil before cooking.
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- In a heated oil, fry the onions until they are golden brown. Remove them from the pan quickly as soon as they turn golden and keep it aside .
Note : Please note that you’re not suppose to fry them till they are completely brown and dark while making this recipe particularly
- In a jar, add the fried onions and ground them once to a paste. (Don’t make it a thick smooth paste – coarse grind)


- In a new jar, add cashew nut and almonds, ground them to a thick paste.
Pro Tip : Add 2 tbsp milk instead of water while grinding them to a smooth paste.
- In another fresh jar, add 1 tsp shahi jeera, black peppercorns, 1 inch cinnamon, 3-4 green cardamom, mace and nutmeg (grind the lacy outer covering surrounding the nutmeg). Ground them to a powder in the grinder. *This is going to be our “Korma masala” that we are going to use later*.



- In a heated pan, roast coconut shreds over a high flame and set aside.
- Whisk the curd in a bowl, make sure there is no plump in the curd and set aside.
How To Cook :
- Step 1 : Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add 1 tbsp ghee. Add 1 inch cinnamon, 2 green cardamom,1 black cardamom, 6-7 cloves, 7-8 black peppercorns and 2 bay leaves. Stir till it splutters and add ginger-garlic paste/shreds. Mix well & fry on medium heat for around 2-3 mins till raw smell is gone.


- Step 2 : Now add the baked chicken pieces & fry on high to medium heat for 5 mins. Sprinkle 2 tbsp garam masala powder and coriander powder. Mix well and simmer.
- Step 3 : On a low flame, add roasted coconut shreds, cashew-almond paste and curd. Mix well and saute. Keep stirring it for around 5 mins till it is cooked. Add salt as per taste and 1 tsp sugar. Mix well.
- Step 4 : Pour 1 tsp Kewra water evenly over the ingredients. Mix well and saute.

- Step 5 : Add the fried onion paste in to the ingredients, mix well & cook for around 7-8 mins.
- Step 6 : Once the oil separates, add another cup of curd, mix well, cover and cook/braise on a low flame for around 10-15 mins.

- Step 7 : Remove the cover and sprinkle 1 tbsp grounded Korma masala, mix well. Simmer for 2-3 mins. Check for salt.

- Step 8 : Garnish with sliced almonds and serve hot with roti or rice, curd raita and salads.

This is the easiest royal Mughlai recipe you can make on any special occasions to please your tummy and taste buds as well, also this is the perfect chicken recipe one can make for their special guests and loved ones visiting them. So, go ahead and try making this recipe and let me know how it goes for you in the comment section below.

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They look incredible 😍
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Thank you so much.! 🙂
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Delicious 😋
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Thankyou😊😇
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Thank you for sharing. I love Indian cuisine but have never tried making it myself! This looks delicious (as does everything on your blog!)
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Thank you so much, Jenny😇❤️
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Ohh Yumm, it looks wonderful!
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Thank you ❤️😇
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Looks delicious 😋
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Thank you 😇😄
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