Precooked Chicken Breast (Indian Restaurant Style)
This Indian restaurant style precooked chicken breast is the secret behind quick, authentic tasting curry dishes at home. Gently simmered with aromatic spices, it’s tender, flavourful and ready to drop straight into your favourite curry sauce in minutes.
When you’re in the mood for an authentic Indian restaurant style curry, this precooked chicken breast makes life so easy! Slow simmered in aromatic spices, it’s deliciously tender and perfect in a madras, korma or South Indian garlic chilli. With a batch of Indian restaurant style curry broth and this chicken prepared ahead, you’re just minutes away from your favourite curry anytime the craving hits!
This precooked chicken breast is the same as you might find used in many Scottish Indian takeaway restaurants to produce quick, flavour-packed curries to order. Add it to any of your favourite curry dishes and simmer until piping hot. Think of it as a building block rather than a finished dish – with curry broth and precooked chicken in the fridge or freezer, your favourite Indian restaurant style curry is just minutes away.
Love Scottish Indian restaurant style recipes?
You can find more in my cookbook The Indian Takeaway Secret.
Ingredients For Indian Restaurant Style Precooked Chicken Breast
This precooked chicken recipe uses a lightly spiced oil and stock with aromatic whole spices including cumin, coriander and cinnamon to create deliciously flavourful and tender chicken pieces. Perfect to get prepared ahead of time, ready to add to your favourite Indian curry to order when the mood hits.
- Cumin Seeds
- Coriander Seeds
- Dried Fenugreek Leaves (Methi)
- Cinnamon Stick
- Green Cardamom
- Cloves
- Garam Masala
- Smoked Paprika
- Turmeric
- Chilli Powder
- Sea Salt
- Sunflower Oil
- Water
- Chicken Breast
How To Make Indian Restaurant Style Precooked Chicken Breast
To make this restaurant style chicken, simply add the chicken and spices to a pot, cover with water and let it gently simmer away. The chicken cooks slowly in the aromatic spices until tender and flavourful, ready to drop straight into your favourite curry sauce whenever the craving hits.
Step 1: Spices
Add the spices, oil and water to a pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow the spices to infuse the water for around 5 minutes – this builds the aromatic base that gives the chicken its flavour.
Step 2: Chicken
Add the chicken breast to the pot and simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Step 3: Cool & Store
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely before portioning and storing in the fridge or freezer, ready to use in your favourite Indian restaurant style curry dishes.
Indian Restaurant Style Precooked Chicken Breast Recipe Tips
Simmer Down
Keep the heat low and steady throughout. A gentle simmer keeps the chicken tender – a rolling boil will toughen the chicken breast and make it dry and stringy. If the water is bubbling aggressively, turn the heat down a little.
Hot Stuff
Chicken breast should reach an internal temperature of 75°C to be safely cooked through. A meat thermometer is the most reliable way to check — insert it into the thickest part of the chicken. If you don’t have a thermometer, slice the thickest piece in half — it should be completely white throughout with no pink remaining.
Cool It
Once cooked, the chicken breast pieces can be set aside to cool and stored in the fridge or freezer until needed. Precooked chicken breast keeps well in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Precooked Chicken Breast (Indian Restaurant Style)
Equipment
- 1 Large Saucepan or Pot
Ingredients
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
- pinch dried fenugreek leaves (methi)
- 1/4 cinnamon stick
- 2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 2 cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon mild chilli powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 50 millilitres vegetable oil
- 200 millilitres water
- 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts (around 300g total weight)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or pot, add 1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds, pinch dried fenugreek leaves (methi), 1/4 cinnamon stick, 2 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed, 2 cloves, 1/4 teaspoon garam masala, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon mild chilli powder, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, 50 millilitres vegetable oil and 200 millilitres water. Mix briefly, bring to the boil over a medium-high heat, reduce to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Cut each chicken breast into 7-8 pieces and add to the simmering spiced stock. Mix well and simmer for 15 minutes or until the chicken breast pieces are just cooked through and tender. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes in the stock, then strain and set aside to cool completely ready for use in future Indian restaurant style curry dishes.
Video
Nutrition
Indian Restaurant Style Precooked Chicken Breast Recipe FAQ
What can I do with precooked chicken?
This Indian takeaway style chicken is a great shortcut to restaurant style curry dishes. With the chicken cooked, you can use it just like your local Indian restaurant might and add it to any of your favourite curry dishes. For a good starting point, this traditional chicken curry is simple and delicious. Or you can make the classics – madras, korma, South Indian garlic chilli and more!
How do I keep Indian restaurant style chicken tender?
To ensure your chicken pieces are tender for Indian curry dishes, simmer gently in the stock and don’t let the stock boil too hard. Cut the chicken breast pieces big enough that they won’t cook too quickly (2-3 inches). It can be cut smaller after cooking if desired.
How do I know chicken breast is safely cooked?
The chicken breast pieces should be fully cooked after around 15 minutes – if you want to be absolutely sure, you can use a meat thermometer and check the internal temperate. Cook chicken breast pieces to 75C.
How long can I keep Indian restaurant style precooked chicken breast?
This precooked chicken breast will keep well in the fridge for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply add the chicken pieces to your bubbling curry sauce (defrost them in the fridge first if they’ve been frozen) and simmer for 2-3 minutes until piping hot.
Love Scottish Indian restaurant style recipes?
You can find more in my cookbook The Indian Takeaway Secret.
