An easy takeaway-style chicken pathia curry! Deliciously tangy, sour, and sweet, all in one bite! Best of all it's on the table in just 30 minutes.
Serve with pilau rice, naan bread, poppadoms and plenty of mango chutney. You might also like my easy chicken rogan josh recipe!
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Chicken pathia curry is a popular medium-hot sweet and sour curry.
The tangy sourness in this tomato-based chicken curry comes from the use of tamarind paste and lime juice, which is balanced perfectly by the sweetness of the brown sugar. It's a real flavour explosion in every bite!
👩🍳 Love curry? Check out my delicious prawn bhuna recipe too!
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- Quick and easy medium hot chicken curry.
- Tangy and sour tomato-based curry sauce.
- Freezer-friendly.
- Easily doubled to feed a crowd.
🛒 Ingredients
Chicken - 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bitesize pieces.
Olive Oil - a mild olive oil for frying.
Garlic - 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped. If you love garlic, use a couple more.
Onion - a medium brown onion, which has been finely chopped.
Red Chilli - I use a mild chilli in this curry, but if you like things hot use a hotter variety like birds eye.
Ginger - finely grated.
Spices - including cinnamon, medium curry powder, chilli powder, smoked paprika, fenugreek and tamarind paste.
Lime - the juice of half a lime is used in this recipe.
Brown Sugar - light brown sugar helps to balance the tangy sour tomato based sauce.
Passata - My family prefer smooth sauces so I use passata. Alternatively, you can use a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes instead.
Tomato Puree (tomato paste) - for a concentrated tomato flavour boost.
Water - a small amount of water helps to thin the curry sauce out. if you prefer your sauces thick, just leave this out!
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
- Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan or shallow casserole and fry the garlic, onion, chilli and ginger for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat.
- Add the chicken breast pieces and fry for 3-4 minutes until they change colour.
- Stir in the cinnamon, curry powder, chilli powder, smoked paprika, fenugreek and tamarind paste.
- Pour in the passata, add the tomato puree, squeeze in the lime juice and spoon in the sugar. Simmer for 10-12 minutes on a medium heat. If you want to thin the sauce out a little, add 100ml of boiling water from the kettle and stir it in.
- Serve with chopped coriander, rice, mango chutney, and naan bread.
Top Tips
- If you can't get hold of tamarind paste, increase the quantity of lime juice (or lemon juice) and brown sugar to double that stated in the recipe card.
- A sprinkle of garam masala right at the end enhances the aroma and deepens the flavour.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the chicken pathia curry with pilau rice (or plain boiled basmati rice), naan bread, mango chutney, and raita.
If I'm serving this at one of our family curry nights, I'll make a vegetarian curry to serve alongside it, like this creamy halloumi curry or easy Quorn curry.
📖 Variations
- Make it hotter by doubling the amount of chilli powder and using a hotter fresh red chilli.
- Swap out the chicken for king prawns, lamb or beef.
- Up the veggies and add a handful of baby spinach at the end of cooking. The residual heat will wilt the spinach into the curry sauce.
- Make a vegetarian pathia curry and use Quorn pieces or 2 cans of drained chickpeas.
🥡 Storage
Store - The pathia curry can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat - In the microwave until the curry is piping hot.
Freeze - The chicken pathia can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Allow the curry to cool before freezing. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before reheating.
❓ FAQs
The traditional Pathia (pronounced without the h - Patia) originates from Persia. This dish has been adapted by Indians over the years, and is now one of the UK's best-loved curries, served in curry houses and takeaways nationwide.
Tamarind paste is made from a sour, dark, sticky fruit that grows in a pod on a tamarind tree. Popular in Indian and Thai recipes, it gives dishes a distinctly sour flavour.
Pathia is a medium hot curry with a nice spicy kick to it!
😋Related recipes
More delicious curry recipes to try!
- Lamb Balti
- Thai Green Beef Curry
- Leftover Chicken Curry
- Chicken Korma
- Chicken Pasanda
- Keema Matar
- Fruity Mango Chutney Chicken Curry
- King Prawn Masala Curry
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Recipe
Easy Chicken Pathia
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Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Knife
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 3 Garlic Cloves finely chopped
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 1 Red Chilli chopped
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger peeled and grated
- 4 Chicken Breasts diced
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon Medium Curry Powder
- 1 teaspoon Chilli Powder
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek
- ½ teaspoon Tamarind Paste
- ½ Lime juice only
- 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
- 400 ml Passata
- 2 tablespoon Tomato Puree
- 100 ml Water optional
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Coriander chopped
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a non stick frying pan or shallow casserole and fry the garlic, onion, chilli and ginger for 3-4 minutes over a medium heat.1 tablespoon Olive Oil, 3 Garlic Cloves, 1 Onion, 1 Red Chilli, 1 tablespoon Fresh Ginger
- Add the chicken breast pieces and fry for 3-4 minutes until they change colour.4 Chicken Breasts
- Stir in the cinnamon, curry powder, chilli powder, smoked paprika, fenugreek and tamarind paste.½ teaspoon Cinnamon, 3 tablespoon Medium Curry Powder, 1 teaspoon Chilli Powder, 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika, ½ teaspoon Fenugreek, ½ teaspoon Tamarind Paste
- Pour in the passata, add the tomato puree, squeeze in the lime juice and mix in the sugar. Simmer for 10-12 minutes on a medium heat. If you want to thin the sauce out a little, add 100ml of boiling water from the kettle and stir it in.½ Lime, 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar, 400 ml Passata, 2 tablespoon Tomato Puree, 100 ml Water
- Serve with chopped coriander.2 tablespoon Fresh Coriander
Notes
- Make it hotter by doubling the amount of chilli powder and using a hotter fresh red chilli.
- Swap out the chicken for king prawns, lamb or beef.
- Up the veggies and add a handful of baby spinach at the end of cooking. The residual heat will wilt the spinach into the curry sauce.
- Make a vegetarian pathia curry and use Quorn pieces or 2 cans of drained chickpeas.
Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter to stay up to date with what's cooking in the Effortless Foodie kitchen!
Beth says
Oh wow! This sounds absolutely wonderful and perfect for dinner tonight! My family and I are going to love this. Looks so flavorful and very tasty! Can't wait to make this!
Natalie says
Oh wow, I'm seriously hungry now. This looks delicious. Perfect dinner for colder days. The flavors are amazing. I love added cinnamon and curry. I have to make this.
Mindee Taylor says
Such a delicious flavor! Loved this unique dish!
Gina says
This recipe is the perfect use for the tamarind paste I've had in the pantry for months now! Thanks for getting me to try something new and delicious!
Katherine says
Oooh so many amazing flavors in this curry.
MrFootOfDavros says
Thanks, great curry!
I recently had this at Kabab Mahal (one of Edinburgh's finest curry houses) and was keen to attempt to recreate this at home.
This recipe comes very close, so very happy.