Chicken Pasanda is a curry dish that some describe as a “royal” dish, due to its richness. It skips out on the usual ingredients of tomato sauce/paste, which gives it a nice creamy white color, which makes it stand out from other curries which are frequently reddish or orange. It has all your standard curry flavors, with a fun bonus addition of chopped almonds which add a delightful nutty flavor to the dish. Bear in mind, our column’s name “quick recipe” denotes the the fact that the post is quick, not the recipe necessarily. In this case, chicken pasanda is a bit on the lengthy side of meals to make, but it shouldn’t take longer than an hour to prepare. It’s certainly worth it; it tastes awesome!

Chicken Pasanda

• 2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into large chunks
• 5 oz plain yogurt
• 1 tbsp lime juice OR lemon juice
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp cardamom (optional)
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp minced almonds
• 2 tsp garam masala (optional)
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• ½ cup cream (or substitute half and half)
• 1 tbsp cilantro

1. In a medium sized bowl, add yogurt and lemon juice. Mix together until smooth.
2. Add in the cumin, cardamom, pepper, almonds, garam masala, chili powder, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, and salt to the yogurt mixture and stir well into a paste.
3. Pour the spice mix onto the chicken and allow to sit for a half hour to an hour.
4. While chicken is marinating, chop your onions and garlic up. When chicken is ready to be cooked, pour the vegetable oil into a medium wok pan and stir around to coat evenly.
5. Saute the onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes, or until just barely browned. Add the chicken in and start stir-frying.
6. Cook the chicken for about 12 minutes in the wok, or until its thoroughly cooked.
7. When the chicken is cooked, reduce the heat to low. Slowly pour in the cream while stirring, to create a sauce. Stir well until it’s blended. Raise the heat back to medium and cook this sauce for 5 more minutes, or until slightly thickened.
8. Add the cilantro to the curry and stir to blend, and then serve.