This aloo chicken keema tastes just as perfect with naan as it does with rice. Soft potatoes that melt into each bite, ground chicken simmered in a spiced tomato base, and fresh aromatics to keep your palate bright. Comfort food therapy, anyone?
You'll find a delicious aloo beef keema recipe on my website here, but not everyone prefers red meat, so thought I’d share my chicken version as well.
It's different, simpler, quicker, but doesn't compromise on taste.
I start with a quick spice mix using pantry staples, then blend tomatoes with garlic, ginger, chili, and black cardamom. And with those two done, the heavy lifting is out of the way.
The cooking process is fairly simple. And you can adjust the consistency of this dish to your liking. Saucy (but not too much) or simmered down, it's tasty either way.
This one's a weeknight-friendly one-pot meal you'll want to keep in your back pocket. Bookmark now!
Pre-cooking notes
- Hand-cut qeema is ideal for this recipe. But if all you’ve got is machine-cut ground/minced chicken, that’s fine.
- Use red potatoes if you can. Russets can turn to mush and make the dish starchy and weird. Yellow potatoes work too, but red ones hold up better.
- Red or yellow onions both work fine. Use what you've got on hand or can easily find.
- Fresh chilies can vary a lot in heat, so adjust the amount as you see fit. I use red/green Thai/bird’s eye chilies. Serrano peppers are a good alternative.
- I exclusively use Roma tomatoes for all my desi dishes. Some tomato varieties can be too sweet and lack the right level of acidity. Get red, ripest ones you can find.
- Don't substitute fresh ginger and garlic with store-bought pastes. They won't give the same results.
- Technically, you can do without the tomato paste, but it really gives the dish a nice, bright color and an extra boost of flavor. If worried that your purchase will be of single use, here's a tip. Scoop the leftover paste into tablespoon-sized portions in an ice cube tray, freeze, then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. Use directly from frozen as and when needed. No waste!
A visual guide for making Aloo Chicken keema
Here are photos of the key steps to guide you through the recipe. For a printable version with quantities and notes, see the recipe card below.
Combine all ingredients listed under “spice mix” and set aside. Blend everything mentioned under “blended mixture” until smooth. Heat oil in a wide pot/pan/karahi over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until the edges start to turn golden.
Add chicken keema along with ¼ cup of water and the prepared spice mix. Stir and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the potato cubes, cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the blended tomato mixture, 1 cup water, and 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Stir well. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the potatoes are completely cooked. If the water dries up before the potatoes are done, add a little more.
Add chopped cilantro/coriander and julienned ginger. Combine gently, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, mix in fresh lemon juice. Enjoy with naan or rice!
Top tips
- I usually cut my potatoes into roughly 1-inch cubes, but you can make them smaller or thinner if you want them to cook faster. Just watch closely as smaller pieces can go from perfectly tender to mushy in no time.
- As I mentioned earlier, you can adjust the consistency of the qeema to your liking. If you want it saucier, don’t wait until the potatoes are fully cooked to add water. The liquid needs time to blend with the tomato base; otherwise, it can separate from the dish when you serve. Keep adjusting the liquid gradually as the potatoes cook to get the right consistency.
Serving ideas
I love this dish with warm naan and basmati rice. Roti, kulcha and paratha also pair well. If you’re up for a little extra effort while the keema cooks, make some fresh kachumber to go with it (don’t forget to season it with salt and a squeeze of lemon juice - YUM).
If you try this recipe, please take a moment to leave a comment and review below. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Happy cooking – Nelo
Aloo Chicken Keema (Potato and Ground Chicken Curry)
Ingredients
Spice mix
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder - aka zeera powder
- 1 teaspoon dhaniya powder - aka dhaniya powder
- 1 teaspoon kasuri methi - aka dried fenugreek leaves
- ¾ teaspoon red chili powder - add a bit more if you like some heat
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder - aka kali mirch powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder - aka haldi powder
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
Blended mixture
- 2 medium tomatoes - preferably Roma (Note A)
- 4 cloves garlic - peeled
- 1 inch fresh ginger - peeled
- 1 small fresh green chili - I use Thai/bird's eye (Note B)
- 1 black cardamom - aka bari elaichi
Other ingredients
- ½ cup cooking oil
- 1 large (150 g) onion - diced/chopped
- 1 pound (500 g) ground chicken - aka chicken mince/keema
- 1 pound (500 g) potatoes - peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes. Don't use russets (Note C)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro/coriander leaves - aka hara dhaniya
- 1 inch ginger - peeled, cut into thin, matchstick-like strips (julienne)
- 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice - fresh
Instructions
- Have all ingredients prepared and ready before you start cooking. You can use the checkboxes next to each ingredient to track your prep.
- Mix together all the spices mentioned under "spice mix" and set aside.
- In a blender or food processor, put all the ingredients mentioned under "blended mixture" and process until completely smooth. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a wide pot/pan/karahi (preferably non-stick) over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, and cook until the edges start to turn golden. Don't let it brown.
- Add ground chicken (keema) along with ¼ cup of water and the prepared spice mix. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Break up any clumps with your spoon as it cooks.
- Add potato cubes, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the blended tomato mixture and 1 cup water. Also add 1 tablespoon tomato paste. Stir well.
- Cover, turn the heat down to low, and simmer until the potatoes are completely cooked through. If the liquid dries up before the potatoes are done, add some water. Stir occasionally (see Note D if you want to adjust consistency).
- Add chopped cilantro/coriander and julienned ginger. Combine gently, cover, and cook for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, mix in fresh lemon juice. Taste, adjust salt if needed.
- If you prefer a bit more spice, add some finely chopped fresh green/red (I do!). Garnish with some fresh cilantro/coriander for a pop of color and enjoy with warm naan. If you try this recipe, I'd love to hear how it turned out in your kitchen. Leave your rating and comment below.
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