Creamy cashews add a velvety richness to this flavorful Cashew Chicken Curry. It’s a delicious Indian dish that comes together in less than 30 minutes!
If you are like me and love Indian food and curry this recipe is for you! The creamy and nuttiness from the curry sauce with the pureed cashews have this smooth, velvety texture, that pairs perfectly with the chicken and rice.
I always serve this recipe alongside my Indian Naan Bread and White Rice so that all of the curry goodness can soak into the carbs.
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients
Cashews – You cannot have Cashew Chicken Curry without cashews! These nuts give a richness to the overall dish just like in my Thai Cashew Chicken.
Greek Yogurt and Coconut Milk – These two ingredients are combined to create the creaminess of the dish.
For a full list of ingredients and amounts see the recipe card below.
How to Make Cashew Chicken Curry
Step #1: Place the chicken, 2 teaspoons curry powder, 2 teaspoons garam masala, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a zipper-close bag. Press out the excess air, seal the bag, and massage the spices into the chicken.
Step #2: Heat a pan or grill pan over medium-high heat; once hot, place the chicken breasts on the pan. Cook 6-8 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Step #3: While the chicken is cooking, place the onion and tomato in the bowl of a blender and process until pureed. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion-tomato mixture and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the spices and sugar.
Step #4: Place the cashew nuts and water into the same blender bowl or food processor and puree. Transfer the mixture to the saucepan and add the coconut milk and yogurt. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes over medium.
Step #5: Turn the heat down to low and add the cooked chicken pieces. Simmer for 5 minutes until warmed through.
Step #6: Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve 6788with White Rice and warm Indian Naan Bread and enjoy!
FAQs
If you are wanting a thicker sauce you can either add in more ground cashews into the sauce or simmer it uncovered a little longer.
If you are wanting to add in more flavor into this dish you can add in additional spices such as ground ginger, or cumin, or add in a little bit of lime juice, soy sauce, or even hoisin sauce.
Storage and Reheating
You can store this recipe in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 3-4 days. If you want to freeze this curry, you can do so for up to 1 month.
To reheat, you can do so on the stovetop over medium heat until everything has warmed through. Or you can microwave until everything has warmed through.
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Cashew Chicken Curry Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless - skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2″ thickness
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 2 teaspoons garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the Cashew Curry Sauce
- 1 white onion - halved
- 2 medium tomatoes - halved
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt - NOT nonfat!
Instructions
- Place the chicken, 2 teaspoons curry powder, 2 teaspoons garam masala, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a zipper-close bag. Press out the excess air, seal the bag, and massage the spices into the chicken.
- Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; once hot, place the chicken breasts on the pan. Cook 6-8 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- While the chicken is cooking, place the onion and tomato in the bowl of a blender and process until pureed. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion-tomato mixture and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the spices and sugar.
- Place the cashews and water into the same blender bowl and puree. Transfer the mixture to the saucepan and add the coconut milk and yogurt. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes over medium.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the cooked chicken pieces. Simmer for 5 minutes until warmed through.
- Serve with basmati rice and warm naan bread.
VIDEO
NOTES
Nutrition
Soooo good! Just make sure you add salt to taste to really highlight all the flavors.
I can’t wait to try this. I regularly use FF plain greek yogurt and would prefer it to keep the calorie count down. Is there a specific reason you tell us NOT to use it?
Vonnie
Hi Vonnie,
You can use fat free plain Greek yogurt, but you might not like the resulting watered down flavor. Check out what Bon Appetit has to say about it here: https://www.bonappetit.com/story/full-fat-yogurt-is-the-only-yogurt-worth-buying
– Linda
Yasssssss finally!!!!! This sauce is one of the curry flavors I’ve been trying to find a recipe for!!!! Ahhh it’s so good!
I do agree with the person who said the onion was too raw, but I just let it cook a little longer. No biggie.
I couldn’t be bothered to dig out the blender so I just smashed the cashews (I used roasted/salted) with a meat mallet and then let them soak in the specified water.
I had cooked chicken already so I used that, but next time I’ll make the chicken as directed so it has more of the yummy flavors.
I had to hold myself back from eating the sauce as a soup, all by itself. It was THAT GOOD.