Madras Curry Chicken Recipe (Freezer Friendly)

Preparing delicious Indian inspired dinners at home doesn’t have to be difficult! With this quick and easy Madras curry recipe, you can create a delicious chicken dinner for your family using just seven ingredients. And since this flavorful recipe is freezer-friendly, it will make the perfect addition to your meal plan this month!

Because the chicken in this recipe is pre-cooked, this is a freezer meal that can easily be divided into individual portions and reheated in the microwave.

Madras Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoon ginger (we use the squeeze tube kind)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 4 teaspoons Madras curry paste
• ½ cup mincemeat

Freezing instructions:

1. Place the cooked, cubed chicken in a large freezer bag. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, chicken broth, Madras curry paste, and mincemeat to the bag.
2. Squeeze the ingredients in the bag together to mix everything up and coat the chicken.
3. Seal the bag, leaving a small opening at the end. Remove excess air from the bag and seal it completely. Place in the freezer until ready to cook.

Serving instructions:

1. Thaw the Madras curry in the refrigerator completely.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the contents of the bag to the skillet and sauté until the sauce is warmed through and the onion has softened.
3. Serve over jasmine or basmati rice and top with fresh cilantro if desired.

How Spicy is Madras Curry?

This flavourful curry variation is on the hot end of the spice scale. If you were to rate the heat level on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the hottest, Madras curry would rate around an 8 for spiciness.

What is the Difference Between Curry and Madras Curry?

The heat level is the main difference between traditional yellow curry and Madras curry. Since Madras curry is made with chili peppers, it is slightly spicier than curry powder. You’ll also notice that Madras curry has a slightly different colour than curry powder. While curry powder has an orange or yellow tint, the chili peppers found in Madras curry give it a redder, darker colour.

How Long is Madras Chicken Curry Good For?

You can store your prepped chicken curry in the freezer for up to four months before it needs to be cooked. Before you add the ingredients to your freezer bag, make sure to label the bag with the name of the recipe, the date it was frozen, and the approximate expiration date.

After you cook the curry, leftovers should be stored in the refrigerator. It’s not recommended that you refreeze the chicken after it’s been prepared.

Transfer the leftover cooked curry to an airtight container and place it in the fridge. When stored properly the recipe will stay good for up to four days. You can reheat the curry in the microwave or in a skillet over medium low heat.

What Do You Serve with Chicken Madras?

The spiciness of the madras curry sauce in this Indian dish means it pairs well with rice. I suggest serving this chicken dish with jasmine or basmati rice, but plain white rice would also work. You can also serve your chicken madras with Naan to soak up the sauce.

If you’re looking for side dishes that would pair beautifully, our Chana Masala or Vegetable Pakoras.

Madras Curry Tips & Tricks

You’re going to love how simple it is to make this Indian chicken dish at home. And since it’s such an easy recipe to prepare, it’s also easy to customize. Try these recipe ideas as you’re cooking to change up the dish to suit your own tastes.

• Add some coconut milk. Most traditional curry recipes are made with coconut milk to help balance the spices. But since coconut milk doesn’t freeze well, it’s not a good idea to add this ingredient to the freezer bag with your chicken. You can, however, add it to the skillet as your other curry ingredients are cooking. If you find this dish is too spicy for your taste, try mixing in around one cup of unsweetened coconut milk to the skillet with the rest of frozen ingredients.
• Make it vegetarian. Chicken is a great addition to this spicy sauce, but if you’d prefer to make this a meatless dinner you can substitute chickpeas for the diced chicken. Simply drain one 15-ounce can of chickpeas and mix them into the sauce before freezing. After that, you can reheat the curry according to the recipe instructions.
• Try it with beef or lamb. Another quick substitution you can make this this simple curry recipe is to substitute beef or lamb for the chicken. Just make sure to cook the meat before adding it to the sauce to help speed up the prep time on your cooking day.
• Substitute curry paste. If you can’t find Madras curry paste, you can easily adjust the recipe using yellow curry paste. Simply stir some cayenne pepper or hot chili powder into traditional yellow curry paste to give it the spicy flavour and red colour of Madras curry paste. After that, you can prepare the recipe as written.